Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
3 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
4 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
5 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All the United States Montana Libby Asbestos Town — Libby, Montana

Asbestos Town — Libby, Montana

Mining caused an asbestos emergency in this small town.

Libby, Montana

Added By
Lew Blank
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Satellite view of the closed down W.R. Grace Mine   Map Data © 2016 Google
Satellite view of the closed down W.R. Grace Mine   Map Data © 2016 Google
Libby is known as the “City of Eagles”   David Wilson / Some Rights Reserved
Libby from the air   Joe Mabel / Some Rights Reserved
Old theatre in Libby   Richard Bauer / Some Rights Reserved
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Libby, Montana has always been a logging and mining town, and its biggest employment boom occurred in 1919 when a vermiculite quarry was discovered a few miles outside the city limits, a mineral crucial to home insulation, fireproofing and other lucrative uses.

This profitable find captured the attention of W.R. Grace and Company, who purchased the mine in 1963. Business boomed, and the company was soon the exporter of 80% of the world’s vermiculite. There was only one catch for W.R. Grace: The mine was contaminated with the dust of the highly toxic and lethal mineral asbestos.

W.R. Grace knew well of these dangers, and even discussed its risks in private memos. But to sustain its profit, they didn’t let any of the miners or the town’s residents know. Instead, they discarded their asbestos-filled waste on the playgrounds, the baseball fields, and the roads of the town.

It took over 2,000 severe illnesses and 10% of the population dying of cancer and lung scarring for the company to be shut down in 1990. W.R. Grace's executives were charged over $250,000,000 to clean up the 1,890 contaminated residences. They were subject to a whopping 270,000 lawsuits, 120,000 of which they are yet to pay off. The company was even indicted on ten counts for covering up evidence and causing over 400 deaths. As is all too common in similar corporate prosecutions, the charges were dropped in 2009. 

Fortunately for the people of Libby, the EPA has now replaced W.R. Grace as the number one employer in town, and has lowered the asbestos concentration in the air by 10,000%. Sadly, risks still remain: the town’s children are instructed to search for signs of asbestos whenever in public or at home - a quite terrifying concept for any parent.

Since the investigation, however, something quite unique has happened in Libby. Since the EPA has deemed Libby the first “public health emergency” in US history, any resident in Libby (and the neighboring town of Troy) diagnosed with ARD (Asbestos Related Disease) was deemed immediately eligible for full single-payer Medicare coverage provided by the US government.

Related Tags

Health Mines Environmental Disasters

Community Contributors

Added By

lewblank

Edited By

Blindcolour, ljbuhl, chelsb423, sloaney515

  • Blindcolour
  • ljbuhl
  • chelsb423
  • sloaney515

Published

August 3, 2016

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Libby,_Montana
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vermiculite
  • http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052702304607104579214414166220346
  • http://www.asbestos.com/jobsites/libby/
  • http://unionsforsinglepayer.org/news_releases/2011-06-15
  • http://www.mesothelioma-lawyerblog.com/2012/06/wr-graces-asbestos-bankruptcy-trust-delayed-pending-appeals.html
  • http://www.libbyasbestos.org/patients/health-care-benefits/medicare-benefits/
Asbestos Town — Libby, Montana
Libby, Montana
United States
48.388286, -115.555999

Nearby Places

Good Grief

Boundary County, Idaho

miles away

Eightmile Island

Priest Lake, Idaho

miles away

Burke Ghost Town

Wallace, Idaho

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Montana

Montana

United States

Places 66
Stories 20

Nearby Places

Good Grief

Boundary County, Idaho

miles away

Eightmile Island

Priest Lake, Idaho

miles away

Burke Ghost Town

Wallace, Idaho

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Montana

Montana

United States

Places 66
Stories 20

Related Places

  • Inside the Merry Widow Health Mine

    Basin, Montana

    Merry Widow Health Mine

    What if the cure for all that ails you was as simple as repeated exposure to low-dose radon?

  • The banded, colorful cliffs

    Nevada City, California

    Malakoff Diggins

    The beauty and the beast of hydraulic mining is on full display at this California Historic State Park.

  • The resort that could be mistaken for a Bond villain hideout.

    Varzob, Tajikistan

    Khoja Obi Garm

    A Soviet-era health spa complete with radioactive bathing and shock therapy.

  • Lichterfeld-Schacksdorf, Germany

    Overburden Conveyer Bridge F60

    One of the largest vehicles ever built is now open to the public.

  • Shime, Japan

    Winding Tower of Shime Coal Mine

    Japan’s only surviving winding tower.

  • The entrance to the now defunct Hexing Coal Mine.

    Taipei, Taiwan

    Hexing Coal Mine

    A glimpse into Taiwan's coal-mining past.

  • St. Louis, Michigan

    Toxic Town Marker

    This marker tells the story of a town’s toxic past.

  • Aerial view easterly over the mine site. The main pit is just right of center.  The freeway is Interstate-15.

    Mountain Pass, California

    Mountain Pass Mine

    The only mine for rare earth elements in the United States has been intermittently active since the 1950s.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.