Greetings
from the Colorado Progressive Coalition!
CPC
held a very powerful, deeply moving, and well attended
(by the press) news conference today spotlighting
the struggles of Colorado victims of asbestos poisoning
and those who have lost family members to mesothelioma,
a rare form of cancer caused by asbestos exposure.
The press conference coincides with a new TV ad campaign
now running in the Denver area, sponsored by USAction,
CPC's national office. The ad campaign features
a young father, now dying from asbestos poisoning,
who encourages Coloradans to pressure U.S. Senators
Allard and Nighthorse-Campbell to vote against a terrible
asbestos bailout proposal in Congress. Here
is today's press release and watch the TV news tonight
for coverage. Thank you for your support of
CPC.
NEWS RELEASE¦ NEWS RELEASE¦
January 15, 2004
Colorado Asbestos Poisoning Victims Speak Out
New Colorado Ad Campaign
Urges "NO" Vote on Giant Asbestos Bailout
Bill
Proposed law takes compensation from asbestos victims
and gives it back to companies who poisoned them in
the first place
DENVER,
JANUARY 15, 2004¦ The Colorado Progressive Coalition
("CPC"), a statewide consumer protection
organization, and Colorado asbestos victims and their
families unveiled a Denver television advertising
campaign featuring an asbestos cancer victim's message
of "I have cancer. It's from a habit I
got started on when I was fourteen. My habit
was going to work." CPC and victims and
their families also called on U.S. Senators Allard
and Nighthorse-Campbell to vote no on S.1125 - the
Frist/ Hatch asbestos bailout bill - a Senate proposal
to replace current and future asbestos litigation
with a new national "trust fund" that would
deny and delay compensation to Coloradans injured
by asbestos.
"Asbestos companies and their insurers knowingly
and willfully poisoned millions of workers throughout
the nation, including thousands of Coloradans.
Now they're pushing for a law that would take away
billions of dollars in compensation from the victims
and their families and give it back to the companies
that injured them in the first place," said Bill
Vandenberg of the Colorado Progressive Coalition.
Asbestos poisoning victim Frank Irvin, a mesothelioma
patient from Denver, and his son, Robert, spoke at
the event as did Carolyn Benton, Greeley, who lost
her husband to mesothelioma in 2003 and Steve Sanchez,
Saguache, who lost his father to mesothelioma three
years ago.
In Colorado, more than 280 asbestos victims are suffering
from the devastating impacts of asbestos poisoning.
This number is only a fraction of those suffering
from diseases like mesothelioma, a fatal cancer that
can only be caused by exposure to asbestos.
The proposal would eliminate all current and future
asbestos jury trials, cancel thousands of existing
settlements between companies and asbestos victims,
and void all jury verdicts unless a final judgment
has been entered and paid, and all appeals are over.
Pending cases and settlements would be wiped out and,
because of a logjam of 425,000 claims, victims would
have to wait as long as ten years for compensation
they have already been promised. That is time
that thousands of asbestos victims don't have.
"Asbestos victims need this money to pay medical
bills and to provide for their families while they
are unable to work. Thousands of young widows
with children will lose compensation they need to
begin rebuilding their lives," added Vandenberg.
Several asbestos victims suffering from mesothelioma
attended the event as well as family members from
as far away as Greeley and Saguache who have lost
husbands, wives, fathers, and mothers due to asbestos
poisoning.
Polly Burns of Fort Collins, a mesothelioma patient,
was unable to attend in person because she was spending
her 61st birthday at her doctor's office starting
an experimental new treatment to reduce her cancerous
tumors.
"Since I was diagnosed with mesothelioma five
years ago, I've had 14 surgeries and suffered the
loss of a lot of my internal organs. I now only
have 18 inches of my internal intestines where most
people have 18 feet," said Mrs. Burns, who was
exposed to asbestos from her husband's work clothing
from a Navy ship as well as through asbestos fibers
released in her home from gypsum board and stirred
up by vacuuming.
"To say the least it has changed my life drastically.
I now know where every bathroom is in town and I plan
my life around my medical treatments. I try
to lead as normal a life as I can but it's not like
the rest of you. I live day to day and don't
plan too far into the future because I don't know
if I will have one.
"This asbestos bailout bill in the U.S. Senate,
with politicians saying that the asbestos companies
don't have a responsibility, irks me beyond belief.
These companies have no conscience about what they've
done because they don't see people like me who are
suffering. Although I have my husband's insurance
plan, it's probably taken close to $1 million to keep
me alive. Today's bill at the doctor's office
was $5,000 for just a shot and an iron infusion.
What about those that don't have insurance at all?"
"To Senators Allard and Campbell, I say this.
'Gentlemen, have a little compassion for the little
guys. Stand up for us instead of those who made
us sick. Make them responsible because they
knew - for a long time - what this does to people
and yet they didn't do anything to protect the public.
They're only interested in their bottom line.
This trust fund proposal is disgusting. We have
to cover people to an extent that it will make a difference.
Otherwise they are doomed to an early death,"
added Burns.
In addition, the so-called "trust fund"
would provide no compensation at all to hundreds of
thousands of workers who've been diagnosed with asbestosis,
but whose disease has not yet progressed to a severe
or fatal stage. Most of these victims are unable
to work because of their medical condition and are
often turned down or charged more for insurance.
Colorado Progressive Coalition said that while the
proposed trust fund will result in delays for hundreds
of thousands of asbestos victims and denies and reduces
compensation to hundreds of thousands of others, it
gives a windfall to the corporations who poisoned
them in the first place. A dozen asbestos companies
would save billions of dollars. For example,
Halliburton would save $3.7 billion through the confiscation
of its promised future trust. Honeywell would
save $1.5 billion; W.R. Grace would save $1.7 billion.
"We urge Senators Allard and Nighthorse-Campbell
to vote against the Frist/ Hatch bailout. A
vote against this bill is a vote for the consumers,
workers, and families of Colorado. A "No"
vote will tell the asbestos manufacturers that knowingly
poisoned their workers and their families that they
won't get away with avoiding their responsibility
to compensate these innocent victims and their families,"
said Vandenberg of the Colorado Progressive Coalition.
The television advertising campaign began in Denver
on Tuesday and will continue for more than one week. |
