[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 45 (Thursday, March 15, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3224-S3225]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 108--DESIGNATING THE FIRST WEEK OF APRIL 2007 AS 
                  ``NATIONAL ASBESTOS AWARENESS WEEK''

  Mr. BAUCUS (for himself, Mr. Reid, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
Durbin, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Leahy) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 108

       Whereas there is no known safe level of exposure to 
     asbestos;
       Whereas deadly asbestos fibers are invisible and cannot be 
     smelled or tasted;
       Whereas when a person inhales or swallows airborne asbestos 
     fibers, 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 individuals 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 prognoses;
       Whereas asbestos is a toxic and dangerous substance and 
     must be disposed of properly;
       Whereas, in 1977, the International Agency for Research on 
     Cancer classified asbestos as a Category 1 human carcinogen, 
     the highest cancer hazard classification for a substance;
       Whereas, in 2002, the United States Geological Survey 
     reported that companies in the United States consumed 9,000 
     metric tons of asbestos, of which approximately 71 percent 
     was consumed in roofing products, 18 percent in gaskets, 5 
     percent in friction products, and 6 percent in other 
     products;
       Whereas, in 2006, the World Health Organization issued a 
     policy paper, and the International Labour Organization 
     adopted a resolution, agreeing that all forms of asbestos

[[Page S3225]]

     are classified as human carcinogens, no threshold for 
     ``safe'' exposure exists, and the elimination of asbestos use 
     is essential to stop the global epidemic of asbestos-related 
     diseases;
       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, builders of vehicle bodies 
     (including rail vehicles), pipefitters, carpenters and 
     electricians, construction workers (including insulation and 
     stripping workers), extraction workers, energy and water 
     supply workers, and manufacturing workers;
       Whereas the United States has substantially reduced its 
     consumption of asbestos, yet continues to consume almost 
     2,000 metric tons of the fibrous mineral for use in certain 
     products throughout the Nation;
       Whereas asbestos exposures continue, but attention to 
     safety and prevention has reduced significantly and will 
     continue to reduce asbestos exposures and asbestos-related 
     diseases;
       Whereas the United States continues to import over 
     $100,000,000 worth of asbestos products annually, such as 
     brake pads and linings, cement pipe, floor tiles, and other 
     asbestos products from other countries for use throughout the 
     Nation;
       Whereas asbestos-related diseases kill 10,000 people in the 
     United States each year, and the numbers are increasing;
       Whereas people in the small community of Libby, Montana, 
     have asbestos-related diseases at a rate 40 to 60 times the 
     national average, and suffer from mesothelioma at a rate 100 
     times the national average;
       Whereas asbestos exposure is responsible for 1 in every 125 
     deaths of men over the age of 50;
       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 increased greatly in 
     the last 20 years and are expected to continue to increase;
       Whereas 30 percent of all victims of asbestos-related 
     diseases 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;
       Whereas safety and prevention will reduce asbestos exposure 
     and asbestos-related diseases; and
       Whereas the establishment of ``National Asbestos Awareness 
     Week'' 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--
       (1) designates the first week of April 2007 as ``National 
     Asbestos Awareness Week'';
       (2) urges the Surgeon General, as a public health issue, to 
     warn and educate people that asbestos exposure may be 
     hazardous to their health; and
       (3) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate to 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the Surgeon General.

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I rise in support of the resolution 
introduced by Senator Baucus to designate the first week of April 2007 
as ``National Asbestos Awareness Week.'' It is my hope this resolution 
will raise public awareness of this dreadful substance and the pain and 
suffering that it has caused. It is also a reminder of our 
responsibility to the victims of asbestos in Nevada, in Libby, MT, and 
all over America.
  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. These devastating illnesses 
take the lives of 30 Americans each day and as many as 10,000 Americans 
each year.
  According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, OSHA, 
1.3 million Americans still face significant asbestos exposure in their 
workplaces. However, the danger is not confined to the Nation's 
shipyards, mines, or construction sites. Countless others are exposed 
in their neighborhoods, in schoolyards and at home; mothers and 
children who would otherwise have no clue that their very health is in 
jeopardy from this poisonous substance.
  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.
  James Baxter, a retired railroad worker from Carson City, NV, suffers 
from lung damage and respiratory problems. Richard Strauss from Las 
Vegas, NV, lost his father 3 years ago from asbestos exposure. Like 
many others, these two men contacted me seeking help in dealing with 
the hardship and tragedy they have endured.
  Margy Urnberg from Carson City, NV, had a father, Ronald Johnson, who 
died from asbestos exposure. He worked in a vermiculite mine and 
received secondhand exposure from living in Libby, MT. Connie Peck-
Youso was born and raised in Libby, MT. Although she never worked in a 
mine, she bares the scarring in her lungs from the same type of 
secondhand exposure that had such terrible consequences for Mr. 
Johnson.
  Alan Reinstein, the cofounder and former Director of Communications 
of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, suffered with acute 
mesothelioma. Alan fought bravely and responded to his illness as a 
call to action. Sadly, he lost his battle with his terrible disease 
last year. The Alan Reinstein Memorial Award was created to honor 
those, like Alan, who have brought awareness to the victims of 
asbestos. Les Skramstad will be honored posthumously this year.
  Last year, the Senate debated a bill to remove asbestos liability 
cases from the court system and compensate victims from a trust fund. I 
strongly opposed that bill because it was unfair to asbestos victims. 
The bill would have made it too difficult for seriously injured victims 
to recover damages, and the trust fund would have been inadequate. 
Rather than deprive asbestos victims of their day in court, we should 
pass legislation to ban asbestos and heighten public awareness of this 
fatal disease.
  I am also pleased to be a cosponsor of the legislation recently 
reintroduced by Senator Murray, the Ban Asbestos in America Act of 
2007, which would ban asbestos by prohibiting asbestos-containing 
products from being imported, manufactured, processed, or distributed 
in the United States. While it has been banned in over 40 countries 
around the world, we continue to import over $100 million worth of 
asbestos products annually. This is more than 30 million pounds of 
asbestos that is imported for use throughout the Nation. Additionally, 
the bill calls for a public awareness campaign to help educate 
patients, workers, family members, and health care providers on the 
dangers of exposure to asbestos, along with possible treatment options. 
Asbestos is killing far too many people. We can and should do more. 
Senator Murray's bill and the National Asbestos Awareness Week are a 
step in that direction.

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