News Coverage
Asbestos, Still Lurking
Published March 22, 2004
It's been almost two decades since a series of lawsuits drew wide attention to the problem of asbestos. Compared with toxic mold, the cancer-causing fibers may not even be the scariest household hazard anymore. A brief panic after 9/11 was unwarranted; the slightly elevated asbestos levels near the WTC posed no danger. And last month Marshall Levin--the judge who presided over the huge, historic 1992 Baltimore asbestos suit, with a record 8,600 plaintiffs--died. So if the public thought the whole issue was dead, too, it could be forgiven.
But the folks at the Environmental Working Group make a point of not forgetting, and they think Americans had better refresh their own memories. A new EWG report says 10,000 Americans die each year from asbestos-related illnesses--a trend that may be increasing, despite efforts to rid buildings of the substance. The EWG's Richard Wiles says the only way to stop the trend is to ban asbestos outright and offer free screenings to all. He also hopes insurers will pony up more money for those who are already ill. Companies have already paid out $70 billion over the years, making the suits the most costly in American history. The Senate may establish a victims' fund this year, and the EPA is considering whether to designate contaminated schools and parks as Superfund sites. If Levin were alive, he'd have plenty to think about.