Asbestos Dust

In an era of polarization, narrow party majorities, and increasing use of supermajority requirements in the Senate, policy entrepreneurs must find ways to reach across the aisle and build bipartisan coalitions in Congress. One such coalition-building strategy is the “politics of efficiency,” or reform that is aimed at eliminating waste from existing policies and programs. After all, reducing inefficiency promises to reduce costs without cutting benefits, which should appeal to members of both political parties, especially given tight budgetary constraints in Washington. Dust-Up explores the most recent congressional efforts to reform asbestos litigation—a case in which the politics of efficiency played a central role and seemed likely to prevail. Yet, these efforts failed to produce a winning coalition, even though reform could have saved billions of dollars and provided quicker compensation to victims of asbestos-related diseases. Why? The answers, as Jeb Barnes deftly illustrates, defy conventional wisdom and force us to rethink the political effects of litigation and the dynamics of institutional change in our fragmented policymaking system. Set squarely at the intersection of law, politics, and public policy, Dust-Up provides the first in-depth analysis of the political obstacles to Congress in replacing a form of litigation that nearly everyone—Supreme Court justices, members of Congress, presidents, and experts—agrees is woefully inefficient and unfair to both victims and businesses. This concise and accessible case study includes a glossary of terms and study questions, making it a perfect fit for courses in law and public policy, congressional politics, and public health.

Settled Asbestos Dust Sampling and Analysis compiles the most significant data on asbestos in settled dust. This ready reference presents an analysis of settled dusts and surface particles of all sizes for asbestosthat is useful for qualitative and quantitative assessment and helps to determine the source of fibers. The main scope of this reference includes sample collection, sample analyses, and interpretation of settled dust data, as well as the use of such data for purposes including asbestos abatement projects and in-place management programs. Sections on lead and other particulates are also included.

Toxic production, disrupted lives and contaminated bodies. Care for unacknowledged suffering, incurable cancers, and immeasurable losses. This book bears witness to the invisible disasters provoked by the asbestos market worldwide and gives a voice to the communities of survivors who struggle daily in the name of social and environmental justice. Grounded in a profound, touching ethnography, this book offers an original contribution to understanding global health disasters and grassroots health-based activism.

Much of the more than 30 million tons of asbestos used in the United States since 1900 is still present as insulation in offices and schools, as vinyl-asbestos flooring in homes, and in other common products. This volume presents a comprehensive evaluation of the relation of these fibers to specific diseases and the extent of nonoccupational risks associated with them. It covers sources of asbestiform fibers, properties of the fibers, and carcinogenic and fibrogenic risks they pose.

Written by one of the leading asbestos experts for attorneys, occupational and environmental health professionals, and others in the field of toxic substances control, this updated resource provides a comprehensive examination of the public health history of asbestos. Includes extensive discussion of corporate knowledge and responsibility for asbestos hazards and detailed discussion of alternatives to asbestos.

Asbestos has been highlighted in recent years as a major health hazard; it is expected to cause an estimated 50,000 deaths in the next 30 years in Britain and many thousands in the U.S. But asbestos is by no means the only dust with known pathogenic effects: metal, china clay, talc, and cotton are some of the many other sources of hazardous dust. This work provides an up-to-date picture of research on the hazards of inhaled dust, describing the progress of knowledge in the field and areas in which future studies are needed. Because of widespread interest, the discussions cover a broad range of issues, including the properties of hazardous dust materials, dust-related diseases and experimental research, related occupational and environmental hazards, epidemiological evidence quantifying the hazards of dust sources, and much more.