A deal is looming on legislation banning (finally) the use of asbestos, a fibrous mineral used in brake linings, gaskets, yarns, and cement products that is still imported into the country despite the serious, and often fatal, health risks associated with the mineral. Despite the well-publicized health risks associated with asbestos, worldwide use of it is actually one the rise.
Two senators who are leading advocates of the asbestos ban, said they are within just a week or two of wrapping up a compromise that would also authorize $50 million in research to study and treat the asbestos-related illnesses that have killed almost a quarter of a million people since 1980 and could claim that many more over the next thirty years.
Since asbestos is also naturally occurring in places like El Dorado County, California, some of the money will also be spent on identifying the health risks associated with breathing in naturally-occurring asbestos.
About 40 other industrialized nations currently have a ban on asbestos. There are alternative products already on the market in the United States, but asbestos is still used by more than 15 plants that produce chlorine.
If you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos in Maryland, Tennessee, Delaware or Pennsylvania, please contact the experienced Asbestos Attorneys at the Law Offices of Peter G.Angelos.
