By Alex Formuzis, VP for Strategic Campaigns, EWG Action Fund

Setting out to look for a deadly, cancer-causing substance isn’t most folks’ idea of a day at the beach, especially since inhaling even the smallest microfibers of asbestos can eventually cause serious health problems and may very well cut your life short. Steering clear of asbestos is always good practice.

But that’s far easier said than done. Asbestos is still omnipresent in the United States. It’s in the walls, ceilings and flooring of most schools, office buildings and homes that were constructed before the late 70’s. And it’s still imported and used in a number of products, including auto parts and building materials.

Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) has filed legislation that would for the first time give the public a way to find out where and how asbestos is being used in their communities. Under the Reducing Exposure to Asbestos Database (READ) Act, anyone who manufactures, imports or uses the deadly substance would be required to report annually to the Environmental Protection Agency information about their “products and any publicly-accessible location in which the products have been known to be present in the past year.”

The EPA would put that information into an online, searchable database where concerned citizens could go to find out the location of any asbestos and asbestos-containing products in their communities.

“Every year, far too many Americans and their families suffer the deadly consequences of asbestos exposure,” Senator Durbin said. “The goal of this legislation is simple: increase the transparency and accessibility of data informing the public about where asbestos is known to be present. This information will increase awareness, reduce exposure, and help save lives,”

Asbestos is responsible for more than 10,000 deaths a year in the U.S. and remains a threat to millions. In the last week alone, we’ve seen incidents of asbestos exposure at the University of Miami, a Chicago metal company, in Butte, Mont. and at a preschool in Arlington, Va.

Sen. Durbin’s bill would give the public a portal to valuable and potentially live-saving information at virtually no cost to the taxpayer. That seems like a plan both Democrats and Republicans can get behind.

***

EWG Action Fund is a 501(c)(4) organization that is a separate sister organization of the Environmental Working Group. The mission of EWG Action Fund is to protect health and the environment by educating the public and lobbying on a wide range of environmental issues. Donations to EWG Action Fund are not tax-deductible.