the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary Representative John Conyers, Jr. Occupational injury caused by the lethal asbestos toxin should have caused the members of Congress to declare that the health effects are at least equally as harmful as the development of the chronic beryllium disease (CBD) or the silicosis disease. By comparison and according to the experts: (1) beryllium is most harmful as airborne dust; (2) a blood test can be administered to detect the CBD condition or sensitivity to beryllium; (3) the CBD symptoms can take up to 30 years to manifest; (4)CBD is not considered fatal, today; (5) the disease can lead to disability; and (6) most victims can control the disease with prescription drugs.
“Asbestos fibers are microscopic and not visible except when present in large concentrations, so dangerous levels of asbestos dust may not be readily recognizable to the injured person, the housewife who regularly washed the clothing of a loved one who worked with asbestos, or a construction worker who worked nearasbestos insulation workers but did not directly use the insulation. Due to the microscopic nature of asbestos particles and their invasive nature, harmful exposures may occur without the injured person even knowing he or she was exposed.” The factsheets tell us that:
(1) Asbestos is deadly.
(2) It can take between 15 and 60 years after first being exposed before the onset of
an asbestos-related disease.
(3) When the harmful fibres are released into the air, they are like microscopic daggers and, when inhaled, lodge themselves into lung tissue. The bodies defenses cannot break them down, so increased or prolonged exposure can cause a build up of fibers, which work their way deeper into the lungs and can cause disease.
(4) The three main diseases caused by asbestos are asbestosis, mesothelioma and lung cancer. All the diseases are potentially fatal and almost always incurable.
(5) It is estimated that some half a million non-domestic premises contain asbestos, and, worryingly, over 25 per cent of the people now dying from asbestos-related disease once worked in the building or maintenance trade.
(6) The critical importance of managing asbestos risk is clear. The duty holder must ensure that information on the location and condition of these materials is given to anyone likely to disturb it.
(7) The duty holder in this case means every person who, either by contract or tenancy, has an obligation of any kind to maintain and/or repair non-domestic premises, in other
