Senate passes Murray bill to ban asbestos

Senate passes Murray bill to ban asbestos

According to a recent article on a bill to ban asbestos, on Thursday, the Senate voted unanimously to pass [Sen. Patty] Murray's ban on the importation of asbestos, which still is found in more than 3,000 consumer products. If approved by the House and not vetoed by the president, the United States will finally join more than 40 other nations that have banned the cancer-causing material.

With an intensity that bordered on obsession, Murray and her staff became experts on asbestos, where it came from and how it killed.

Corporate opposition to Murray's efforts was enormous.

"When you go after an issue like this, you're fighting a lot of big-time money. Lobbyists for manufacturers, the sand and gravel folks, people with commercial interest and a lot of clout fought this," Murray said. "I wasn't surprised that many other (lawmakers) didn't want to get involved because they thought it was impossible."

Early in the fight, the White House did all it could to stymie discussion, let alone passage of the ban. Murray's efforts were a victim of collateral damage from a three-year Republican effort to pass legislation favored by President Bush that would have prevented people injured by exposure to asbestos from suing the companies involved.

For the past seven months, Murray said, she worked closely with Republican Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia. He convinced Republicans of the importance of the ban, she said.
Murray says she's sure it will become law.

Murray says that two years after her bill is signed into law, there will be no asbestos in hair dryers or brake products or ceiling tiles or 3,000 other imported products.

Among the many demands in the legislation is the banning of the importation, manufacture, processing and distribution of products containing asbestos. It orders the Environmental Protection Agency to ensure asbestos products are off the shelves within two years of the bill's enactment.

It would create a $50 million "Asbestos-Related Disease Research and Treatment Network" of 10 new centers dedicated to finding better treatment, earlier detection and methods of preventing asbestos-related disease.

It says the EPA shall conduct a public education campaign to increase awareness of the dangers posed by products containing or contaminated by asbestos, including in homes and workplaces.
For more information on asbestos and mesothelioma, the deadly cancer caused by the material, visit the website of the law firm of LEVY PHILLIPS & KONIGSBERG, LLP.

The Facts About Pleural Mesothelioma

A recent article relating the facts about pleural mesothelioma states that pleural mesothelioma is the most common form of mesothelioma by far and accounts for 75% of all mesothelioma cases. Pleural mesothelioma affects the respiratory areas of the body such as the lungs. More specifically, the cancer attacks the lining of the lungs and ribs called the pleura hence the name pleural mesothelioma.

The main cause of pleural mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Only a couple of months of being exposed to the deadly dust and fibres of asbestos without protection can lead to pleural mesothelioma thirty to fifty years later. Elderly men of ages sixty to seventy are those most at risk to asbestos because this was the generation which worked with asbestos with little protection from the dust and fibres.

Due to the long latency period of pleural mesothelioma (30-50 years), these men are only just discovering they have the deadly cancer. Currently, many of these men are lodging million dollar lawsuits against the companies who exposed them to asbestos. Asbestos fibres get into the lining of the lungs by inhalation and become lodged inside the lungs.

The symptoms that are associated with pleural mesothelioma include persistent coughing, difficulty swallowing, facial swelling, weight loss, fever, rasping and coughing up blood. Patients may additionally experience shortness of breath because as the tumour on the lining of the lungs expands, this leaves less room for the lungs to function properly. Some patients also begin to feel severe pains in their chest and this is due to the spreading of cancerous cells. A lot of these symptoms are similar to diseases and conditions which are far more common than mesothelioma which means that pleural mesothelioma is often very difficult to diagnose until it is too late.

Treatment of pleural mesothelioma is limited and as yet there is no proper cure. Research is being conducted in labs all over the United States and many pharmaceutical companies are also testing for new treatments. Treatments for pleural mesothelioma include chemotherapy, radiation therapy and surgery. A patient’s age, medical record, weight and other such factors are taken into account before treatment. Generally, chance of survival is far more likely if pleural mesothelioma is treated aggressively in its early stages because once the cancer has developed and matured it is very difficult to cure.

Cancer Society: Ban Asbestos to Stop Mesothelioma and Asbestos Cancer Death

Canada has long been the world's largest exporter of chrysotile asbestos, which accounts for more than 90% of the asbestos historically used in the United States.

The Canadian government continues to claim that chrysotile asbestos is safe.

Now Canadian cancer experts are taking a stand against this long held government policy which seeks to protect the prized, but deadly, mineral and the profits it brings to Canadian mines and manufacturers.

The Canadian Cancer Society is now calling for an asbestos ban.
http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=50d51cc6-b606-4ffd-a1c9-db40c1e8d42b&k=15816

According to this Canada.com article: "The society believes that exposure to asbestos must stop so that asbestos-related diseases can be eliminated," Barbara Whylie, CEO of the Canadian Cancer Society, said in a written statement.

In response, Pat Martin, an MP and former asbestos worker was quoted as saying:

"....it was high time a group as credible as the Canadian Cancer Society 'debunked the myth' that chrysotile asbestos is safer than other types of asbestos."

It is refreshing to see an influential group like the Canadian Cancer Society challenge the Canadian government's irresponsible position that has caused tens of thousands of workers in Canada and the United States to develop mesothelioma and asbestos cancer.

The same propaganda put out by the Canadian government is adopted by American corporations who seek to avoid responsibility for compensating asbestos victims.

Chrysotile asbestos accounts for nearly all the asbestos ever used in the United States and is the greatest contributor to malignant mesothelioma in this country.

