Senator Boxer opens Public Works Committee with strong support for the Ban Asbestos in America bill
Senator Barbara Boxer (D Cal), chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, opened a hearing being held today reviewing a proposed ban of asbestos in the U.S. with strong support for the bill. Noting that she is an original cosponsor of the bill proposed by Senator Patty Murray (D Wash), she cited government statistics describing thousands of documented deaths caused by asbestos and told the stories of a few of the Californians stricken by mesothelioma, a form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure. “Despite all this death, we continue to allow the importation and use of asbestos and products that contain asbestos,” she reported, adding that world production of asbestos actually increased in 2005. She also noted that according to the World Health Organization, more than 40 countries have banned or are in the process of phasing out the use of asbestos. “This hearing’s focus is clear,” she concluded. “It is on people, and the terrible price they continue to pay because asbestos is being used, despite the availability of safer alternatives.”
For the full transcript of Senator Boxer’s statement, go to www.yubanet.com.
