January 12th, 2005

President Bush appeared at a national arts center near Detroit on Friday, and spoke about the asbestos lawsuit situation, and how current litigation is driving businesses into the ground. Bush wants federal curbs imposed on asbestos lawsuits, which he claims will be fairer to both the company being sued and claimants.

"It's not fair to those who are getting sued, and it's not fair for those who justly deserve compensation," said Bush. "These asbestos suits have bankrupted a lot of companies, and that affects the workers here in Michigan and around the country," he added.

Asbestos litigation has been a very controversial topic over the past few years. The number of asbestos related cases coming to light have rockets over recent years, with projections of further increases over the next decade or so. Asbestos exposure can result in a deadly cancer known as mesothelioma, and many companies have already been sued for six and seven figure sums by mesothelioma sufferers and the families of those that have died from the disease.

Mesothelioma is contracted through long periods or frequent asbestos exposure, but the symptoms do not show for several decades following exposure. Those commonly working with asbestos in the 1960s and 1970s are now being diagnosed with the cancer, and each year an increasing number of cases continue to come to light.