University Hit With Wave of Asbestos Claims

Tuesday, February 12, 2019 | 0

University of Montana workers have filed more than 30 workers’ compensation claims for asbestos exposure since the carcinogenic mineral was found in a campus building in December, the Missoulian reports.

The concentration of asbestos fibers at McGill Hall was 80 times higher than the federal threshold for cleanup, the newspaper reports. The hall has been closed for remediation, and the university expects to open it later in February.

The university said surface asbestos poses little health risk, the newspaper reports. It’s only when the mineral is inhaled that it can cause asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma.

Because the latency period can run from 10 to 40 years, the university is still evaluating whether it needs to contact former employees, according to Michele Wheeler, workers’ compensation manager for the school.

“Because we have been told by experts that there is no current airborne hazard in McGill and there is no definitive data to indicate that there ever was an airborne hazard, these discussions are still underway,” Wheeler said in an email to the Missoulian.