III 

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; 


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•SRES 108 IS 

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 asbestosrelated 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 figVerDate Aug 31 2005 04:07 Mar 16, 2007 Jkt 059200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR108.IS SR108

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•SRES 108 IS 

ures, 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; 


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•SRES 108 IS 

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 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) designates the first week of April 2007 as 

3 ‘‘National Asbestos Awareness Week’’; 

4 (2) urges the Surgeon General, as a public 

5 health issue, to warn and educate people that asbes6 tos exposure may be hazardous to their health; and 

7 (3) respectfully requests the Secretary of the 

8 Senate to transmit a copy of this resolution to the 

9 Surgeon General. 

Æ 


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