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9 3 -3 -2 R A pprox. 798 words (P lu s t r a i l e r , 22 words) (E d ito r : ' T i l m id -A p r il rea ch us a t PO Box 1209, O ln ey, M aryland 20830. Phone 301 774 2 4 4 1 .) The Angry Environmentalist Speaks Out: ASBESTOS SCAM VICTIMS MAY HAVE LEGAL OPTION by " F o s s il B i ll " Kramer With s e n s a t io n a l p o l i t i c a l and i n t e r n a t io n a l e v e n ts dom­ i n a t i n g th e n a t io n a l s c e n e , a c o n tin u in g e c o -o u tr a g e t h a t a f f e c t s m i l l i o n s i s g o in g u n n o tic e d . EPA's ban on a s b e s t o s was k i l l e d in 1991 by th e U .S . F i f t h C ir c u it Court o f A p p e a ls. Y et from th e g rave i t m ain­ t a i n s i t s g r ip on s o c i e t y . A cco rd in g t o one EPA s o u r c e , " A sb estos p r o d u c ts a r e no lo n g e r a g a in s t th e law , bu t you c a n ' t buy them anywhere b e ­ c a u se m ost m a n u fa ctu rers are b an k ru p t. I th in k i t ' s a c r im e ." "How do you mean?" we a sk ed . "That th e ban e v e r happened. And t h a t w e 'r e s t i l l Angry E n v ir o n m e n ta lis t 2 sp en d in g hundreds o f m i l l i o n s a y e a r t o r ip o u t s t u f f t h a t n e v e r h u rt anyone in th e f i r s t p la c e ," he s a i d . "Course I s h o u ld n 't be t a l k i n g l i k e t h i s - I c o u ld l o s e my jo b ." We prom ised him an on ym ity. Asbestos Substitutes Present Problems Now i t ap p ears t h a t s u b s t i t u t e s b e s id e s b e in g l e s s e f f e c t i v e th a n a s b e s t o s can be d a n g ero u s. * For exam ple: A n o te d e x p e r t s t a t e s betw een 100 and 1100 Am erican l i v e s a r e l o s t a n n u a lly in b r a k e - r e la t e d a c c id e n t s c a u se d by f a i l u r e o f a s b e s t o s s u b s t i t u t e s u sed in rep la c em e n t brake l i n i n g s on p r e -1 9 9 2 v e h i c l e s . * A 1982 governm ent stu d y showed no a s b e s t o s - r e l a t e d d i s e a s e r i s k among brake l i n i n g r e p a ir w o r k e rs. has n ev er been r e le a s e d and i s , by EPA. The stu d y in e f f e c t , b e in g su p p r e sse d M eanw hile, n o n -a s b e s to s m a t e r ia ls w hich had been deemed to o t o x i c t o produce in Am erica a re now b e in g m anu factu red in th e O r ie n t, made i n t o brake l i n i n g s , and ship p e d * h ere in volum e. A s b e sto s-c e m e n t (A/C) p ip e i s th e b e s t and l e a s t e x p e n s iv e way t o tr a n s p o r t w a te r . But EPA's ban o f a s b e s t o s e f f e c t i v e l y h a lt e d AID fu n d in g o f w ater p r o j e c t s in im pover­ is h e d n a t io n s w hich p lan n ed t o b u ild t h e i r own A/C p i p e s . S in c e th e y c o u ld n o t a f f o r d more e x p e n s iv e p i p e s , th e p r o ­ j e c t s w ere abandoned r e s u l t i n g in c o u n t le s s d e a th s from bad w a te r . Today, i r o n i c a l l y , A/C p ip e i s no lo n g e r banned. Angry E n v ir o n m e n ta lis t * 3 F ib e r g la s s , o f t e n u sed in p la c e o f a s b e s t o s p r o d u c ts now adays, has proven c a r c in o g e n ic in some anim al s t u d i e s , s a y s a n o th e r EPA s o u r c e . I t a ls o ca u ses a l le r g i c r e a c tio n s when in h a le d and i s a s k in i r r i t a n t a s w e l l . * P r o d u c tio n o f p l a s t i c p ip e s u b s t i t u t e s f o r a s b e s t o s - cem ent can be h azardous t o w o rk ers, e x p o s in g them t o c a r c in o g e n ic v i n y l c h l o r i d e s . Not t h a t a l l a s b e s t o s i s b e n ig n . The ty p e u sed in s h ip b u ild in g d u rin g World War I I - known a s c r o c i d o l i t e i s h ig h ly c a r c in o g e n ic . But c h r y s o t i l e - found in b u ild in g s brak e l i n i n g s and o th e r a p p l ic a t io n s - i s v i r t u a l l y h a r m less Y et EPA r e fu s e d t o d i f f e r e n t i a t e betw een