Max Baucus: “I rise to talk to you about an important resolution that the Senate adopted today: the Asbestos Awareness Week…”

“I rise to talk to you about an important resolution that the Senate adopted today: the Asbestos Awareness Week resolution. This resolution recognizes the first week in April as National Asbestos Awareness Week. This resolution acknowledges the dangerous nature of asbestos. Importantly, it gives tribute to hundreds of thousands of people who have died from exposure. To me, this resolution is very personal. Deaths from exposure to asbestos are common in my home State of Montana--all too common. Libby, MT is a small community in the western part of Montana. Libby is a very unique place. It is surrounded by the beauty and splendor of the Cabinet Mountains. But it is also plagued with sickness and disease. The extent of asbestos contamination in Libby, the number of people who are sick, the amount of people who have died from asbestos exposures just staggering. The community of Libby suffers from asbestos related diseases at 40 to 60 times higher than the rest of the country. Folks in Libby are diagnosed with mesothelioma, the deadly form of cancer from asbestos, at 100 times higher than the average rate. Mesothelioma recently took the life of a very dear friend of mine from Libby--Les Skramstad.”