Drop the Rock!
- by: Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute
- recipient: California Legislature
Funny as cancer? The State Rock of California contains asbestos.
We respectfully request that the California legislature repeal government code section 425.2 to remove Serpentine, a toxic form of asbestos ore, as the State Rock of California.
Serpentine contains chrysotile asbestos, a human carcinogen.
Asbestos kills tens of thousands of people every year in the United States, and hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
California has more asbestos-related deaths than any state in the country and communities such as El Dorado Hills are currently struggling with large-scale asbestos contamination.
Failing to remove Serpentine as the State Rock is an affront to the thousands of Californians who have died or become seriously ill from asbestos.
Removing Serpentine as the State Rock of California is easily achievable and shows commitment to health and the environment.
To learn more about this issue, please visit http://www.phlbi.org/.
We the undersigned respectfully request that the California legislature repeal government code section 425.2 to remove Serpentine, a toxic form of asbestos ore, as the State Rock of California.
This important matter affects the public health and the public image of California. Serpentine contains chrysotile asbestos, a known human carcinogen listed by the EPA. Asbestos has been called the worst public health crisis in the history of this country. The World Health Organization estimates that every year over 100,000 people die worldwide from asbestos cancers.[1] In the US, it is estimated that 10,000 Americans die every year from asbestos-related diseases.[2]
The state of California leads the nation in asbestos-related deaths, which are terminal, excruciating diseases. It was wrong in 1965 for California to choose a toxic killer as the state rock. Today, it's unconscionable.
Thank you for reading our letter of concern. There are numerous health-friendly alternatives to Serpentine for our state rock that would be an effective and attractive symbol for California.
[1] L. Kazan-Allen Asbestos and mesothelioma: Worldwide trends Lung Cancer Volume 49, Supplement 1, July 2005, Pages S3-S8, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science?_ob=PublicationURL&_tockey=%23TOC%235111%232005%23999509999.8998%23598462%23FLA%23&_cdi=5111&_pubType=J&view=c&_auth=y&_acct=C000059605&_version=1&_urlVersion=0&_userid=4423&md5=7c6be58466d2713434a3128728e62281
[2] Environmental Working Group, March 4, 2004, http://www.ewg.org/node/15977
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