November 8th, 2004

The recent revelation by US Senators that the latest asbestos trust fund proposal has died before it even got off the ground has brought widespread relief amongst victims, families, support groups and legal firms. It was only recently revealed that the bill had fizzled out and was unlikely to go ahead, and this followed months of arguing between Senators Bill Frist and Tom Daschle.

Support groups, legal firms and even the victims themselves has already expressed concerns over the trust fun, as it did not appear to do anywhere near enough for the actual victims of asbestos exposure and appeared to be more concerned with saving the companies and manufacturers responsible from bankruptcy by limiting their liabilities.

The trust fund would have excluded a great many victims who would otherwise be eligible for compensation, and would have also entailed very lengthy waits for those that were entitled to compensation – waits that they cannot afford due to the reduction in life span that results from mesothelioma.

A similar bill for a far smaller trust fund failed to pass through Senate earlier this year, and although this second trust fun proposal was for a much larger sum of money it would still have meant unreasonable delays and unfair exclusions for those that need the cash to pay for medical treatment and to secure their family’s financial future once they have passed away.