[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 33 (Thursday, March 17, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3086-S3087]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL ASBESTOS AWARENESS DAY

  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the Judiciary Committee be 
discharged from further consideration of S. Res. 43, and the Senate 
then proceed to its immediate consideration.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk 
will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution designating the first day of April 2005 as 
     ``National Asbestos Awareness Day.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. FRIST. I ask unanimous consent the resolution be agreed to, the 
Frist amendment be agreed to, the preamble, as amended, be agreed to, 
and the motions to reconsider be laid on the table.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 43) was agreed to.
  The amendment (No. 264) was agreed to, as follows:

       Strike the preamble and insert the following:
       Whereas dangerous asbestos fibers are invisible and cannot 
     be smelled or tasted;
       Whereas the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers can 
     cause significant damage;
       Whereas these fibers can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis and 
     other health problems;
       Whereas asbestos-related diseases can take 10 to 50 years 
     to present themselves;
       Whereas the expected survival time for those diagnosed with 
     mesothelioma is between 6 and 24 months;
       Whereas generally little is known about late stage 
     treatment and there is no cure for asbestos-related diseases;
       Whereas early detection of asbestos-related diseases may 
     give some patients increased treatment options and might 
     improve their prognosis;
       Whereas the United States has substantially reduced its 
     consumption of asbestos yet continues to consume almost 7,000 
     metric tons of the fibrous mineral for use in certain 
     products throughout the Nation;
       Whereas asbestos-related diseases have killed thousands of 
     people in the United States;
       Whereas asbestos exposures continue and safety and 
     prevention will reduce and has reduced significantly asbestos 
     exposure and asbestos-related diseases;
       Whereas asbestos has been a cause of occupational cancer;
       Whereas thousands of workers in the United States face 
     significant asbestos exposure;
       Whereas thousands of Americans die from asbestos related 
     diseases every year;
       Whereas a significant percentage of all asbestos-related 
     disease victims were exposed to asbestos on naval ships and 
     in shipyards;
       Whereas asbestos was used in the construction of a 
     significant number of office buildings and public facilities 
     built before 1975; and
       Whereas the establishment of a ``National Asbestos 
     Awareness Day'' would raise public awareness about the 
     prevalence of asbestos-related diseases and the dangers of 
     asbestos exposure: Now, therefore, be it

  The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                               S. Res. 43

       Whereas deadly asbestos fibers are invisible and cannot be 
     smelled or tasted;

[[Page S3087]]

       Whereas when airborne fibers are inhaled or swallowed, the 
     damage is permanent and irreversible;
       Whereas these fibers can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, 
     lung cancer, and pleural diseases;
       Whereas asbestos-related diseases can take 10 to 50 years 
     to present themselves;
       Whereas the expected survival rate of those diagnosed with 
     mesothelioma is between 6 and 24 months;
       Whereas little is known about late stage treatment and 
     there is no cure for asbestos-related diseases;
       Whereas early detection of asbestos-related diseases would 
     give patients increased treatment options and often improve 
     their prognosis;
       Whereas asbestos is a toxic and dangerous substance and 
     must be disposed of properly;
       Whereas nearly half of the more than 1,000 screened 
     firefighters, police officers, rescue workers, and volunteers 
     who responded to the World Trade Center attacks on September 
     11, 2001, have new and persistent respiratory problems;
       Whereas the industry groups with the highest incidence 
     rates of asbestos-related diseases, based on 2000 to 2002 
     figures, were shipyard workers, vehicle body builders 
     (including rail vehicles), pipefitters, carpenters and 
     electricians, construction (including insulation work and 
     stripping), extraction, energy and water supply, and 
     manufacturing;
       Whereas the United States imports more than 30,000,000 
     pounds of asbestos used in products throughout the Nation;
       Whereas asbestos-related diseases kill 10,000 people in the 
     United States each year, and the numbers are increasing;
       Whereas asbestos exposure is responsible for 1 in every 125 
     deaths of men over the age of 50;
       Whereas safety and prevention will reduce asbestos exposure 
     and asbestos-related diseases;
       Whereas asbestos has been the largest single cause of 
     occupational cancer;
       Whereas asbestos is still a hazard for 1,300,000 workers in 
     the United States;
       Whereas asbestos-related deaths have greatly increased in 
     the last 20 years and are expected to continue to increase;
       Whereas 30 percent of all asbestos-related disease victims 
     were exposed to asbestos on naval ships and in shipyards;
       Whereas asbestos was used in the construction of virtually 
     all office buildings, public schools, and homes built before 
     1975; and
       Whereas the establishment of a ``National Asbestos 
     Awareness Day'' would raise public awareness about the 
     prevalence of asbestos-related diseases and the dangers of 
     asbestos exposure: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate designates the first day of April 
     2005 as ``National Asbestos Awareness Day''.

     

                          ____________________