Asbestos still deadly, still around

David McCumber | December 12, 2014

WASHINGTON — It’s not your typical wedding photo. [Thank you to my husband for taking it]

When Courtney Davis got married last summer, she posed in her gown with a large placard: “Message2Congress: If you had banned asbestos, maybe my dad would have been here to give me away.”

Davis’ father, Larry W. Davis, of Southington, died in July 2012 of mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the chest that is 100 percent preventable. That’s because is caused by one thing: exposure to asbestos fibers.

 Because of the latency period of the disease, it’s not certain how Larry Davis received his fatal exposure. He installed loose-fill insulation in his Southington home. Also, his father and grandfather both worked for a factory in New Haven, and it’s obscenely possible that Larry Davis, a cheerful, congenial salesman who was so fit that he ran both the Boston and New York marathons, died because he hugged his father while his dad was dusty from work.

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“The asbestos issue is not a thing of the past. It continues to this day. And has a health impact on our nation,” said Acting U.S. Surgeon General Boris Lushniak.

“There is no toxic (substance) more toxic than asbestos,” says Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn. “And so many products containing asbestos are still legal — brake linings, construction materials, and many more. Children are particularly vulnerable, and I would hope we can take another run at restrictions, and provide better protection.”

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