STATEMENT OF CAPTAIN AUBREY MILLER, MD, MPH U.S. PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE, REGION 8 U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS UNITED STATES SENATE

June 12, 2007

Good morning Madame Chairman and members of the Committee. I am Captain Aubrey K. Miller, MD, MPH, a physician in the U.S. Public Health Service and a Senior Medical Officer and Toxicologist for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 8 Office

In addition to my experiences prior to working for the federal government caring for patients suffering from asbestos-related disease as a Board Certified occupational physician, over the last eight years my work has been directly focused on improving our understanding of the health effects associated with asbestos exposure in Libby, Montana.

Further, the early activities of my involvement, while employed in the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Region 8 office, were focused on strengthening the health care infrastructure of the Libby community to better care for those affected by this terrible tragedy.

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss EPA’s perspective and progress in understanding the current state of the science concerning the human health effects associated with exposure to asbestos.