Queen Elizabeth II may be moving out of Buckingham Palace, at least temporarily, while the residence undergoes major renovations, including significant asbestos removal.

The Palace hasn’t been substantially renovated since the early 1950s, when the Queen acceded to the throne. Royal officials report the residence needs approximately $230 million in reconstruction and upgrades.

This development further highlights the continued prevalence of asbestos in homes, schools, public buildings – even palaces. Asbestos exposure is known to cause aggressive, deadly cancers, including mesothelioma, and painful lung diseases such as asbestosis. There is no safe level of asbestos exposure.

If even the Queen of England isn’t safe from asbestos, what does that mean for the rest of us?

At the very least, we should have the right to know whether asbestos is lurking in our homes, our schools and the products we buy. Right now, the Reducing Exposure to Asbestos Database (READ) Act (S.700) is pending in the U.S. Senate. It would require companies that manufacture, import or handle asbestos to report that information annually to the Environmental Protection Agency and to disclose whether any of the companies’ asbestos-containing products were in publicly accessible locations over the previous year. This information would be disclosed in a searchable online database.

Take action today, and urge your senator to support the READ Act.