“How Many More Americans Have To Die Before Our Government Does The Right Thing And Bans Asbestos?” -Senator Murray
Thursday, August 23rd, 2007DO YOU LIKE TO BREATHE? GOT BREATHING?
THIS IS THE BILL, AND WE ALL NEED TO SUPPORT IT, Senator Patty Murray’s bill, S.742, The Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007.
On June 12, 2007, the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works (EPW) heard testimony about the health effects of asbestos. Senator Barbara Boxer, the panel’s chairwoman, confirmed that in 2005, 2,530 metric tons of asbestos and 90,000 metric tons of asbestos-containing cement products, gaskets, brakes and clutch parts were imported into the U.S.
Furthermore, she added: “Worldwide production of asbestos actually increased in 2005, from 2.36 million metric tons in 2004 to 2.4 million metric tons in 2005.”
Senator Boxer concluded that in the face of the “terrible price” paid by ordinary Americans for the use of this toxic substance and in light of the availability of safer non-asbestos alternatives, the use of asbestos in the U.S. should be discontinued.
Senator Murray described the six year fight to get her bill enacted and asked: “How many more Americans have to die before our government finally does the right thing and bans asbestos?”
Senator Murray summed up the facts as follows:
- asbestos is deadly, (IT CAUSES ASBESTOSIS, ASBESTOS-RELATED CANCER(S), AND/OR MESOTHELIOMA,
- it’s devastating families and communities,
- and every day that we wait to ban it, we’re sentencing more Americans to an early and avoidable death.
- WAKE UP, WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!