Press Release

Washington, DC —The following is a statement from American Association for Justice CEO Linda Lipsen regarding a planned vote under suspension of the rules on the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2019 (H.R.1603) in the U.S. House of Representatives:

“Asbestos, one of the largest product disasters in the history of this country, is still responsible for 12,000 to 15,000 deaths a year. In addition, women who used asbestos-contaminated talc for feminine hygiene have been found to be over 40% more likely to develop ovarian cancer. AAJ commends the House of Representatives for bringing this bill forward to ban asbestos, as it is long past time for the United States to join the dozens of other countries around the world that have restricted the use of this dangerous toxin.

“House members face a simple choice here: you either want to help protect Americans, or you want to do nothing to limit workers' and consumers' exposure to this harmful and deadly carcinogen.

“We call on all House members to support H.R 1603 as placed on suspension, and we will continue to work with members on future legislation to further protect public health by limiting the ways many consumers--predominately women, girls, and people of color --are exposed to talc and other harmful cosmetic products.”