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'I . . . couldn't get a breath; it scared me to death almost'
Wednesday, April 12, 2000
By CAROL SMITH
Asbestos is a patient killer.
The effects of the deadly fibers often don't start showing up for 30 to 40 years after exposure, so the threat may seem remote to workers and consumers who may be at risk.
But for Richard Hammond, 69, the risk has become reality.
As a young laborer in 1951 and 1952, Hammond worked at a Portland vermiculite expansion plant that processed ore from a mine in Libby, Mont.
Today, he's paying for it. His lung capacity is only half what it was 11 years ago. He coughs up blood. Several times, his family has had to call 911 as he gasped for breath. The first time it happened, "I literally couldn't get a breath," Hammond said. "It scared me to death almost."
Three years ago, he had a heart attack.
"The doctors attributed quite a bit of it (the heart attack) to the lungs," he said. With scar tissue in about one-third of his lungs, his heart had to strain to get enough oxygen to his body.
Hammond would never have guessed his job shoveling wheelbarrows full of vermiculite into hoppers would make him so sick.
But the ore the plant used was contaminated with tremolite, a particularly lethal form of asbestos.
No one was told to wear a respirator, he says, and no one thought of the consequences.
Especially not his wife.
Patricia Hammond, better known to Seahawks fans as "Mama Blue," used to wash his clothes in a wringer washing machine.
"I'd shake the clothes outside first," she said. "There'd be a cloud of dust."
Since then she has been plagued with "walking pneumonias" and other breathing problems several times a year. Doctors always attributed it to hair spray from her years of working as a beautician.
Now she is not so sure.
"I'm gonna get checked for asbestosis next time I go to the doctor," she said.
Neither one of them is letting the threat of asbestos get to them.
"This is our golden age," Patricia joked. "You're supposed to do a lot of traveling. I didn't know it was all gonna be through 911."
Richard Hammond is more philosophical. "You've got to die of something," he said with a still-hearty laugh.
His doctors have given him inhalers to help open his airways, but they say that's about all they can do.
"That's the heartless part about that asbestos thing," he said. "There really isn't any treatment."
In the meantime, he and Patricia wait and hope for the best. His latest round of tests for lung cancer were clear.
"We were happy to hear that," she said. "It gives us a little breathing room."
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Related coverage:
A small group of physicians is trying to change the course of asbestos-induced disease
Day 1
· A town left to die
· It all started with the search for gold
· The History of W.R. Grace Co.
· Dangers of asbestos exposure
· Known deaths from tremolite from Libby mine (graphic)
Day 2
· While people are dying, government agencies pass buck
· 'No one ever told us that stuff could kill you'
· Libby's lost miners: A gallery
· Group organizes to help victims
(newest at top)
· W.R. Grace to pay record Superfund fine
· Finally, asbestos-plagued Libby, Mont., to get help
· Up to 30% tested in Libby hurt by asbestos
· W.R. Grace files for bankruptcy
· Labor Dept. enters Libby's asbestos fight
· Why did dying miners get no help?
· Health warning on attic asbestos
· W.R. Grace buys its old Libby mine, then bans EPA investigators from it
· Grace backs off pledge to clean up asbestos
· Grace sends papers to EPA -- reportedly tainted
· A small group of physicians is trying to change the course of asbestos-induced disease
· One victim's story: '(I) couldn't get a breath; it scared me to death almost' · Horseman in the race of his life
· Class-action suit targets Grace Co., insulation
· Mine-safety agency takes action
· Immediate cleanup sought in mining town
· Grace to pick up medical bills in tainted town
· Asbestos study is expanded nationwide
· Deadly ore was shipped around U.S., Canada
· Just 23 months hauling ore--and it killed him 36 years later
· Finally, asbestos victims have their say
· Initial tests reveal areas of asbestos in and around Libby
· Montana's governor knows asbestos danger
· State, federal authorities sending teams to Montana mining town
· Editorial: Libby folks must get some answers
· EPA sues for access to Libby vermiculite mine
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