The Billings Gazette reports that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking steps to curtail excessive dust at the former W.R. Grace vermiculite mine located in Libby, Montana. Officials have worried that the deposits of dirt brought to the mine during the clean up of the town are causing dust to circulate through the air. The dust may contain dangerous asbestos fibers.

“As part of a Superfund cleanup, contractors working for the EPA hauled 50,000 cubic yards of asbestos-laden dirt to the mine for disposal last year and are on track to deposit the same amount this year,” the article explains. ”Truckers have been hauling soil from a staging area to the top of the mine and hot, dry weather has worsened the dust problem.”

Two water trucks constantly treat the mine road in order to keep dust at a minimum, says Mike Cirian of the EPA. However, to further insure that dust is curtailed, Cirian says a dust-suppression sealant called Surfactant will be applied this week.

Toxic asbestos dust from Libby’s contaminated vermiculite mine has already caused hundreds of deaths in the small town in northwest Montana. Thousands more have been sickened, including town residents who never worked at the mine. Documents have shown that mine owner W.R. Grace knew about the dangers of asbestos dust since 1956 but did nothing to protect their workers or the surrounding community.

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