Mesothelioma Victims Getting Support from Politicians

Newly elected Democratic Vice President Joe Biden has opposed a bill which would have reduced the number of lawsuits victims of asbestos-related disease could file.

Biden, the longtime Senator from Delaware, along with Democratic constituents, opposed a bill which would have replaced thousands of individual lawsuits with a trust fund for asbestos victims. Critics of the bill argued that the measure would end litigation for victims, thus leaving them without proper compensation.

A mineral found naturally in the environment, asbestos was commonly used throughout the twentieth century for a variety of applications such as insulation, pipes, and roofing. Claiming the lives of thousands, mesothelioma is a form of asbestos cancer caused by exposure to this mineral. Occurring in a layer of tissue which covers the majority of your internal organs, research has found that it can take up to 20 to 50 years or more for malignant mesothelioma to develop. Approximately 2,000 to 3,000 cases are diagnosed each year in the United States, composing around 3 percent of all cancer diagnoses.

The dangers of asbestos exposure were known long before any efforts were made to protect citizens and workers. Thousands of American workers were exposed to asbestos during the twentieth century, with no indication as to the risks they were facing.

Vice President Biden was also critical of the failed “Fairness in Asbestos Injury Resolution” (FAIR) Act of 2005, which would have limited future compensation. Controversy arose shortly after the bill was introduced due to Beau Biden, son to the long-time Senator, filing asbestos lawsuits in Delaware where he sits as an Attorney General for the state.

“Senator Biden consistently opposed the asbestos bill because it was unfair. He thought it was dead wrong that if the trust fund ran out of money for the victims, they couldn’t even get their rights back,” official spokesman for Biden, David Wade, said.

The Asbestos Alliance, a business coalition pushing for legislation, is dedicated to ensuring victims of asbestos products are fairly compensated. The alliance is also hoping for additional assistance from Washington politicians to keep defendant firms financially stable so victims claims are successfully paid out.

The bill’s sponsors included Senators Arlen Specter (PA) and Patrick Leahy (VT), who argued that the bill would put an end to abusive litigation. However, with limited awareness and a government yet to put bans on this harmful material, the bill would have greatly deprived people who deserve compensation and medical care for their disease.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 14th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Asbestos Legislation, Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.