ASBESTOS LEGISLATION

Washington State Senator introduces legislation to establish National Mesothelioma Awareness Day

Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Congresswoman Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) collaborated on asbestos legislation to designate September 26th as “National Mesothelioma Awareness Day.”

Senator Murray, a leading advocate for banning asbestos in the United States, said the Senate resolutions identify the health risks asbestos poses to members of our armed forces, firefighters, and workers and families across the county.

Asbestos legislation

Regarding Sen. Murray's asbestos legislation, the full text of resolutions she introduced in the Senate and the House follows:

Whereas there is no known safe level of exposure to asbestos;
Whereas millions of workers in the United States have been, and continue to be, exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos;
Whereas the National Institutes of Health reported to Congress in 2006 that mesothelioma is a difficult disease to detect, diagnose, and treat;
Whereas the National Cancer Institute recognizes a clear need for new treatments to improve the outlook for patients with mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases;
Whereas the need to develop treatments for mesothelioma was overlooked for decades;
Whereas even the best available treatments for mesothelioma typically have only a very limited effect, and a person diagnosed with mesothelioma is expected to survive between 8 and 14 months;
Whereas mesothelioma has claimed the lives of such heroes and public servants as Admiral Elmo Zumwalt, Jr., and Congressman Bruce F. Vento;
Whereas many mesothelioma victims were exposed to asbestos while serving in the Navy;
Whereas it is believed that many of the firefighters, police officers, and rescue workers who served at Ground Zero on September 11, 2001, may be at increased risk of contracting mesothelioma in the future; and —
Whereas cities and localities throughout the United States will recognize September 26, 2009, as ‘‘Mesothelioma Awareness Day’’: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate designates September 26, 2009, as ‘‘National Mesothelioma Awareness Day’’; and calls on the people of the United States, Federal departments and agencies, States, localities, organizations, and media to observe National Mesothelioma Awareness day with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

Time to seek justice

The personal injury law firm of Weitz & Luxenberg, which has protected the legal rights of asbestos-injured American workers since 1986, applauds the Senator’s work in banning asbestos. In nearly 25 years of professional legal service, our firm's mesothelioma lawyers have obtained several billion dollars in verdicts and settlements for clients fatally injured by occupational asbestos exposure.

If you have been diagnosed with mesothelioma and seek a free case review, please notify us through the communication form on this page. We will pursue your claim with vigilance to help you pay for medical bills, lost wages, and suffering. Because the firm works on a contingency basis, there is no cost to you until we obtain a verdict or settlement.