It’s a pleasant surprise to see politicians working to increase awareness of the national tragedy we know as asbestos.
Earlier this week, U.S. Sen. Max Baucus of Montana and other senators introduced a resolution declaring the first week of April as “National Asbestos Awareness Week.” The resolution was passed unanimously the same day. This is the eighth time that our lawmakers have passed the “National Asbestos Awareness Week” resolution since 2005.
Such a resolution will help shine a light on the dangers of asbestos exposure and the diseases the material causes, such as mesothelioma.
Baucus has been a key voice in asbestos awareness throughout the years. For Baucus, it’s an issue that hits close to home. Baucus has helped provide support for the people who live near Libby, Mont., where the effects of asbestos exposure have nearly wiped out the small town.
In the 1880s, a vast vermiculite mine was discovered near the town, and many companies, including W.R. Grace, set up facilities to mine the material. It was later discovered that the vermiculite was laced with toxic asbestos.
Despite the warnings, the mining continued and today many of the town’s 2,600 residents have died from asbestos diseases, including mesothelioma. Some of those afflicted with terrible asbestos diseases didn’t even work with asbestos, but were exposed by living near the mine.
Mesothelioma is caused by inhaling or ingesting airborne asbestos particles. Between approximately 3,000 people are diagnosed with the cancer each year in the United States. There is no known cure.
Asbestos is also known to cause other types of cancers, including certain types of lung cancer.
The fact that our politicians have recognized that asbestos isn’t just a Libby, Mont., problem, but a national one is a step in the right direction. Asbestos hurts everybody from homebuilders to housewives, to construction workers and pipefitters. Asbestos is still used in pipes and some building products, primarily roofing materials, in the United States. And according to the 2008-2009 Annual Report from the President’s Cancer Panel, construction workers are 11 times more likely to develop mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure at the site.
The United States is one of the few developed countries that has not banned asbestos.
Studies estimate that 107,000 workers around the world die every year of an asbestos disease, according to the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO).