Asbestos injury bill is gaining By Greg Gordon, Sacramento Bee, CA
As many as 27 million workers have breathed dust from asbestos, a naturally occurring, fire retardant mineral that was used in 3,000 products before its dangers became fully known in the 1960s and 1970s.
The microscopic fibers, which embed in lung tissues, typically take 10 to 40 years to cause disabling or deadly diseases. Because asbestos is still in older buildings and equipment, the human toll is expected to continue to climb for 20 years or more.