In May 2008, after a years-long battle, a legislative bill to ban the use of all asbestos was introduced in Congress. The asbestos bill, known as H.R. 3339, would also increase federal funding for research of mesothelioma treatments to fight against asbestos-related illnesses such as mesothelioma cancer.

Toxic Substance Contract Act

The purpose of the asbestos bill is to add amendments to the Toxic Substance Contract Act of the United States, which was passed in 1976. Although the TSCA was amended several times in the last few years to address asbestos as a hazardous material, the amendments did nothing as far as offering federally authorized funding directly for asbestos-related illnesses.

H.R. 3339 has also been referred to as the “Bruce Vento Ban Asbestos and Prevent Mesothelioma Act 2007.” Vento, who was not only a state legislator and a member of Congress representing the Fourth District of Minnesota, he was also a school teacher and a victim of pleural mesothelioma who died in late 2000.

Tons of Asbestos Still Used

While asbestos is considered a highly carcinogenic contaminant, the United States Geological Survey reported that 2,000 metric tons (about 4.4 million pounds) of asbestos was used in 2006. The Department of Commerce also estimated that about $100 million was spent on importing brake parts each year, with these parts allegedly showing traces of asbestos exposure.

Asbestos Bill Facts & Statistics

Highlighted in asbestos bill H.R. 3339 are several facts and statistics on the state of the asbestos industry in the United States, including:

• There is no known safe inhalation level of asbestos exposure.
• Products imported from foreign areas may have little-to-no asbestos regulations, resulting in asbestos-tainted products to be imported to the United States.
• New uses of asbestos were essentially banned with the TSCA, but asbestos continues to be imported and used in consumer and industrial products.
• The median survival period for mesothelioma cancer is one-year after diagnosis.
• Europe had a widespread ban of asbestos in 2005.

To learn more about the asbestos bill in Congress, contact mesothelioma treatment centers today. We’ll be happy to answer your questions.