AboutMesothelioma.Net

Sen. Max Baucus of Montana has introduced a resolution proposing the first week of April 2010 as Asbestos Awareness Week to improve public understanding of the dangers of asbestos exposure and prevalence of asbestos-related disease.

Nearly 300 people in the small community of Libby, Montana have died of asbestos-related disease linked to a former W.R. Grace mine and mill that operated from 1963 to 1980. Earlier this year, federal environmental regulators declared a public health emergency in Libby because of the widespread asbestos exposure.

For decades, asbestos was widely used in building materials and insulation. But inhaling the microscopic fibers can cause mesothelioma, an incurable cancer of the lining of the lung or abdomen, and other serious illnesses. About 3,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed each year in the United States.

“There are too many good folks still suffering from asbestos-related disease and contamination in Montana and across the United States”, Baucus said in a statement. “Asbestos Awareness Week provides a perfect opportunity to raise awareness about the dangers of asbestos and the need to keep fighting for the victims of asbestos-related disease.

The Senate resolution says that thousands of workers in the U.S. face significant asbestos exposure, thousands of people die from asbestos-related diseases every year and a significant percentage of asbestos disease victims were exposed to asbestos on naval ships and in shipyards while serving the country.

Senate resolution 427 urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate people about the public health hazard of asbestos exposure. The World Health Organization, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Surgeon General all say there is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, the resolution states.

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