Asbestos continues to sicken, kill U.S. workers
By MICHAEL GUTWIG
& SETH DAVIDSON
As a career interior decorator, Mari-
lyn Stratton of Beaverton, Oregon, was
used to carrying heavy samples of rugs,
tiles, wallpaper, carpets, and catalogs
that showcased the tools of her trade.
Her skills as a decorator have been
showcased in three “Street of Dreams”
homes and a number of “Showplace
Homes” in the Portland area during her
lengthy career.
A workaholic, even at age 73, Strat-
ton seemingly was always on the go.
Until the onset of summer 2006, when
she began experiencing pain in her chest.
Concerned that someone as fit and
active as she would be suffering from
chest pains, her husband, retired arbi-
trator Dick Stratton, insisted on a visit
to the doctor. X-rays taken in early June
revealed a build-up of fluid around her
lung. More tests were taken and the di-
agnosis was horrific: malignant pleural
mesothelioma. “Meso” is an aggressive
cancer that attacks the lining of the
lungs. The only known cause of this fa-
tal disease is asbestos.
Asbestos is a mineral found in na-
ture. Its fibers are long, thin, flexible,
strong — and resistant to heat, fire, rot,
mildew, water damage and electrical
and chemical damage. Prior to 1975,
the so-called “miracle fiber” was used
heavily in Navy ships and shipyards; in
office, school and home construction
building materials such as drywall,
flooring and roofing; in automotive
products like brake pads; and in con-
sumer products like hair dryers.
Asbestos fibers are invisible and
cannot be smelled or tasted. But when
• Studies have shown that asbestos
exposure is responsible for 1 in
every 125 deaths of men over the
age of 50.
• Asbestos is the largest single cause
of occupational cancer.
• 30 percent of all victims of as-
bestos-related diseases were ex-
posed to asbestos on naval ships and
in shipyards.
This slide shows the nearly invisible asbestos fibers as compared to grains
of rice and human hair. On the penny, just under President Lincoln’s nose,
are more than 20,000 asbestos fibers. Virtually indestructible, these fibers
can remain suspended in air for days.
Roger G. Worthington, P.C. leads the fight to find a cure
for
Mesothelioma cancer
caused by asbestos exposure
Since 1989, we have been dedicated to helping asbestos cancer patients
get justice in the courtrooms and help in the hospitals. In the last ten years,
we have recovered over $725 million for our clients.
$34 Million:
$20 Million:
$12.6 Million:
$10 Million:
$8.4 Million:
60 year-old Navy veteran and carpenter
54 year-old engineer
69 year-old psychiatrist exposed at home
54 year-old woman exposed via father’s clothes
60 year-old Navy veteran and crane operator
800-831-9399
For a free booklet of medical/legal information, including medical experts,
patient profiles, clinical trials and asbestos products, call us or visit our website.
www.mesothel.com
Mesothelioma typically
We’ve helped hundreds
develops 20 to 60 years
after the first asbestos
exposure. Each year
about 3,000 new cases
of mesothelioma are
diagnosed in the U.S.
of patients find the best
doctors, coast to coast
and we’re known for
providing up-to-date
medical information
and patient education.
Asbestos lawyers for life.
Offices in Los Angeles, Orange County, and Dallas, Texas • Lawyers licensed in California, Oregon, and Texas
Roger G. Worthington, P.C. has donated more than $2.5 Million to medical research
working on a cure for mesothelioma — more than all the asbestos companies combined.
PAGE 4
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS
inhaled or swallowed, the fibers have
been found to be lethal. The fibers can
lodge in the lungs and other soft tissues,
resulting in changes to the cells that
may eventually result in meso, asbesto-
sis and other types of cancers — some
of which have latency periods of more
than 40 years.
In the U.S., statistics show 4,000
people are diagnosed with malignant
pleural mesothelioma each year, and
10,000 Americans or more die each
year from all asbestos-related disease.
According to the RAND Institute
for Civil Justice, an estimated 27 mil-
lion people may have been exposed to
Asbestos found
in household
products, toys
The Asbestos Disease Awareness
Organization (ADAO) has released a
study showing asbestos is in common
toys and household products. Products
such as Scotch High Performance Duct
Tape, DAP “33” window glazing, DAP
“Crack Shot” spackling paste, Planet
Toys “CSI Fingerprint Examination
Kit,” and Gardner Leak Stopper roof
patch are on the list.
Over 250 suspected products cur-
rently sold in national retail stores
within the last 18 months were tested
by the Scientific Analytical Institute,
Inc. The products included children’s
toys, hardware, cleaning products, and
cosmetics. The testing process followed
procedures outlined by the U.S. Envi-
ronmental Protection Agency.
Testing also found asbestos in other
products such as toy play clay from
China and Thailand, pre-packaged pot-
ting soil from the U.S., hair rollers from
China, cosmetics from France, baking
flour, powdered household cleaners and
kitchen appliances from China.
ADOA was founded in 2004 by as-
bestos victims and their families to raise
awareness about the dangers of as-
bestos and to push for more and im-
proved product testing.
• In 2005, world production of as-
bestos was 2.4 million metric tons,
an increase from 2.36 million met-
ric tons in 2004. Russia led the
world in asbestos production, fol-
lowed by China, Kazakhstan,
Canada, Brazil, and Zimbabwe.
• Asbestos has not been mined in
the United States since 2002, and
imports, mostly from Canada (88
percent), satisfy domestic manufac-
turing needs.
• Asbestos has been banned in 40
countries. The United States isn’t
one of them.
asbestos during the period of 1940 to
1979. Tillinghast-Towers Perrin, an ac-
tuarial consulting firm, estimates that
more than 100 million Americans may
have been exposed through products
containing asbestos and asbestos used
in buildings.
Portland is considered a “meso”
hotspot because of its history of ship-
building, paper and pulp mills, alu-
minum plants, and construction.
Despite these warnings — and the
staggering health consequences — the
United States continues to import over
$100 million worth of asbestos prod-
ucts each year. Asbestos still can be
found in about 3,000 different products,
ranging from cement panels, sheets,
and tiles; fabric, including yarn, thread,
cord, and string; gaskets, packing ma-
terial; aircraft parts and more.
U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash-
ington) has been trying for six years to
pass a bill banning asbestos in the
United States. Last October, advocacy
groups thought they had a break-
through when Murray’s Ban Asbestos
in America Act passed in the Senate.
SB 742, they said, would finally ban as-
bestos while investing millions of dol-
lars to develop effective treatment for
asbestos-related diseases, and in a pub-
lic education campaign.
However, according to Roger Wor-
thington, an attorney who specializes in
asbestos victim lawsuits, after all par-
ties had agreed on the bill’s language,
asbestos industry representatives were
able to insert a last-minute change —
altering the word “products” to “mate-
rials” — before sending the bill to the
floor for a vote.
“Asbestos-containing materials,” ac-
cording to Worthington, “are statutorily
defined as anything with more than 1
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APRIL 18, 2008