Asbestos and the World Trade Center Ad

I was doing a little more research on Asbestos and the World Trade Center buildings, and I came across the above advertisement on Gawker.com and their ongoing Lies Well Disguised series of Blog Posts. Back in 1981, there was research coming out that Asbestos was cancer causing and this ad was in rebuttal to that research touting the benefits of using Asbestos. The text over the Twin Towers states, "When the Fire Alarm Went Off, It Took Two Hours to Evacuate New York's World Trade Center." I do not need to remind anyone of the images of September 11th and this ad. The copy below the ad goes on to mention all of the places that Asbestos was used in the World Trade Center. I can not not think of all of the innocent victims in the area that were exposed to all of the dust, smoke and inherent asbestos that was in the air after the buildings collapsed. The cloud of smoke went across the entire city and potentially exposed hundreds of thousands of individuals to asbestos. Hopefully there can be a cure or treatment for Mesothelioma before all of these potential victims are diagnosed.

Response to MesoBlog.org Post on Mesothelioma and Asbestos Exposure

This is a response to the MesoBlog.org post dated June 5,2007 at http://www.mesoblog.org/blog/mesothelioma-incidents-increasing-in-younger-people/.

While it is true that the median age of those diagnosed with mesothelioma is decreasing, and that younger people are being diagnosed with increasing frequency, it is not true that 40% of people diagnosed with mesothelioma "never came in contact with asbestos."

It is well-established that a history of occupational asbestos exposure is reported in the vast majority of mesothelioma cases. In fact, the National Cancer Institute states that 70-80% of mesothelioma patients have a "history of asbestos exposure at work". http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/factsheet/Sites-Types/mesothelioma

Of the remaining cases of mesothelioma, many can be attributed to some identifiable household exposure, such as laundering the clothing of a family member or performing home renovations and repairs that utilized asbestos-containing products. http://www.nynjmesothelioma.com/exposure.php#homerenovation

Asbestos Lurks on CSUN Campus

At California State University, Northridge, 21 buildings have been identified to have asbestos contained materials within them.

Twenty-one buildings on campus have asbestos in their tile floor, thermal pipe insulators, or other forms of pipes. Notices have been sent out to faculty members and notification letters have been placed by the entrances each of the buildings. Areas with asbestos-contaminated pipes have stickers or placards on them to identify the asbestos.

If a person comes into contact with asbestos fibers, it can be brought home with them, by remaining in their shoes, clothes, skin and hair, according to the National Cancer Institute. However, it could take 10 to 40 years or more for an asbestos-related problem to pop up.

The Environmental Health and Safety Department has no plans to remove the minerals any time soon. In its current condition, the asbestos-containing material, supposedly does not pose any health risk. The asbestos poses a serious health risk when it is deteriorating, disturbed, or damaged.

Have you been exposed to asbestos in the workplace and want more information? Read more on asbestos exposure.

The Search For Better Asbestos Removal Technology

Earlier this week, the Environmental Protection Agency released a Project Summary for the Alternative Asbestos Control Method. In this draft report, alternatives for the demolition process for buildings containing asbestos are evaluated. Two years ago, scientists and engineers from EPA’s National Risk Management Research Laboratory and the Dallas regional office compared the current process of demolishing a dilapidated, asbestos-containing structure with a new method called the Alternative Asbestos Control Method (AACM).

The pilot cleanup project was successfully completed in May 2006 at a secure location at Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. The location offered scientific side-by-side testing of the current asbestos removal procedures and the Alternative Asbestos Control Method (AACM).

Last month, EPA’s Office of Research and Development released for public and peer review a 205-page draft report titled “Comparison of the Alternative Asbestos Control Method and the National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants Method for Asbestos-Containing Buildings”.

Preliminary findings show the AACM procedures to be protective for clean up of many asbestos-containing buildings.

Read the Project Summary for the Alternative Asbestos Control Method Demonstration Project #1 at Fort Chaffee Redevelopment Authority, Fort Smith, Arkansas.

According to NYNjMesothelioma.com, in the United States, asbestos is the only confirmed cause of mesothelioma. Read more about asbestos exposure.

New York Supreme Court Permits Asbestos Exposure Lawsuit to Go to Trial Against Cable Manufacturer, Okonite Company

A New York Supreme Court Justice has ruled that the asbestos exposure lawsuit of a former Elizabeth, New Jersey resident will move to trial, denying a motion for summary judgment filed by a cable manufacturer, The Okonite Company.

Leonard Shafer died at the age of 73 from mesothelioma. He was first exposed to asbestos working as an electrician at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in the 1950s. Evidence submitted by Shafer’s mesothelioma trial attorneys to the Court proves that, as early as January 10, 1941, Okonite was approved to sell asbestos-containing armored cable to the Navy. At the time of the approvals in 1941, cable manufacturers were required, under Navy Specifications, to include asbestos in heat and flame resistant, armored cable. However, military records establish that, in September 1941, cable manufacturers were given a choice whether to use asbestos or glass fiber. Despite the asbestos hazards to health, Okonite continued to sell to the Navy asbestos-containing armored cable.

Carmen St. George, a mesothelioma trial attorney in the New York and New Jersey offices of Levy Phillips & Konisberg, said that, "Mr. Shafer's death from mesothelioma could have been avoided if these companies would have acted responsibly and warned about the health hazards of asbestos. Justice Freedman's ruling properly places the factual issues surrounding Mr. Shafer's asbestos exposure where it belongs -- in the hands of the jury."

If successful, the Shafer mesothelioma case may pave the way for other litigants to proceed against Okonite for asbestos exposures into the 1950's.