(A) The General Assembly finds that:
(1) asbestos is a mineral that was widely used prior to the 1980's for insulation, fire-proofing, and other purposes;
(2) millions of American workers and others were exposed to asbestos, especially during and after World War II, at shipyards such as those that operated in the South Carolina Lowcountry, prior to the advent of regulation by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration in the early 1970's;
(3) exposure to asbestos is associated with various types of cancer, including mesothelioma, as well as nonmalignant conditions such as asbestosis and diffuse pleural thickening;
(4) diseases caused by asbestos exposure often have long latency periods;
(5) while the cases currently filed in South Carolina are manageable by the courts and the litigants, it is proper for the legislature to support and protect the South Carolina courts from the potential of massive litigation expense and the crowding of trial dockets;
(6) silica is a naturally occurring mineral and is the second most common constituent of the earth's crust. Crystalline silica in the form of quartz is present in sand, gravel, soil, and rocks;
(7) silica-related illnesses, including silicosis, can develop from the inhalation of respirable silica dust. Silicosis was widely recognized as an occupational disease many years ago;
(8) concerns about statutes of limitations may prompt unimpaired asbestos and silica claimants to bring lawsuits to protect their ability to recover for their potentially progressive occupational disease; and
(9) several states, including Texas, Georgia, Ohio, and Florida have enacted legislation setting medical criteria governing asbestos and silica cases and tolling statutes of limitations and requiring persons alleging nonmalignant disease claims to demonstrate physical impairment as a prerequisite to setting such cases for trial.
(B) The purpose of this chapter is to:
(1) provide a procedural remedy allowing efficient judicial supervision and control of asbestos and silica litigation by giving priority for the purposes of trial and resolution to asbestos and silica claimants with demonstrable physical impairment caused by exposure to asbestos or silica; and
(2) preserve the legal rights of claimants who were exposed to asbestos or silica, but have no physical impairment from asbestos or silica exposure, until such time as the claimant can demonstrate physical impairment.
HISTORY: 2006 Act No. 303, Section 1, eff May 24, 2006.