Senator Boxer: Time to Ban Asbestos

August 29, 2007

I am proud to let you know that the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which I chair, recently passed, the Ban Asbestos in America Act of 2007 (S.742) with broad bipartisan support. I was pleased to cosponsor this legislation by Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) which would ban the importation and use of asbestos, with limited exceptions.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified asbestos as a class 1 human carcinogen, and there is no known safe level of exposure to it. Even low levels of exposure may cause asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma. Despite this, currently millions of workers in the United States have been, and continue to be, exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos. Families of these workers are also at risk because of asbestos brought home by the workers on their shoes, clothes, skin, and hair. Of special concern is that mesothelioma is difficult to detect, diagnose, and treat. In fact, the majority of mesothelioma patients die within two years of diagnosis of the disease.

S.742 would prohibit importing, manufacturing, processing, or distributing asbestos-containing products other than a limited number of specified exemptions sought by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It requires the disposal of asbestos-containing products within two years, again with certain limited exemptions. It also establishes a program to increase awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and expands current research programs on diseases caused by asbestos exposure, particularly mesothelioma, asbestosis, and pleural injuries.

It is time to end exposure to asbestos and this legislation is an important step in that direction. You can count on me to continue to work for its passage.

Sincerely,

Barbara Boxer
United States Senator

Back to top