DROP THE ROCK!
Did you know the state rock of California contains asbestos??
"DROP THE ROCK" Update - August, 2010
In 2007, the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute began the effort to remove serpentine, the host rock for asbestos--a known carcinogen responsible for the death of thousands of Americans every year, as the state rock of California. PHLBI was joined in this effort by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization and The John McNamara Foundation.
The effort recently gained momentum when Gloria Romero, a Senator from Los Angeles, introduced Senate Bill 624 removing serpentine as California’s state rock. The bill was unanimously passed by the state Senate and the California Assembly Committee on Natural Resources. Click here for more.
THE STATE ROCK OF CALIFORNIA IS SERPENTINE, WHICH CONTAINS A DEADLY CARCINOGEN… ASBESTOS
WHY?
In 1965, in order to promote the asbestos industry in California, Governor Edmund Brown and the Senate Assembly unanimously approved AB 265 providing that serpentine become the state rock of California. Serpentine commonly contains chrysotile asbestos, a mineral classified as a carcinogen by the EPA and a killer that indiscriminately claims the lives of tens of thousands of people every year in the United States, and hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. Asbestos has been called the worst public health crisis in the history of this country.
The asbestos public health epidemic has hit Californians especially hard, in part because of the number of shipyards, refineries, manufacturing plants, and former asbestos mines in the state. California has suffered the most asbestos-related deaths of any other state.
Replacing toxic asbestos ore as our state rock with something environmentally friendly is a NO-BRAINER. HELP PHLBI “DROP THE ROCK” – WRITE A LETTER!
Go to: www.assembly.ca.gov/acsframeset9text.htm and type in your zip code to get contact information for your legislator.
Message from TC McNamara in Support of SB 624
My family and I are encouraged to see our Californian State Senate and Assembly Committee on Natural Resources unanimously vote to pass SB 624 for final consideration. ADAO Press Release.
For the past five years my family has been dedicated to raising awareness about the dangers of asbestos and specifically its affect on my family.
In 2007, I lost my husband of more than thirty years, John McNamara, to mesothelioma, a disease caused from exposure to asbestos. We lived and received care in Los Angeles. Though we hoped and prayed that John would be the exception, we knew that eventually my husband, a deeply loved father of three young girls, would not survive. Our words will never convey the loss, pain, and anguish we endure daily, but we know that we must continue to raise our voice for those, like John, who cannot. Click here for more.
DROP THE ROCK!
Mission Statement
In a united call for compassionate action, The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, The John McNamara Foundation and The Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, three California-based, non-profit asbestos awareness groups, have initiated a grassroots campaign called “Swap the Rock.” Our goal is to “swap” the official California State rock, Serpentine, which commonly contains the deadly mineral chrysotile asbestos, to a rock that does not have the potential to kill human beings. In 1965, Serpentine was designated as the state rock of California to promote the lucrative asbestos mining industry. Click here for more and to sign the petition.
For more information please contact us at: (310) 478-4678 or info@phlbi.org