PHOTO DISPLAY: FRED BIEKKOLA AND BRIAN HARVEY

This is George “Fred” Biekkola from Michigan. Fred served in World War II. For almost 30 years, he worked for a mining company in Michigan, where he was exposed to asbestos. Fred testified at my first hearing on asbestos six years ago. I'll never forget what he told us. He said:

“Senators, please make sure that what happened to me won’t happen to anyone else … Workers like me are counting on you to protect us. Please don't let us down.”

I'm sad to say that we let Fred down. We didn't ban asbestos. We didn't warn the public. And we didn't invest in research and treatment. Fred died of asbestosis and mesothelioma on April 7, 2004.

Sadly, Fred is not the only advocate we've lost over the years because Congress has failed to act.

This is Brian Harvey, a teacher from Marysville, Washington. Brian stood by my side as I introduced my first bill to ban asbestos in July 2002.

Most asbestos victims die within a year of being diagnosed. Amazingly, Brian lived for six years. He knew he was living on borrowed time, so he used his time to fight for others. He stood by my side again in 2004 at another press conference, but sadly Brian died in July of 2005.

Fred and Brian are not with us, but their words hang over this hearing.

Courtesy of Senator Murray's Asbestos Update.