Can You Believe It? A Question From the Law Offices of Roger G. Worthington, P.C.

As we celebrate the start of the Tour of California, a race which promotes good health and clean living, the lawyers at Roger G. Worthington, PC pose the following question.

Asbestos Warning

Did you know that the state rock of California is one of the most toxic minerals on the planet?  Sadly, it’s true.  The state rock of California is serpentine, a form of asbestos, which is a notorious carcinogen.

Can you believe it?  The Legislature made serpentine the state rock back in 1965 at the behest of the asbestos lobby in order to promote the burgeoning asbestos mining industry in the state. 

This made no sense in 1965 and today, continuing to praise serpentine as our state rock rates as an outrage.  California is regarded as a pioneer in protecting people from toxic exposures.  And yet our state rock is a deadly carcinogen that kills over 10,000 Americans annually.

Serpentine Asbestos.
Accounts for 93% of world’s commercial, purposeful use of asbestos. It is linked to increased risk of lung cancer and mesothelioma

In fact, despite California’s leadership role in protecting human lungs from noxious pollutants, California leads the nation in asbestos-related deaths.  Los Angeles has the highest incidence of malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the lung lings, in the country.

The Law Office of Roger G. Worthington is proud to co-sponsor Floyd Landis and Team OUCH presented by Maxxis.  We are even prouder of Floyd’s commitment to shine the light on this dark ugly secret while he’s in Sacramento preparing for the prologue.

“When I heard that the state rock of California was a form of asbestos, I was blown away,” said Floyd Landis, whose teammate Jon Chodroff’s grandfather, a dentist, recently died from mesothelioma.  “Why on Earth would any state choose a rock that has come to symbolize greed, death and corruption?”

Floyd hopes to raise this issue with Gov. Schwarzenegger.  “I’ll ask him to terminate asbestos as our state rock immediately!  Heavens, why not make beach sand our state rock? This is long over due, and embarrassing, but better now than never, plus deleting this bad law won’t cost the taxpayers a nickel.”

For more information on the dangers of asbestos, the history of asbestos mining in California, and the medical options and legal rights of persons injured by asbestos, please contact the Roger G. Worthington, P.C. at 800.831.9399, or via its website, at www.mesothel.com.  Roger G. Worthington of San Pedro, California represents patients who have been diagnosed with asbestos-related mesothelioma and lung cancer.

More on the ROCK of California: