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[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 108 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 108

    Designating the first week of April 2007 as ``National Asbestos 
                           Awareness Week''.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 15, 2007

  Mr. Baucus (for himself, Mr. Reid, Mr. Kennedy, Mrs. Feinstein, Mr. 
Durbin, Mrs. Murray, and Mr. Leahy) submitted the following resolution; 
          which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
    Designating the first week of April 2007 as ``National Asbestos 
                           Awareness Week''.

Whereas there is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos;
Whereas deadly asbestos fibers are invisible and cannot be smelled or tasted;
Whereas when a person inhales or swallows airborne asbestos fibers, the damage 
        is permanent and irreversible;
Whereas these fibers can cause mesothelioma, asbestosis, lung cancer, and 
        pleural diseases;
Whereas asbestos-related diseases can take 10 to 50 years to present themselves;
Whereas the expected survival rate of individuals diagnosed with mesothelioma is 
        between 6 and 24 months;
Whereas little is known about late-stage treatment and there is no cure for 
        asbestos-related diseases;
Whereas early detection of asbestos-related diseases would give patients 
        increased treatment options and often improve their prognoses;
Whereas asbestos is a toxic and dangerous substance and must be disposed of 
        properly;
Whereas, in 1977, the International Agency for Research on Cancer classified 
        asbestos as a Category 1 human carcinogen, the highest cancer hazard 
        classification for a substance;
Whereas, in 2002, the United States Geological Survey reported that companies in 
        the United States consumed 9,000 metric tons of asbestos, of which 
        approximately 71 percent was consumed in roofing products, 18 percent in 
        gaskets, 5 percent in friction products, and 6 percent in other 
        products;
Whereas, in 2006, the World Health Organization issued a policy paper, and the 
        International Labour Organization adopted a resolution, agreeing that 
        all forms of asbestos are classified as human carcinogens, no threshold 
        for ``safe'' exposure exists, and the elimination of asbestos use is 
        essential to stop the global epidemic of asbestos-related diseases;
Whereas nearly half of the more than 1,000 screened firefighters, police 
        officers, rescue workers, and volunteers who responded to the World 
        Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, have new and persistent 
        respiratory problems;
Whereas the industry groups with the highest incidence rates of asbestos-related 
        diseases, based on 2000 to 2002 figures, were shipyard workers, builders 
        of vehicle bodies (including rail vehicles), pipefitters, carpenters and 
        electricians, construction workers (including insulation and stripping 
        workers), extraction workers, energy and water supply workers, and 
        manufacturing workers;
Whereas the United States has substantially reduced its consumption of asbestos, 
        yet continues to consume almost 2,000 metric tons of the fibrous mineral 
        for use in certain products throughout the Nation;
Whereas asbestos exposures continue, but attention to safety and prevention has 
        reduced significantly and will continue to reduce asbestos exposures and 
        asbestos-related diseases;
Whereas the United States continues to import over $100,000,000 worth of 
        asbestos products annually, such as brake pads and linings, cement pipe, 
        floor tiles, and other asbestos products from other countries for use 
        throughout the Nation;
Whereas asbestos-related diseases kill 10,000 people in the United States each 
        year, and the numbers are increasing;
Whereas people in the small community of Libby, Montana, have asbestos-related 
        diseases at a rate 40 to 60 times the national average, and suffer from 
        mesothelioma at a rate 100 times the national average;
Whereas asbestos exposure is responsible for 1 in every 125 deaths of men over 
        the age of 50;
Whereas asbestos has been the largest single cause of occupational cancer;
Whereas asbestos is still a hazard for 1,300,000 workers in the United States;
Whereas asbestos-related deaths have increased greatly in the last 20 years and 
        are expected to continue to increase;
Whereas 30 percent of all victims of asbestos-related diseases were exposed to 
        asbestos on naval ships and in shipyards;
Whereas asbestos was used in the construction of virtually all office buildings, 
        public schools, and homes built before 1975;
Whereas safety and prevention will reduce asbestos exposure and asbestos-related 
        diseases; and
Whereas the establishment of ``National Asbestos Awareness Week'' would raise 
        public awareness about the prevalence of asbestos-related diseases and 
        the dangers of asbestos exposure: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) designates the first week of April 2007 as ``National 
        Asbestos Awareness Week'';
            (2) urges the Surgeon General, as a public health issue, to 
        warn and educate people that asbestos exposure may be hazardous 
        to their health; and
            (3) respectfully requests the Secretary of the Senate to 
        transmit a copy of this resolution to the Surgeon General.
                                 <all>
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