A recent report released by the Vermont Department of Health has caused uproar amongst residents who live near the closed down Vermont Asbestos Group mine.
The report reveals the findings of a study that analyzed the health and death records of residents from 13 different Vermont towns near the inoperable asbestos mine. The study indicates that residents from these towns have an increased risk of acquiring an asbestos related disease due to their close proximity to the mine.
Residents living in the towns included in the study have begun to publicly express their concern with varying degrees of outrage. As a result, representatives from the Vermont Department of Health will host two town hall meetings with the intent of answering questions and easing the anxiety of locals.
"They better bring their riot gear," said Dave Whitcomb, 69, a semiretired salesman who has lived near the mine all his life and plans on giving the Health Department reps a piece of his mind, "The natives are mad."
The Vermont Asbestos Group mine had been operational for nearly 100 years until it shut down in 1993.
When Asbestos is mined, asbestos fibers are released into the air where wind can blow the fibers great distances. When airborne, asbestos fibers pose a serious health risk to people who inhale an abundance of them. Inhaling excessive amounts of asbestos fibers has been known to lead to diseases such as:
Residents living near the mine have expressed a number of concerns in regards to the Vermont Department of Health’s findings. For example:
(Source: Burlington Free Press)
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