Asbestos Legislation is Flawed

"A flawed piece of legislation is making its way through the U.S. Senate. Before matters go any further, the 'Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act' (FAIR), which has made it out of committee, deserves to be defeated. The bill has not yet reached the Senate floor because Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter wants to drum up more support. The bill is expected to be brought to the floor soon after the July 4 recess. The House is expected to take action soon after. There are some qualms about this bill on both sides of the aisle. Some Republicans are concerned about creating a new tax burden and government bureaucracy, while Democrats are worried about whether the money to fund this piece of legislation will run out."

The Buffalo News, 07/03/2005 For complete story, see http://www.buffalonews.com/

A huge cloud of construction dust blowing across the field where his son played Little League signaled to Lance McMahan it was time to get out of this fast-growing suburb above Sacramento. Watching from a lawn chair as bulldozers reshaped a nearby hillside into another setting for high-priced homes, McMahan knew that the ground getting torn up and carried by the wind over the baseball diamond contained natural veins of asbestos. In tests completed last October, the agency found elevated levels of a naturally occurring but particularly dangerous type of asbestos fiber at playing fields, a popular bike trail and a playground for toddlers. But the agency hasn't been able to quantify the risk to residents. "It's bad, we just don't know how bad," said Jere Johnson, EPA's assessment manager for the site. Brian Melley, The Associated Press, 07/05/2005 For complete story, search http://www.ap.org/index.html

"An alliance of mesothelioma patients and 34 doctors nationwide who treat them called on each member of the U.S. Senate...to reform serious flaws in the proposed asbestos trust fund bill. 'We are doctors and patients who are speaking up about our mission to end the asbestos cancer public health crisis,' said Dr. Robert Cameron, head of thoracic surgery at UCLA Medical School and co-chair of the Doctor-Patient Alliance for Responsible Asbestos Cancer Policy. 'The asbestos trust fund bill presents a historic opportunity to make up for years of neglect.' However, in several areas, it sadly falls short. The Doctor-Patient Alliance is calling on the Senate to cure three primary flaws in the proposed law: the arbitrary $1.1 million one-size-fits-all cap on awards to mesothelioma patients, the absence of assurance that patients will obtain awards during their limited life spans, and the inadequate level of funding for a research and treatment program.'" PRNewswire, 06/30/2005 For complete story, see http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/050630/dath029.html?.v=17