1916
Edward Alley “discovered” vermiculite near Libby.
1919
Commercial mining of vermiculite began in Libby.
1930
Edward Merewether confirmed that inhalation of asbestos dust can cause a fatal disease.
1955
Richard Doll found that insulation company employees had a higher risk of lung cancer.
1963
W.R. Grace bought the mine.
1964
W.R. Grace initiated annual employee chest x-rays.
1966
W.R. Grace made plans to reduce asbestos dust through fans and wet mill technology.
1977
W.R. Grace no longer hired smokers.
1983
W.R. Grace reported possible health effects from Tremolite, now called Libby Amphibole.
1990
Mine was officially closed.
1999
Community-wide contamination and exposure was realized.
2003
CARD became a non-profit organization.
2009
The first Environmental Public Health Emergency is declared.
2010
Affordable Care Act passed, providing free screenings at CARD.
2019
United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed cleanup of the Superfund site and screenings will continue due to the long latency period.
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