EWG Action Fund researchers recently estimated as many as 15,000 Americans die every year from diseases stemming from asbestos exposure. Today, EWG Action Fund released an interactive map showing the deadly toll of asbestos from 1999 to 2013, broken down to the state and county levels.

Not surprisingly, the populous states of California, Florida, Pennsylvania, New York and Texas experienced the most asbestos-related deaths over that 14-year period. But those numbers don’t tell the whole story. When EWG Action Fund analyzed asbestos-related death rates, it turned out that in six states – Delaware, Maine, Montana, Pennsylvania, Washington and West Virginia – the death rates were 50-to-100 percent higher than the national average. The variability was even greater at the county level. More than 25 counties reported death rates that were 4-to-13 times the national average.

The map shows that asbestos-related deaths affect families and communities in every state and every county in America. Despite the dangers and asbestos’ deadly history, it is still legal and still everywhere. Americans continue to face exposure in the places they go and from the products they use every day, so it’s inevitable that thousands more will die in the years to come.

Two bills currently moving through Congress have direct implications for asbestos victims and people trying avoid exposure. The Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act (H.R. 526) filed by Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, would set up a series of roadblocks designed to delay compensation for asbestos victims and their families. It has strong backing from the asbestos and insurance industries. The Farenthold bill would also require disclosure of victims’ sensitive personal information online, invading their privacy and putting them at risk of identity theft.

In contrast, the Reducing Exposure to Asbestos Database Act, or READ Act, sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill. and Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., would create real transparency around the continued use of asbestos and help protect Americans. This bill would create an online database of products that contain asbestos and inform consumers where those items are likely to be found in their homes and communities.

Click on your state to learn more about asbestos mortality in your community.