Hellgate High Students Examine Asbestos
On April 22nd the EM facility provided a remote access session for Melissa Henthorn’s biology class at Missoula’s Hellgate High School. Will Skyrud, a student in her class had been interning with the Dr. Tony Ward and Carolyn Hester from the Center for Environmental Health Sciences. Dr. Ward’s lab is studying asbestos from the Libby, MT vermiculite mine. Will was engaged in isolation and identification of asbestos fractions from the mine tailings. He spent time in the EM facility training on use of the electron microscopes and using the SEM to characterize size fractions of Libby asbestos.
We also collaborated with students in Melissa Henthorn’s class in collection and imaging of airborne particulates from inside the classroom and at a site outside the University of Montana. During the remote session the class was able to see the types and sizes of particles collected at the sites through the scanning electron microscope. Will Skyrud and Jim Driver provided a running commentary comparing the larger particles collected such as pollen grains to the particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5). It is PM 2.5 that has been linked to lung dysfunction and certain chronic diseases such as asthma. Our purpose was to allow students to see the difference between larger particulate matter types usually screened from the lung and the smaller particles capable of penetrating deep into the lung.