For immediate release: January 21, 2016: Contact: Alex Formuzis, EWG Action Fund (202).667.6982 or alex@ewg.org

Proposal Krafted by Koch-Funded Right-Wing Bill Mill, ALEC

 More Than 14,200 Residents of Keystone State Have Died from Asbestos Since 1999

 Washington, D.C. – A key committee of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives will vote on legislation Monday, January 25 that threatens to delay and deny compensation to those Pennsylvanians dying from asbestos-triggered diseases.

The “Fairness in Claims and Transparency Act (H.B.1428) authored by Rep. Warren Kampf (R- Dist. 157) would force plaintiffs and their attorneys to maneuver through a series of laborious and unnecessary legal hurdles, and hand the industry enormous powers.

Specifically, H.B. 1428 would:

• Force plaintiffs to disclose confidential settlement negotiations;
• Allow asbestos defendant companies the authority to delay litigation, which would see many victims succumb to their illnesses before their day in court; and
• Severely revise time-honored tort law to let asbestos corporations responsible poisoning the plaintiffs off the hook.

“This proposal is designed with one goal in mind — run out the clock on asbestos victims in Pennsylvania so they die before their cases even make it to court,” said Alex Formuzis, vice president for strategic campaigns at EWG Action Fund and director of the group’s national Asbestos Nation campaign. “Only California and Florida have seen more deaths at the hands of asbestos than Pennsylvania, and unfortunately, the deadly legacy of asbestos in the state will likely continue for years to come.”

According to a recent analysis by EWG Action Fund researchers, between 1999 and 2013, asbestos-triggered diseases – asbestosis, an excruciatingly painful scarring of the lungs that is often fatal; mesothelioma, a rare and incurable cancer; and lung cancer from asbestos exposure – have claimed the lives of more than 14,200 residents of Pennsylvania, with an annual mortality rate of 7.5 out of every 100,000 deaths caused by asbestos – significantly higher than the national average of 4.9. All told, 44 counties in the state have asbestos death rates above the national rate.

The concept of this one-sided legislation began at the American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. A group heavily funded by a number of major asbestos companies, including Koch Industries, Honeywell and 3M, and supported by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. ALEC incubates and disseminates legislative proposals for use by state legislators. Similar legislation is being considered or already enacted into law in a dozen states.

Asbestos can linger in the body for decades before illness strikes. Patients who develop asbestos-related diseases today were exposed a generation ago, when the asbestos industry was fully aware of the dangers but failed to warn and protect industrial workers, construction laborers, military personnel, and others dealing with the deadly mineral.

“A vote in support of Rep. Kampf’s bill is a vote against those Pennsylvanians currently suffering from asbestos-related disease, and the memories of the thousands who already lost their battles.”

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