According to several newspaper accounts, government leaders who’ve been rallying for a total ban of asbestos in the U.S. say the Senate is “just a week or two away” from a deal that would accomplish the task.

The fight to ban the dangerous mineral has been led by Senators Patty Murray (D-Wash) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga), who note that the legislation to ban asbestos will also include a separate clause that would authorize $50 million in research to combat the health effects of this dangerous material, which has killed approximately 231,000 people since 1980 and is expected to claim at least that many more by 2040.

“Some of the research money also could go toward identifying the risks of inhaling naturally occurring asbestos, which can be found in underground seams that are more common in the vicinity of earthquake fault lines,” notes an article in the Centre (PA) Daily.

The potential agreement was disclosed on June 12th at a hearing of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, which is chaired by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif), who has also been integral in introducing such legislation.

“World production of asbestos actually increased in 2005, from 2.36 million metric tons in 2004 to 2.4 million metric tons in 2005,” she said. While the last U.S. mine closed in 2002, Boxer said, 2,530 metric tons were imported into the country in 2005, along with 90,000 metric tons of products that contain it. Asbestos is still used in more than a dozen chlorine factories throughout the U.S.

More than 40 countries have already banned asbestos. While it is still widely used in third world countries, the United States is one of the few world powers that have refused to issue a total ban thus far. Canada still mines asbestos and joins Russia and China as the leading exporters of the hazardous substance.

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