Libby's vermiculite was laced with tremolite, a particularly toxic form of asbestos.
And it was everywhere. Children played in the piles of leftover vermiculite near the plant where it was shipped out.
Families used it in their attics and gardens. Mine waste was spread on the high school running track. The skating rink at Plummer School was made from it.
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Even a boy who grew up in Libby and later became Montana's governor remembered swinging on a rope and dropping into piles of vermiculite.
By the company's own estimate, the operation released 5,000 pounds or more of asbestos every day.