Washington, D.C. – A new state-by-state analysis by EWG Action Fund shows the annual rate of asbestos-related deaths in Cuyahoga County is significantly higher than the national average.

Roughly 6.4 out of every 100,000 deaths in the county is caused from asbestos exposure, including mesothelioma, asbestosis and certain lung cancers; higher than the national average of 4.7.

EWG Action Fund estimates nearly 10,000 Ohioans have died from asbestos-triggered diseases between 1999 and 2013, with the number of deaths in Cuyahoga County during that period at 1,276 – the highest death toll by far among all of the counties in the state.

“The legacy of asbestos remains a real-life tragedy for families in Ohio and throughout the country,” Alex Formuzis with EWG Action Fund said. “It is still legal, used in some industries and products and kills an estimated 15,000 Americans each year.”

It’s difficult to determine the exact reasons for the elevated death rate in the state. However, asbestos was once widely used in a number of industries located in the region, including various manufacturing operations.

Unfortunately for those current and future victims of asbestos disease who live in the Buckeye state, there is legislation awaiting action in Congress that would effectively delay and deny compensation to sick individuals from the various asbestos trusts.

The bill, the so-called FACT Act, with identical versions pending in the House (H.R. 526) and the Senate (S. 357) would deplete dwindling trust funds set aside to compensate victims of asbestos disease. As well, it would require public disclosure of victims’ personal information such as medical records and partial Social Security numbers, placing them at heightened risk of identity theft. The House could vote on the measure as early as next week (Nov. 2).

Officials of the asbestos trusts estimate that complying with the bill would require up to 20,000 additional hours per year at each trust – a burdensome and expensive mandate that would inevitably slow the processing of claims and distribution of payments.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce and corporations with major asbestos liability, including Koch Industries, Honeywell, 3M, Allstate and Nationwide are some of the biggest backers of the bill.

The House Judiciary Committee adopted the measure on a party-line vote, with all 19 Republicans, including Ohio Reps. Jim Jordan (R-4^th District) and Steve Chabot (R-1^st District). According to federal campaign contribution records reviewed by EWG Action Fund, Jordan has accepted more than $211,000 since 2010 from political action committees established by asbestos companies and their trade associations, with Chabot receiving more than $203,000.

“The rest of Ohio’s congressional delegation will have a choice to make when and if the legislation comes up for a vote,” Formuzis added. “Will they stand with those in the state who are sick and dying from asbestos-caused disease, or with the very industries that poisoned them to begin with?”

 ###

 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.