Ken Preston has dodged a huge bullet, in his estimation.

Born in 1942 in Libby, he lived the first six months of his life in a cabin on Rainy Creek within a stone’s throw of the vermiculite mine buildings.

The 72-year-old has plaquing on his lungs, but as of yet has not noticed any impact on his life other than the occasional trip to the Center for Asbestos Related Disease Clinic.

“I’ve been very fortunate so far,” Preston said. “I’m able to breathe. Not everyone can say that.”

His father, a miner for 40 years, died at age 76 with his breathing capacity reduced to about 30 percent of normal. Libby was a company town during the mine’s heyday, and Preston lived in a company-owned house in a neighborhood filled with miners on Rainy Creek near the mine.

As a young man growing up in Libby, it was normal to either go to the mine or go to the woods. Preston opted for the mine.

“I worked there for about two years,” he said. “Finally my father said I should get a new job because ‘that dust can’t be good for you.””

The chilling foreshadow got to Preston, and he opted for a different job. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1967.

When he got back, he worked in Kalispell for Equity Supply.

When the first rumblings in Libby from advocates such as Gayla Benefield, who worked tirelessly to bring attention to Libby’s asbestos problem, Preston was quick to believe.

“I thought maybe there was something to all this,” he said. “I guess I always thought the dust must have done something.”

Preston was first tested as one of the first groups of patients to go through the Center for Asbestos Related Disease, or CARD Clinic.

While he has some scarring on his lungs, his two sons and wife are both thankfully asbestos-free.

“It makes you wonder how it can hurt some people and not others,” Preston said. “I know people who never worked at the mine who are sick.”

His sons, who played Little League baseball on the diamond built with mine tailings, have so far dodged the same bullet, while those who worked in an office for several months in Libby struggle to draw breath.

Preston said he doesn’t feel guilty. He’s going to enjoy life.

“I’m quite fortunate and lucky,” he said. “It hasn’t affected my working life. I’m really quite healthy for my age. Whatever I want to do every morning, I can do. I exercise every day. I’m just so lucky.”

Reporter Ryan Murray may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at rmurray@dailyinterlake.com.