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News Coverage

Study: Wisconsin ranks 16th in number of asbestos deaths

Associated Press, Staff reporter
Published March 9, 2004

MILWAUKEE - At least 716 Wisconsin residents have died from asbestos exposure since 1979, a number that ranks the state 16th in the nation in asbestos-related deaths, according to a new study.

This article also ran in:

Saint Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota) 3/10/04

Wisconsin State Journal (Madison, WI) 3/9/04

Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter 3/904

Green Bay News Chronicle 3/4/04

More than 100 of those deaths occurred in Milwaukee County, according to the study from the Environmental Working Group, a Washington-based public interest research group.

California and Florida topped the list of states with asbestos-related deaths, according to the study.

Asbestos kills about 10,000 Americans a year, a rate that is increasing as more people exposed during the peak years of asbestos use in the 1960s and 1970s reach old age.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral commonly used until the mid-1970s for insulation and fireproofing. When inhaled, its tiny fibers can cause cancer and other ailments. The diseases often take decades to develop.

More than 400,000 asbestos-related claims are currently pending before U.S. and state courts.

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