Montana Asbestos Screening & Surveillance Activity
The Montana Asbestos Screening and Surveillance Activity (MASSA) was established in 2003 in response to a request from residents of Libby, Montana. The purpose of MASSA is to offer free lung screening to residents and former residents of Libby who were exposed to asbestos from a local vermiculite mine.
Who Is Eligible
MASSA offers free initial and follow-up screening to anyone who lived, worked, played, or attended school in the Libby area for at least six months prior to December 31, 1990. Since 2003, MASSA has served more than 2,200 people.
The X-rays and spirometry tests from the MASSA screenings are sent to the National Jewish Medical and Research Center, one of the world’s leading medical centers in respiratory disease, for evaluation by certified specialists.
To ensure medical objectivity, MASSA conducts screening only and does not diagnose or treat patients.
Medical Oversight
Dr. Dana Headapohl serves as medical consultant to MASSA, overseeing clinical aspects of the screening program. She is one of only five specialists in Montana certified in occupational and environmental medicine.
A native of Thompson Falls, Montana, Dr. Headapohl has more than 23 years of experience working with people who have been exposed to environmental contaminants. She is medical director of occupational and environmental health services at St. Patrick Hospital in Missoula, Montana.
MASSA is administered by the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services under a grant from the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
To Schedule a Screening
To schedule a screening or to learn more about MASSA, contact:
MASSA
609 Mineral Avenue
Libby, MT 59923
(406) 293-5060
1-800-797-6143
For more information about asbestos exposure, visit the Web site of the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry.
This website is supported by Cooperative Agreement Number U50/CCU822453 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the CDC.
