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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (April 18, 2008)
...Asbestos legislation (From Page 4) percent asbestos by weight. The ex- emption suddenly opened the door for the continued sale and distribution of hundreds of asbestos products — as long as the product was 99 percent as- bestos-free. “This 1 percent exemption, which has absolutely no scientific, public health, moral, or economic rationale, would help perpetuate the worst man- made public health catastrophe in our nation’s history,” Worthington added. A couple of bills have been intro- duced in the House. One mirrors the Senate version, and another incorpo- rates language that would ban asbestos completely. But, according to Wor- thington, neither bill is viable. A third bill currently is being drafted that incorporates a statutory ban of as- bestos. That means, two years after the bill is passed, asbestos would be banned outright in the U.S. “This is the bill that will be considered by the com- mittee,” Worthington said. According to Worthington, the one percent exemption has been removed from the draft bill, and the asbestos in- dustry is already working to derail it, just as they did in the Senate. Since her diagnosis, Stratton’s world has been turned upside down. She had her diseased lung removed (extra-pleu- ral pneumonectomy) by Dr. Eric Val- lieres at the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle. She has undergone countless rounds of chemotherapy treatments. She’s dealt with infections and takes medications daily for her heart, for pain, and other side effects. She is weak most of the time and experiences chronic shortness of breath. And she’s one of the lucky ones. During a consultation in December, a CT scan showed that she was “cancer clear.” All of the gross tumor has been removed, and the radiation has steril- ized the area. Stratton no longer has the strength for pulling fabric off shelves, to deliver furniture, or to hoist large area rugs that she once could carry by herself. But she walks routinely and has shown an amazingly positive attitude throughout the ordeal. Dr. Vallieres says that she will never completely get her breath back, but time will tell and significant improve- ment has always been a reasonable and attainable goal. (Editor’s Note: Seth Davidson writes on asbestos-related issues for the law office of Roger Worthington. Mari- lyn Stratton is the mother-in-law of Jon Gutwig, a member of Teamsters Local 305 and brother of NW Labor Press ed- itor Michael Gutwig.) Products Containing Asbestos More 3,000 products products in in use use today today contain contain asbestos. asbestos. Most Most of of these these are are materials materials used used in in heat heat and and M ore than that 3,000 acoustic fireproofing, and and roofing roofing and and flooring. flooring.Those products still are being being made made which con- acoustic insulation, fireproofing, Those products which contain asbestos could inhaled required labeled as as such. such. tain asbestos that that could be be inhaled are are required to to be be labeled The following non-exhaustive list is a general guide to asbestos-containing products, arranged in the T he following non-exhaustive list is a general guide to asbestos-containing products, arranged in the following categories. following categories. Sample list of suspect asbestos-containing materials from the Environmental Protection Agency Sample List of Suspect Asbestos - Containing Materials Cement Pipes Elevator Brake Shoes Cement Wallboard HVAC Duct Insulation Cement Siding Boiler Insulation Asphalt Floor Tile Breaching Insulation Vinyl Floor Tile Ductwork Flexible Fabric Connections Vinyl Sheet Flooring Cooling Towers Flooring Backing Pipe Insulation (corrugated air-cell, block, etc.) Construction Mastics (floor tile, carpet, ceiling tile, etc.) Heating and Electrical Ducts Acoustical Plaster Electrical Panel Partitions Decorative Plaster Electrical Cloth Textured Paints/Coatings Electric Wiring Insulation Ceiling Tiles and Lay-in Panels Chalkboards Spray-Applied Insulation Roofing Shingles Blown-in Insulation Roofing Felt Fireproofing Materials Base Flashing Taping Compounds (thermal) Thermal Paper Products Packing Materials (for wall/floor penetrations) Fire Doors High Temperature Gaskets Caulking/Putties Laboratory Hoods/Table Tops Adhesives Laboratory Gloves Wallboard Fire Blankets Joint Compounds Fire Curtains Vinyl Wall Coverings Elevator Equipment Panels Spackling Compounds Karl Bik, Co-Chairman Cement Masons Trust Funds for Northern California The bank of labor has on-the-job experience in Taft-Hartley trust fund management supports you with an expert labor team and one easy point of contact offers investment solutions to build and protect your hard-earned funds gives workers the benefit of customized health and retirement plans has worked on behalf of unions for more than 50 years. Invest in you ® Labor Management Trust Services Stephen Heady, Vice President, (503) 450-1270 Louis Nagy, Vice President, (503) 450-1273 Labor Management Deposit Services Diane Williams, Senior Vice President & Manager, (213) 236-5085 John Mendoza, Vice President & Relationship Manager, (415) 705-7112 Visit us at unionbank.com APRIL 18, 2008 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS ©2007 Union Bank of California, N.A. Member FDIC PAGE 5
