A study conducted by the Vermont Department of Health has found that residents living near asbestos mines in the state were at an increased risk of being diagnosed with asbestosis or dying from the disease. Asbestosis is a non-cancerous disease caused by asbestos exposure that can lead to permanent scarring of the lungs.

Between the early 1900s and 1993, asbestos was mined from three locations on Vermont’s Belvidere Mountain, located in the northern part of the state. Experts estimate that more than 29 million tons of asbestos-contaminated waste can still be found at the three sites.

The state’s Department of Health undertook the present study in order to determine the health effects of asbestos waste on the health of nearby residents. Researchers in the study analyzed death certificates, hospital discharge records and cancer registry data for Vermont residents who lived within 10 miles of the asbestos mines and compared them to data from other parts of the state.

The study found that residents living within a 10 mile radius of the mines were three times more likely to be diagnosed with asbestosis and more than 12 times more likely to die from the disease compared with residents from other parts of the state. In addition to asbestosis, exposure to asbestos fibers has also been linked to a number of other serious and potentially deadly diseases, including lung cancer, pleural diseases and mesothelioma.