ASBESTOS MESOTHELIOMA LAW ENACTED IN RESPONSE TO HIGH MORTALITY RATE

Congress passed asbestos laws to protect the public and workers against jobsite asbestos exposure and the fatal asbestos-related cancer, mesothelioma

November 10, 2010 – In 1986, Congress passed the Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) in conjunction with other federal laws to protect construction workers, automotive workers, building maintenance employees and others in high-risk industries from the ravages of occupational asbestos exposure and mesothelioma.

Asbestos-mesothelioma law was established in response to the high mortality rates being recorded in these industries from mesothelioma, asbestosis and asbestos-linked lung cancer.

Rising mortality rate leads to asbestos law

Ten thousand Americans die each year – a rate approaching 30 deaths per day – from horrible illnesses caused by asbestos, says a detailed analysis of government mortality records by the EWG Action Fund, a nonprofit research group headquartered in Washington D.C.

Even more disturbing, deaths from asbestos cancer appear to be increasing in the United States.

Mesothelioma and asbestosis mortality rose steadily from 1979 through 1998, according to the study. Asbestosis mortality, however, rose at more than three times the rate of mesothelioma, at 7.8 percent per year, compared to 2.3 percent annually for mesothelioma over the 22-year period 1979-2001.

Asbestos diseases have a 20 to 50 year latency period, meaning that a substantial portion of individuals exposed in the 1960s and 1970s are only now showing up as disease or mortality statistics.

EPA enforces asbestos-mesothelioma law

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) operates 10 regional offices around the country to oversee federal asbestos-mesothelioma laws, including those related to the handling and demolition of asbestos-containing building products, like attic insulation, asbestos ceiling tiles, and sheetrock (aka: wallboard).

EPA regional offices enforce AHERA asbestos law under Congressional guidelines established under the Clean Air Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. Each office cooperates with federal, state and local agencies to ensure that regional needs are met and that federal asbestos-mesothelioma law is upheld.

Before asbestos-mesothelioma law was enacted, workers in certain high-risk industries were simply uninformed about the serious health hazards they faced at work, and often went about their business without any warnings or personal protective gear. Such negligence contributed to thousands of cases of occupational asbestos disease and death. Jobsite asbestos exposure occurs when workers accidentally inhale airborne asbestos fibers that dislodge from asbestos-tainted building products.

Weitz & Luxenberg – Asbestos-injury law firm

If you were employed in a high-risk industry any time in the past, you can still be diagnosed with asbestos-related disease. If that happens, you have the legal right to seek financial compensation by filing a mesothelioma cancer claim.

Weitz & Luxenberg has successfully represented thousands of asbestos-injured workers against employers that failed to provide safety equipment and product manufacturers who neglected to warn consumers of the health hazards associated with their products.

For a free case review, please contact Weitz & Luxenberg through the communication form presented here. Protect your family’s financial future with a free legal consultation today.