Patty Murray: “my colleagues may be curious about why I am so interested in EPA's decisions regarding vermiculite from Libby. This…”

“my colleagues may be curious about why I am so interested in EPA's decisions regarding vermiculite from Libby. This issue is important to me because residents in my State are being exposed to asbestos from Zonolite. And, Mr. President, constituents in your state and every other State in America may also have this insulation. I am deeply concerned that most people with Zonolite in their homes are completely unaware of this problem. I am afraid most will not learn of it until they have already been exposed to dangerous levels of asbestos. And I am most concerned that this administration may be stifling EPA's efforts to warn homeowners, consumers, and workers because of pressure from W.R. Grace. And I must remind my colleagues: there is no safe known level of exposure to asbestos. Deadly diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma can develop decades after just brief exposures to high concentrations of asbestos. Ultimately, I believe Administrator Whitman wanted to do the right thing by warning homeowners nationwide to be careful if they have Zonolite in their homes when the agency began removing Zonolite from homes in Libby, MT. But she was stopped. The reasons may never be known--the excuse may be buried in 'executive privilege.' So where do we go from here? First, I hope my colleagues will support efforts to get to the bottom of what stopped the EPA from warning the public.”