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Friday, July 25, 2003
Senate's good start could ban asbestos
The Senate has a running start on settling some of the nation's biggest questions around the dangers of asbestos. Even so, it will take a mighty effort for Congress to reach a fair legislative solution.
Asbestos has resulted in massive losses of life for workers, family members and consumers who used products made with the cancer-causing material. The legal suits have clogged courts and created huge liabilities for many companies and their insurers.
Attempts to create a comprehensive settlement in court have failed. The only avenue for resolving current and future legal claims is Congress.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, has introduced the Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act. Hatch, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, has worked with Democrats in developing intelligent compromises that begin to address concerns about adequate compensation for victims. Hatch also has added a critical idea proposed by Washington's Sen. Patty Murray: banning the use of asbestos.
An asbestos ban ought to have been an obvious idea decades ago, when studies established its dangers. But asbestos still goes into a number of consumer products, creating new victims even as plans are made for settling generations of existing claims.
The bill still needs a good deal of examination, especially on the compensation issues. But in the complex, scary world of asbestos, Hatch has laid a foundation from which there is a chance to build.
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