National asbestos compensation debate hits Colorado airwaves

NBC 9 Denver, Adam Schrager
Published July 12, 2005

DENVER - National groups are targeting Colorado in an effort to sway Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colorado) on a measure that would establish a trust fund for asbestos victims. Two separate political advocacy committees are running television ads on stations throughout the state, including KUSA-TV, 9News. 9News political reporter Adam Schrager says Congress is debating a remedy for victims of asbestos poisoning. The Washington-based Environmental Working Group and the Veterans Asbestos Reform Coalition are working on convincing Salazar about the merits of their position. Colorado's senior senator, Wayne Allard (R-Colorado), has said he is in favor of setting up the trust fund in exchange for getting rid of all asbestos-related lawsuits. "Senator Salazar recognizes how important this legislation is to individuals and business alike," wrote Salazar spokesman Cody Wertz in an e-mail Wednesday afternoon. "He has not made a decision either way on the bill and will continue to study it as it moves through the Senate." The EWG ad is designed to convince Salazar to vote "no" on S. 852. It says "deadly asbestos" has been shipped all over the country, including to Colorado. In fact, 941 shipments of vermiculite from a Montana mine, known to have dangerous asbestos levels, were sent to four different sites around the state, ending in the early 1990s. The group maintains that victims or their surviving loved ones should have the right to sue for damages. Meanwhile, veterans' groups favor the trust fund because it would bring quicker and guaranteed relief. For years they've fought for compensation for servicemen and women who were exposed to asbestos in munitions plants, on shipyards and in construction projects, ask voters to contact their senator to vote "yes" on the measure. The $140 billion trust fund would be paid for by the asbestos companies and their insurers. Claims examiners would be established to determine the monetary amount given to physical victims of asbestos. In return, Congress does away with what the Supreme Court called the "elephantine mass of asbestos cases," or in other words, the 600,000-plus claims filed for asbestos-related maladies. For asbestos victims like Carolyn Benton, whose husband Barry died of asbestos-related cancer two years ago, the measure does nothing to prepare for the future. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspaper reported it is estimated between 1940 and 1979, some 27.5 million Americans had substantial exposure to asbestos. "It just sits there almost dormant in your system for almost 20, 30 years and then, it's too late," said Benton. "There isn't a monetary value you can put on the suffering." The Senate could debate the measure by the end of the month. To see S. 852: http://www.congress.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d109:S.852.