Page 12 - Flathead Beacon // 5.25.16

NEWS
With Arrival of Spring Weather, Ticks Emerge in the Outdoors Kalispell doctor urges recreationists to keep an eye out for blood-sucking bugs
BY DILLON TABISH OF THE BEACON
As an infectious diseases specialist,
Dr. Je Tjaden has traveled the world helping communities address a wide array of ailments. Trained at Saint Louis University and the Naval Medical Cen- ter, the Billings native worked through- out Africa, Central Asia and the Middle East, tackling many of the world’s most dangerous viruses, including HIV and Zika.
Tjaden’s work has now brought him back to his home state, where he works at Kalispell Regional Healthcare as one of the region’s preeminent sources of infec- tious disease treatment.
While Montana tends to avoid the impact of widespread diseases, such as Zika, there are still unique maladies worth watching out for. Working and rec- reating in Northwest Montana, Tjaden has found that a relatively common problem can arise from small but trou- blesome ticks. With the arrival of sum- mer comes the heightened chances of
A hiker along the Boundary Trail of Glacier National Park. Beacon File Photo
and long-sleeved shirts and pants. “That’s a good rst line of defense,” he
said.
He also recommends to undergo reg-
ular tick checks, scanning your body and hairline. The risk of an ailment in- creases with time, Tjaden said, so the sooner a tick is removed or a bite is ad- dressed, the better.
“The earlier you get a tick o of you, the less likely you’ll get a disease,” he said.
The proper way to remove a tick is to use metal tweezers and pull straight up from the head of the tick. Tjaden said twisting or wiggling the bug while tak- ing it out can increase the chances of it infecting someone. Also, the old lore of using a match to scare out a tick is false and could lead the tick to burrow further into someone’s skin. Anyone who has been bitten by a tick should also keep the arachnid and provide it to a doctor.
Symptoms of a tick bite are similar to
the u.
BY JUSTIN FRANZ OF THE BEACON
The Environmental Protection Agency has expanded the parameters of the cleanup area around the former asbestos mine near Libby that was the epicenter of one of the biggest Superfund projects in American history.
Project Manager Christina Progress said the EPA has expanded the boundar- ies of Operable Unit 3 – the administra- tive area that includes the shuttered W.R. Grace & Co. mine north of Libby – from 35,000 acres to 47,000 acres. Progress
Last year, the EPA and other local
mine to see how much asbestos it con- tained. They also conducted a small con- trolled burn to see what type of toxins would be released into the air in the event of a wild re near the old mine. The test- ing showed that there is more hazardous material than previously believed north- east of the mine site. Progress said more testing is planned for this summer.
“That boundary could move as ad- ditional data comes in this sum- mer,” she said.
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MAY 25, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
encountering ticks in the outdoors, and Tjaden is encouraging people to keep an eye out for the arachnids.
While most tick bites are harmless, several species are capable of transmit- ting illnesses in this corner of the state, including Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colorado Tick Fever and Tula- remia. There is also the chance of a
tick-borne relapsing fever and temporar- ily paralysis after being bitten by a tick.
Tjaden says the hospital only sees roughly one to three cases of tick-related issues annually.
Ticks prefer to live in wooded areas, low-growing grasslands, and yards. Tjaden encourages hikers and other rec- reationists to wear repellants with DEET
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
EPA Re nes Parameters of Asbestos Mine Cleanup Area
EPA o cial says further study has forced agency to expand the cleanup area around former W.R. Grace & Co. mine
said the change came after the EPA con- ducted additional dust and bark sampling last year in the Rainy Creek Drainage.
While the Superfund cleanup in Libby and Troy is winding down, cleanup e orts are just beginning around the shuttered vermiculate mine just north of Libby. Since it closed, thousands of peo- ple have been sickened and hundreds of died because of prolonged exposure to the asbestos laden vermiculate produced in Lincoln County until 1990.
W.R. Grace is currently working with agencies tested dirt and bark around the the EPA on preparing two separate
feasibility studies that will look at how OU3 should be cleaned up. One study will focus on the forested area around the mine and the other will include the mine site and nearby rivers. Progress said o cials wanted to do a feasibility study on the forested area sooner be- cause of the concern about wild res. O cials hope to nish both studies in late-2016 or 2017. Once those studies are completed, the EPA will put together a proposed cleanup plan and then issue a record of decision.
jfranz@ atheadbeacon.com
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