Source: Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Sen. Patty Murray, Democrat from Wisconsin, hopes to finally see her act to ban asbestos become law this year. The "Ban Asbestos in American Act of 2007" was the focus of a hearing that took place on June 12 in the Senate's Environment and Public Works Committee. Sen. Murray first introduced a bill to ban asbestos in 2002, but the bill has never come up for a vote. With the Democrats in control of the Senate after the mid-term elections, Sen. Murray and her supporters are hopeful that the bill will finally become law.

The "Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007" calls for a complete ban of asbestos in products within two years after the measure become law. In a concession to Georgia Senator Johnny Isakson and some other Republicans, the bill would give the chlorine industry three years to phase out asbestos after new regulations are written by the Environmental Protection Agency. It allocates $50 million in research funds to study the causes and treatment of asbestos-related cancers and will require the federal government to begin an information campaign to educate the public about the risks of asbestos.

During the hearing, Murray asked the committee,

...to anyone who says we don't need this bill, I would just pose one question: How many more Americans have to die before our government finally does the right thing and bans asbestos?

Labels: asbestos