Statement of Todd A. Smith
President, Association of Trial Lawyers of America

Bush Should Ban Asbestos Now
First step in ending asbestos liability is to stop exposing people to its dangers

"President Bush is again on the nation's longest running road show attacking the legal rights of millions of Americans, this time in Michigan talking about asbestos. We hope he takes the time to meet with some of the hundreds of thousands of Americans who are sick and dying because the companies they worked for knowingly poisoned them with asbestos. They could educate him with the truths about this deadly substance and the companies that lied and covered up about it.

Over 300,000 U.S. workers have died because of exposure to asbestos. Almost as many more will die over the next three or four decades and millions of exposed workers have or will develop asbestos diseases.

In the state of Michigan alone, asbestos has killed more than 1,100 residents in the past 20 years and in the President's home state of Texas, nearly 3,000.

As a matter of fact, asbestos is still being used in America today. Government figures from the USGS report that 30 million pounds of lethal asbestos fibers are imported into the United States each year. The first step in ending asbestos liability is to stop exposing people to its dangers. The President should call for an immediate ban on the importation and use of asbestos as Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) has proposed.

Sadly, we doubt the President will meet with any asbestos victims. Rather, he'll once again meet with the asbestos and insurance industries which are fighting as hard as they can to avoid being held responsible for this national health epidemic."

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