[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 36 (Tuesday, March 6, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1431-S1432]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    NATIONAL ASBESTOS AWARENESS WEEK

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate

[[Page S1432]]

proceed to S. Res. 389 submitted earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 389) designating the first week of 
     April 2012 as ``National Asbestos Awareness Week.''

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the 
resolution be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to 
reconsider be laid upon the table, with no intervening action or 
debate, and any statements be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 389) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 389

       Whereas dangerous asbestos fibers are invisible and cannot 
     be smelled or tasted;
       Whereas the inhalation of airborne asbestos fibers can 
     cause significant damage;
       Whereas asbestos fibers can cause cancer such as 
     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 of asbestos-related diseases, and there is no cure 
     for such diseases;
       Whereas early detection of asbestos-related diseases may 
     give some patients increased treatment options and might 
     improve their prognoses;
       Whereas the United States has substantially reduced its 
     consumption of asbestos, yet continues to consume almost 
     1,100 metric tons of the fibrous mineral for use in certain 
     products throughout the United States;
       Whereas asbestos-related diseases have killed thousands of 
     people in the United States;
       Whereas exposure to asbestos continues, but safety and 
     prevention of asbestos exposure already has significantly 
     reduced the incidence of asbestos-related diseases and can 
     further reduce the incidence of such 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 people in the United States 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;
       Whereas people in the small community of Libby, Montana 
     suffer from asbestos-related diseases, including 
     mesothelioma, at a significantly higher rate than people in 
     the United States as a whole; and
       Whereas the establishment of a ``National Asbestos 
     Awareness Week'' will 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 2012 as ``National 
     Asbestos Awareness Week'';
       (2) urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people 
     about the public health issue of asbestos exposure, which may 
     be hazardous to their health; and
       (3) respectfully requests that the Secretary of the Senate 
     transmit a copy of this resolution to the Office of the 
     Surgeon General.

                          ____________________