Lawmakers in California are working on a new bill (PDF) that would strip serpentine—a naturally occurring mineral that often contains a type of asbestos known as chrysotile—of its status as the official state rock.

In a recent Associated Press article, Senator Gloria Romero, who proposed the bill, states that having an asbestos-containing substance as the Golden State’s official rock sends a poor public health message due to the link between asbestos and mesothelioma:

This is a question of health and public awareness. 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.

Serpentine was named California’s official state rock in 1965, both for its association with the California Gold Rush and because of the many industrial uses for the asbestos it contains. State lawmakers hoped that the designation could bolster California’s multi-million dollar asbestos industry, which mined serpentine for use in appliances, construction materials and other goods.

Enthusiasm about asbestos soon began to wane, however, as the public became increasingly aware of the link between asbestos exposure and mesothelioma, as well as other diseases such as lung cancer and asbestosis. Although the commercial use of asbestos declined drastically during the 1970s, because of the long latency period for asbestos diseases, many workers and other individuals who were exposed to asbestos decades ago are only now beginning to show symptoms of mesothelioma or other diseases.

While critics have dismissed the importance of the California bill, it is encouraging to see such close attention paid to the health effects of asbestos in a state where the mineral can be found in over 70% of its 58 counties. For decades, the asbestos industry denied the dangerous health effects of asbestos, leaving millions exposed to the harmful effects of this deadly substance. California’s proposed asbestos law is an important symbolic step in closing the book on the deadly legacy of the state’s asbestos industry.