COLORADO ASBESTOS REGULATIONS SAVE LIVES

State mortality rate from asbestos exposure prompts new Colorado regulations

COLORADO ASBESTOS REGULATIONS

May 17, 2010 – Colorado state regulations governing the handling and disposal of toxic asbestos materials were designed to reduce incidents of asbestos exposure and the state’s worrisome asbestos-related mortality rate.

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment assists schools and businesses in complying with air pollution laws and regulations controlling asbestos and asbestos-containing materials.

Colorado asbestos regulations

Colorado asbestos. Compared with other states in the country, Colorado ranks No. 31 for asbestos mortalities linked to asbestosis and mesothelioma, says the Environmental Working Group (EWG), a nonprofit public information organization headquartered in Washington, D.C.

Most deaths in Colorado from asbestos exposure are concentrated in Denver and Colorado Springs, says the EWG study. The Colorado asbestos data is based on an examination of U.S. death certificates recorded by the federal government between 1979 and 2001.

Mesothelioma is known the world over as the signature asbestos-related cancer. Diagnosed in 3,000 people every year in the United States, mesothelioma is primarily an occupational disease that results from employer failure to provide a safe work-site environment.

Thousands of asbestos claims have been filed for this gross negligence that was often perpetrated to reduce overhead costs. U.S. courts recognize this and have awarded claimants (frequently on their deathbeds), or their surviving family members, with large verdicts and settlements.

Colorado asbestos regulations

According to the EWG report, asbestos exposure killed at least 395 people in Colorado between 1979 and 2001; with 133 deaths attributed to asbestosis and at least 267 mortalities attributed to mesothelioma.

Notably, these figures represent less than 20 percent of total asbestos mortalities in Colorado during that time, the report says. That’s because mesothelioma was not tracked by the federal government as a cause of death until 1999. When the government began tracking mesothelioma that year, U.S. mortality figures from asbestos diseases more than doubled – from 935 in 1998, to 2,343 in 1999.

Legal options

Weitz & Luxenberg is a legal force in the asbestos-litigation field, having obtained record-setting verdicts and settlements for some 25 years.

Protect your family’s financial future today. Obtain a free and confidential legal consultation via the communication form on this page. Please know, we will pursue the maximum compensation you are entitled to.