Grace Settles $250 Million Asbestos Suit in Montana

from National Public Radio

This week, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a record settlement with W.R. Grace and Co. for the cleanup of asbestos materials in the town of Libby, Mont.

The company will pay $250 million toward the massive cleanup effort that has been under way for years as part of the Superfund program.

Hundreds of residents in the town, which used to mine vermiculite, have been sickened and killed by asbestos-related diseases.

Melissa Block talks with Andrew Schneider, the Seattle Post-Intellingencer correspondent who broke the story in 1999.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, March 12, 2008