"Americans know a bad deal when they see it and S. 852–which has been advanced by a handful of companies for their own benefit–threatens to bankrupt many smaller companies and will result in more delays in providing medical care and compensation to victims of asbestos poisoning," Mr. O'Brien said.

C.A.R. said that support for the asbestos trust approach plummeted further when survey respondents were told of the details of S. 852, which the group said includes a new $140 billion tax on businesses, increased government bureaucracy, a shifting of financial responsibility to small businesses, the threat of closing small businesses, billions in fees for trial lawyers and increased government borrowing.

The concerns of the public, the group said, echo those expressed by some senators in comments filed with the Senate Judiciary Committee's report on the bill.

"It is now clear that both the general public and certain senators recognize S. 852 will not achieve the goals of asbestos litigation reform: providing meaningful support for the victims of asbestos exposure and finality to the businesses affected by litigation," said Mr. O'Brien.

The C.A.R., which claims to be a "group of small and medium-sized businesses and major insurance companies, committed to educating U.S. businesses and policymakers about the serious flaws in S. 852," announced last month that it had hired Fleishman-Hillard and its Mercury Public Affairs affiliate to launch a national campaign opposing the asbestos trust fund bill.