Quoted from http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hbdeSCuOvpxz0Tsk9jVInGY3UX1AD9GVD5480
Calif may dump ‘state rock’ that contains asbestosBy TREVOR HUNNICUTT (AP) – July 15, 2010
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — In 1965, California lawmakers named serpentine the state rock because it symbolized the Gold Rush years and contained a mineral being put to myriad industrial uses.
Nearly half a century later, attitudes toward that mineral — asbestos — have changed, and one state lawmaker wants serpentine stripped of its status.
Health authorities say asbestos, which is no longer mined in the U.S., can cause an incurable cancer called mesothelioma as well as other diseases when its fibers are inhaled.
“This is a question of health and public awareness,” said Democratic state Sen. Gloria Romero of Los Angeles, who proposed the bill. “We know that California has the highest rates of mesothelioma deaths in the nation and we don’t think it’s appropriate to be celebrating as the state rock something which contains asbestos.”
Romero’s proposal to remove serpentinite, as the jade-green rock is formally known, as the state rock has hit a wall of opposition from geologists and industry advocates. Contending the rock is being unfairly maligned, they have started a social-media crusade on Twitter and blogs to stop the proposal.
“The rock is an ideal symbol for our state,” said Garry Hayes, a Modesto Community College geology teacher who was among the first to protest the bill online. “The asbestos issue is there, but it’s a small part of what serpentine is.”
