James Zumwalt, son of Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, publishes commentary about need for legislation to prevent and cure asbestos-related diseases
James G. Zumwalt, a Marine veteran who served in the Persian Gulf and Vietnam wars and son of the late Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, has published a commentary in the Washington Times about the need to pass legislation to ban asbestos in the U.S. and to fund research to find a cure for mesothelioma, a cancer caused by asbestos. Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, who served as Chief of Naval Operations during the Viet Nam War, died of mesothelioma in 1999.
Citing the current debacle involving maintenance workers at the Capitol Tunnel in Washington being needlessly exposed to asbestos and diagnosed with related diseases, and observing that the collapse of the World Trade Center and Pentagon buildings during the 9/11 terrorist attacks resulted in the release of asbestos dust that will affect countless victims in the future, Zumwalt notes that within the next quarter-century “we will. . .experience cases of mesothelioma and asbestosis of epidemic proportions.” Noting that mesothelioma has a long latency period – taking decades to manifest – he says that we will see a gradual increase, then a spike, in the disease. “Without a cure and without a commitment by Congress to commit funding to research for mesothelioma now,” he says, “thousands of victims will die painful deaths. . . .”
Zumwalt also stresses the need to pass legislation banning the manufacture, processing, and distribution of products containing asbestos in the U.S., a bill that has been proposed by Washington Senator Patty Murray along with legislation to fund mesothelioma research. First introduced in 2002, the bill has not yet been enacted into law. “Each day Congress hesitates to act on Sen. Murray’s bill brings us a day closer to the impending epidemic–and another day without research for a cure will have passed,” he says.
For the full commentary, entitled “A killer lurks below” (Washington Times, May 16, 2007), go to http://washingtontimes.com/commentary/20070515-083952-8098r.htm
