If you go swimming at the beach, you may be interested in this article
on Illinois Beach State Park and asbestos contamination entitled
"Still Waiting for Answers on Beach Asbestos" at
http://www.suntimes.com/news/marin/1040884,CST-EDT-carol06.article
Asbestos is a hazardous material and known carcinogen linked to many
diseases, such as mesothelioma, a cancer of the lining of the lungs,
abdomen and heart, which have a long latency period.

The U. S. House of Representatives is considering a bill to ban
asbestos (it is already banned in 40 countries) and fund medical
research to find effective treatments for asbestos diseases, such as
mesothelioma. Write to your U. S. Representative either from his/her
website or from http://www.banasbestos.us asking him/her to support
the bill. Banning asbestos is not enough as it does not help people
already sick, people already exposed to
asbestos and people who will become exposed to asbestos already in
place.