them . Staggering Costs Continue T h is f o l l y has c o s t A m ericans fa r more th an m ost r e a liz e . Some p r iv a t e s c h o o ls have fo ld e d - u n a b le t o m eet th e f a n t a s t i c e x p e n se o f EPA-mandated " r e m e d ia tio n " . P u b lic and p a r o c h ia l s c h o o ls have had t o p a s s on th e c o s t s o f t o t a l l y u n n e c e ssa r y r ip o u t s o f f l o o r s , c e i l i n g s and i n s u l a ­ t i o n in red u ced q u a l i t y o f e d u c a tio n , h ig h e r t u i t i o n s and h ig h e r t a x e s . M eanw hile, owners and m anagers o f apartm ent d e v e lo p ­ m en ts, o f f i c e and com m ercial b u i ld in g s , i n d u s t r i a l p l a n t s , governm ent b u i l d i n g s , e t c . , have been p a n ick ed (o r som etim es fo r c e d ) i n t o " a s b e s to s rem ed ia tio n " a t s t a g g e r in g c o s t s . T hese have e i t h e r bankrupted th e ow n ers, or e l s e been 4 Angry E n v ir o n m e n ta lis t p a s se d a lo n g in r e n t r a i s e s , h ig h e r p r i c e s t o con su m ers, or in c r e a s e d t a x e s . The p o in t i s th e e x p en se o f a l l t h i s t o t a l l y a v o id a b le n o n se n se has been (and i s s t i l l b e in g ) borne by we, th e p e o p le . We s u f f e r d i r e c t l y - th rou gh h ig h er, p r i c e s and t a x e s , lo w ered e d u c a tio n a l s ta n d a r d s , and l e s s money f o r m e d ic a l and d e n t a l c a r e , homes, t r a n s p o r t a t io n , c l o t h i n g or o th e r n e c e s s i t i e s . L e g a l Action An Option? The r o o t c a u se o f t h i s t r a v e s t y has been th e p o l i t i c a l g r e e d , th e b u r e a u c r a tic a s p i r a t i o n s fo r pow er, and th e g l a r i n g m a lfe a sa n c e o f one agen cy: EPA. So why s h o u ld n 't EPA be fo r c e d t o pay t h o s e whom i t has in ju r e d ? A f t e r a l l , m ost en v iro n m en ta l law s a llo w p e o p le t o su e v i r t u a l l y anyone f o r t r a n s g r e s s i o n s . The q u e s tio n i s w h eth er t h i s can be a p p lie d t o t h e EPA an arm o f th e U .S . govern m ent. I f so , a c la s s -a c tio n s u it i n v o l v i n g s c h o o l s , la n d lo r d s , p r iv a t e c i t i z e n s , in d u s t r y , b u s i n e s s e s , and o th e r i n t e r e s t s m ight be f i l e d . V a r io u s e x p e r ts r ig h t now a re tu r n in g t h i s o v e r in t h e i r m in d s. Nancy M a rz u lla , P r e s id e n t , D efen d ers o f P r o p e r ty R ig h ts (a n o n - p r o f it l e g a l d e fe n s e group h ea d q u a rtered in W ashing­ t o n , DC), b e l i e v e s a s b e s t o s b u s in e s s e s a s w e l l a s s c h o o l s , la n d lo r d s and many o th e r s have s u f f e r e d a "taking" w hich 5 Angry E n v ir o n m e n ta lis t sh o u ld be com p en sab le under th e law . A cco rd in g t o B i l l Wewer, G en eral C ou nsel o f P u t t in g P e o p le F i r s t (a n o n - p r o f it o r g a n iz a t io n f i g h t i n g anim al r i g h t s and g reen f a n a t i c i s m ) , "This i s e x a c t l y th e ty p e o f la w s u it PPF l i k e s t o g e t in v o lv e d i n . I t makes f o r broad p u b lic p o l i c y and h e lp s keep th e governm ent h o n e s t." W hile a s u c c e s s f u l s u i t would u n d o u b ted ly r e d r e s s some s e r io u s i n j u s t i c e s , th e o b v io u s q u e s t io n i s : who w ould pay th e damages in th e lo n g run? The e q u a lly o b v io u s answer i s : we w ould. In o th e r w ord s, th e p u b lic g e t s h i t t w i c e . c o s t o f com m ittin g th e crim e i t s e l f . Once f o r th e Then fo r co m p en sa tin g th e v i c t i m s . How d o es t h a t grab y o u !!!? ? ? # (For in fo r m a tio n on a p o s s i b l e c l a s s a c t i o n , w r it e : A c t io n , PO Box 1209, O ln ey, Maryland 20830. be forw arded t o th e a p p r o p r ia te p e r s o n s .) L e tte r s w ill