A Good Asbestos Bill Would Include Research
“Asbestos Bill Could Be Windfall for Business” (July 14), on Sen. Orrin Hatch’s (R-Utah) proposed legislation to ban asbestos lawsuits, highlighted several of the examples that show that the bill is about bailing out corporations, not really helping those made sick by asbestos. However, as Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) was quoted saying, the true crisis is not “asbestos litigation” but “asbestos- induced disease.”
Under Hatch’s proposal, the corporations that are liable would not pay one dime toward the medical research needed to address this health crisis.
Worst of all asbestos diseases is mesothelioma, which for decades has been considered an extremely painful death sentence, with average survival of only seven to 17 months. Research advances finally are being made, but translating them into effective treatments for mesothelioma patients requires major funding.
The responsible corporations under Hatch’s Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution Act would pay the bare minimum to excuse themselves from legal liability. They would not pay one dime proactively toward giving future mesothelioma victims hope, improving their treatment and reducing their suffering.
Christopher E. Hahn
Executive Director
Mesothelioma Applied
Research Foundation
Santa Barbara
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