[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 13 (Tuesday, February 7, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S774-S775]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 368--TO DESIGNATE APRIL 1, 2006, AS ``NATIONAL 
                       ASBESTOS AWARENESS DAY.''

  Mr. REID submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 368

       Whereas deadly asbestos fibers are invisible and cannot be 
     smelled or tasted;
       Whereas when airborne asbestos fibers are inhaled or 
     swallowed, the damage can be permanent and irreversible;
       Whereas those fibers can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, 
     lung cancer, and pleural diseases;
       Whereas asbestos-related diseases can take 10 to 50 years 
     to manifest 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 of, 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 
     data, were shipyard workers, vehicle body builders (including 
     rail vehicles), pipefitters, carpenters and electricians, and 
     workers in the construction (including insulation work and 
     stripping), extraction, energy and water supply, and 
     manufacturing industries;
       Whereas the United States imports more than 30,000,000 
     pounds of asbestos used in products throughout the United 
     States;
       Whereas asbestos-related diseases kill 10,000 people in the 
     United States each year;
       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;
       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 April 1, 2006, as 
     ``National Asbestos Awareness Day''.
  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise to submit a resolution to designate 
April

[[Page S775]]

1, 2006, as ``National Asbestos Awareness Day.'' Submitting this 
resolution is one small step in an effort to raise awareness of this 
dangerous substance and the painful effects that exposure to asbestos 
has caused throughout this country. Last year the Senate unanimously 
passed a similar resolution. It is my hope that designating another 
National Asbestos Awareness Day will serve as a reminder that exposure 
to asbestos remains a significant problem in this country, asbestos-
induced illnesses continue to kill or disable Americans at an alarming 
clip, and our resolve to adequately protect the rights of these victims 
must not falter.
  There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. Despite this fact, 
the substance still routinely manifests itself in too many work 
environments. According to the Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration (OSHA), 1.3 million Americans still face significant 
asbestos exposure in their workplaces. Some estimate that more than 
27.5 million workers have been exposed to asbestos while on the job.
  We know too well that the effect of exposure can be deadly. Diseases 
caused by asbestos include cancers of the lung, digestive tract, colon, 
larynx, esophagus, kidney and some types of lymphoma; pleural disease; 
asbesostis; and, of course, mesothelioma. For many of the more serious, 
asbestos-related diseases, there is no cure.
  These devastating illnesses take the lives of thirty Americans each 
day and ten thousand Americans each year. Countless others were exposed 
in their neighborhoods, in school yards and at home. Hundreds of 
thousands of men and women have died or become severely ill due to 
asbestos exposure.
  The cases of disease and death caused by asbestos exposure are not 
abstractions. Real lives are affected and destroyed by this dreadful 
substance. I have received countless letters from victims of asbestos-
related diseases and their families. Each one shares another story of 
loss and of pain, of sickness and of tragedy.
  Adrienne Zapponi of Wellington, NV witnessed firsthand what asbestos 
does to the human body. Her husband suffers from asbestos exposure. In 
her letter she wrote, ``[My husband] cannot enjoy a single day of life 
because he has 40% lung capacity. This means that he can't walk for any 
distance, he can't do simple jobs around the house such as mow the 
lawn, he can't remember things such as when to take his medication, he 
can't drive because he is drowsy and can't concentrate on the road.''
  Margy Urnberg from Carson City, NV had a father, Ronald Johnson, who 
died from asbestos exposure. He worked in a vermiculite mine and 
second-hand exposure from living in Libby, MT. Alan Reinstein, the 
Cofounder and Director of Communications of the Asbestos Disease 
Awareness Organization, is suffering from acute mesothelioma. Alan is 
fighting bravely and has responded to his illness as a call to action.
  Yesterday I mentioned our brave veterans who have been exposed to 
asbestos, and the difficulty they have encountered in seeking 
compensation for that exposure. Steven Mitchell served ten years in the 
U.S. Navy as a boiler man. He worked in the engine and boiler rooms on 
several ships handling asbestos insulation on a daily basis. After 
leaving the Navy, he returned to work on his family farm raising wheat.
  Steven was diagnosed with mesothelioma and spent his last days in a 
V.A. Nursing Home. Due to the intense pain, he was constantly 
administered morphine. Just before he died, he no longer even 
recognized his daughter.
  We have seen the case of Philip Schreyer, who began helping his 
country with the war effort in 1942 at the Ford Motor Company's Willow 
Run B-24 bomber plant. This plant was producing a bomber an hour during 
its peak operation, and many asbestos products went into each section 
of the bombers. Later that year, Mr. Schreyer joined the Navy serving 
as a radio man aboard the USS Wyoming until 1946. The USS Wyoming shot 
off more rounds than any other ship during War World II. Every time 
around was fired dust would come down off the insulated pipes like 
``snow''. Little did Mr. Schreyer know that this dust falling on him 
was deadly asbestos.
  Phil survived World War II, an injury aboard a warship that ended his 
Navy career, and a hunting accident that cost him his leg. He did not 
survive asbestos exposure. In 2002 he learned he had mesothelioma and 
was told by his doctors that he would not survive this disease. The 
doctors were right. On January 20, 2005, Phil Schreyer, who had 
survived so much, lost his final battle with mesothelioma and died.
  Each one of the ten thousand Americans who will die from asbestos 
exposure this year will have a similar story. Each one will leave 
behind a family that will never be whole again. Each one is counting on 
us here in the Senate to ensure they have the means necessary to pursue 
their rightful claim for the damages asbestos exposure has caused them 
and their families.
  The so-called FAIR Act will not provide these protections and that is 
why I oppose it. As I have explained, this legislation attempts to set 
up an alternative system for recovery that is doomed to failure and 
will unacceptably impair the rights of victims. We in the Senate need 
to remind ourselves that our best efforts must always be directed 
toward meeting the needs of victims, and the FAIR Act falls short.

                          ____________________