Libby Asbestos Activist Dies
Article Added February 15th, 2007 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
A former worker at W.R. Grace and Co. in Libby, Montana, who later became an activist for victims of the asbestos mine, died this past week of mesothelioma. The worker was often the face of contention for asbestos victims.
The mines of W.R. Grace and Co. in Libby, Montana were open for decades. At the time that Les Skramstad worked at the plant, he had 150 coworkers beside him. In 2006, only five workers from Grace were still alive, Skramstad included. That number was reduced last week when he succumbed to mesothelioma, a form of lung cancer affiliated with asbestos exposure. He had previously been diagnosed with asbestosis, a slow moving disease that takes over the lining of the lungs, suffocating the victim. Like many workers and residents of Libby, Skramstad’s diseases were linked with the asbestos mines in Libby.
Skramstad had become an activist for asbestos victims during the past 20 years, after the mines were closed down and asbestos was acknowledged as the factor behind so many residents being sick. He had inside knowledge of the factory, and was pivotal in bringing to light information that had been withheld by Grace. He had been diagnosed with mesothelioma in December of 2006, and, as is so often the case with this aggressive lung cancer, Skramstad was dead before he could even begin treatment.
Article Added February 15th, 2007 - Print This Story - Bookmark This Story
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