ASBESTOS IN THE NEWS
Bush aides enacting pro-asbestos regulations

December 10, 2008 -- Before his last term expires, President Bush’s aides are rushing to complete new regulations that would make it harder for the government to regulate asbestos and other hazardous chemicals.

Strenuously opposed by President Elect-Obama, the proposal would add a step or two in an already lengthy process of producing standards to protect the health of workers.

Public health professionals assessing the bill predicted it would result in additional deaths and illnesses. Mesothelioma is the deadliest form of lung cancer associated with asbestos exposure.

An incoming president can reverse any executive orders issued by his predecessor once he takes office. But it is difficult for a new president to change final regulations already put in place by a former president.

Obama and other congressional lawmakers are urging the Labor Department to create standards that will protect workers more efficiently against workplace health hazards like asbestos.

Asbestos, the silent killer

Despite the serious health problems linked to asbestos exposure, the deadly mineral is still imported and used in the United States. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. imported and used an estimated 1,820 tons of asbestos in 2007.

Government sources estimate that in the next decade more than 35,000 people nationwide will be diagnosed with the deadliest form of asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma. This disease is most often the result of industrial workplace exposure to asbestos – and usually contracted through employers’ blatant disregard for the health and safety of their workers.

Time to seek justice!

That’s why people diagnosed with mesothelioma and their family members have strong cases in court. Weitz & Luxenberg has protected the legal rights of workers for 25 years – longer than most law firms in the nation. And in that time its attorneys have won several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for its clients.

If you have a mesothelioma injury, please complete the form on this page for a free evaluation of your legal rights. There is no cost to you until we win a settlement or a verdict.