Asbestos has been in use for an estimated 3,000 years. Even during that time, ancient Greek and Roman scholars noticed the health problems associated with the substance. Thus, there have been many pieces of legislation that have come into play to help protect us from asbestos-related diseases.
The reason why asbestos became so popular, despite its dangers, is because of its numerous benefits. First, as a silicate mineral, asbestos has several insulating properties. It resists heat, flame, chemicals, electricity, and biodegradation. Additionally, asbestos has a couple of helpful characteristics on its own. It is highly flexible and has good tensile strength, which allowed it to be added to a multitude of products. Indeed, the construction, shipping, and automotive industry embraced asbestos, meaning that it became almost omnipresent in everything from gaskets to joint compound to fire doors.
The resistance against asbestos mostly arose in the 1970s. During this time, Congress was looking to pass the Black Lung Bill, which helped miners and families of miners deal with the health issues that came with mining. This helped call attention to the needs of people who were involved in the asbestos industry.
In June of 1989, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or EPA, finally created a document that started the fight against asbestos. The Asbestos Ban and Phase-Out outlawed the addition of the material from new products, as well as completely banned things like flooring felt, corrugated paper, and other things that contained high amounts of asbestos. However, it still allows for many products to contain trace amounts of the substance.
Even after asbestos was phased out, it has still contributed to a number of diseases that may wait up to 20 years before manifesting, such as mesothelioma. Thus, some legislation has been proposed to help fix these issues. The Fairness in Asbestos Compensation Act of 1999 was initially proposed to help settle asbestos-related lawsuits before they made it to the court system, saving time and money. A later edition, the Asbestos Compensation Act of 2000, was proposed to create an Office of Asbestos Compensation as well as a related fund to help victims of asbestos.
Other acts that did not pass included the Asbestos Claims Criteria and Compensation Act in 2003. Although this passed in the Senate, it did not receive enough support to become a law. Like the act in 2000, it wanted to create a special fund to help people who were medically proven to have asbestos-related problems. Again in 2004, the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act was proposed to have a fund for victims, but again it did not pass.
Even though none of these compensation fund acts passed, there are still several options for people with asbestos-related diseases. If you or someone you know has been illegally exposed to asbestos, you should speak to lawyer about your rights. For more information, call an asbestos attorney at Williams Kherkher today.
Joseph Devine
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