Who Is CARD
In the northwest corner of Montana, in the rural community of Libby, the Center for Asbestos Related Diseases (CARD) has emerged as a national center of excellence in addressing healthcare issues associated with Libby amphibole (previously called tremolite) asbestos. The CARD is a non-profit 501(c) 3 governed by a volunteer community based Board of Directors devoted to healthcare, outreach, and research to benefit all people impacted by exposure to Libby Amphibole asbestos.
Through the clinic, CARD fulfills its primary mission of providing specific holistic health care for the varied pulmonary diseases associated with Libby Amphibole asbestos. In addition, CARD collaborates with many clinical and basic science researchers acting as the gateway to the affected population by facilitating ethical representative research activities in the Libby community.
CARD’s goal is to stimulate research from around the country to: gain further understanding of disease mechanism, improve early disease and cancer detection as well as intervention, and develop effective physiological and behavioral health management strategies in hope of finding answers to improve health outcomes for individuals and communities.
Timeline
1916 – E.N. Alley discovers vermiculite contaminated with Libby Amphibole asbestos and begins commercial production by the Zonolite Company.
1963 – W.R. Grace purchases the mining operations and production is greatly increased.
1971 – OSHA Act, the US officially regulates asbestos exposure.
1980’s – Fiber counts in downtown Libby exceed allowable amounts during EPA, NIOSH and State inspections. W.R. Grace loses its largest customer, Scotts Company in Marysville, Ohio when asbestos disease is observed amongst workers in their processing plant.
1990 – W.R. Grace stops production in Libby.
1999 – Seattle P-I articles draw national attention to widespread asbestos related disease caused by exposure to Libby Amphibole asbestos.
2003 – CARD becomes a non-profit 501(c) 3 clinic offering specialty asbestos related disease patient care and asbestos health screening.
2009 – Community wide exposure to Libby Amphibole asbestos has resulted in the EPA designating Libby as the nation’s first and only Public Health Emergency resulting from an environmental disaster.
2011 – Nearly 50% of approximately 700 screening patients were found to have Libby Amphibole Disease.
2012 – CARD now serves over 4500 patients exposed to Libby Amphibole, with over 2000 patients diagnosed with Libby Amphibole Disease.
