ADAO Applauds the U.S. Senate for Unanimously Passing the Thirteenth Annual Resolution Designating April 1-7 “National Asbe...
March 29 2017 - 8:08PM
Business Wire
With Mesothelioma Deaths on the Rise and
Impending EPA Risk Evaluation, the 2017 Resolution Takes on New
Significance
The Asbestos Disease Awareness
Organization (ADAO), the largest nonprofit in the
U.S. dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure, eliminating
asbestos-related diseases, and protecting asbestos victims’ civil
rights; today praised the Senate for the unanimous passage of the
13th Annual Resolution establishing “National Asbestos Awareness
Week” (S Res. 98). The Resolution was led by Senator Jon Tester
(D-MT) and Senators Daines (R-MT), Durbin (D-IL), Feinstein (D-CA),
Isakson (R-GA), Leahy (D-VT), Markey (D-MA), Merkley (D-OR), and
Warren (D-MA) as bipartisan co-sponsors. It seeks to “raise public
awareness about the prevalence of asbestos-related diseases and the
dangers of asbestos exposure,” underscoring ADAO’s important
mission of education, advocacy, and community to put an end to
asbestos exposure. Linda Reinstein, President and Co-Founder of
ADAO, issued the following statement:
“We are enormously thankful to Senator Tester, Resolution
co-sponsors, and the entire Senate for unanimously passing the
resolution creating the 13th Annual ‘National Asbestos Awareness
Week’ during April 1 – 7. Each year, an estimated 15,000 Americans
die from preventable asbestos-caused diseases, yet imports
continue. Undoubtedly, the Resolution’s momentum and the
forthcoming U.S. Surgeon General’s asbestos warning will raise
awareness and save lives.
“Now, more than ever, it’s crucial to raise asbestos awareness
to ensure the American public understands that this is not an issue
of the past. New data from the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) reports that asbestos-caused deaths are on the
rise in the U.S., despite significantly decreased use since peak
consumption in the 1970s. Further, the study reports that malignant
mesothelioma deaths among patients aged 25-44 continue, indicating
current and continued occupational, environmental, and secondary
exposure risk.
“As the EPA begins its risk assessment of asbestos under TSCA,
it is paramount that the Senate underscore what we’ve long known
about asbestos — that it poses undue risk to human health and the
environment and must be stringently regulated to avoid causing more
harm. This has been the sentiment of the last 12 Senate Asbestos
Awareness Resolutions as well as 12 warnings from the U.S. Surgeon
General’s office, and just last summer President Barack Obama
became the first sitting president to acknowledge asbestos as a
deadly carcinogen. Especially with the onslaught of legislation
aimed at eviscerating or limiting the powers of the EPA, this
acknowledgement by the legislative branch sends a significant
message.”
This year, ADAO is partnering again with UK-based public
relations firm the McOnie Agency to take Asbestos Awareness Week
global! Educational materials will be translated into 15 languages
and distributed in more than 40 countries. In conjunction with the
week, ADAO will hold its 13th Annual International Asbestos
Awareness and Prevention Conference “Where
Knowledge and Action Unite,” April 7 – 9, 2017 at the Renaissance
Arlington Capital View Marriott in Arlington, VA, just outside of
Washington, D.C. Global experts will speak on the latest
advancements in asbestos disease prevention, treatment
asbestos-caused diseases, and global asbestos ban advocacy.
Exposure to asbestos, a human carcinogen, can cause
mesothelioma, lung, gastrointestinal, colorectal, laryngeal, and
ovarian cancers; as well as non-malignant lung and pleural
disorders. The Global Burden of Disease, Injuries, and Risk
Factor Study of 2013 published in the renowned Lancet Medical
Journal reported that 194,000 people globally die from
asbestos-caused diseases every year, equaling more than 500 deaths
per day.
About the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded
by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO is the largest
non-profit in the U.S. dedicated to providing asbestos victims and
concerned citizens with a united voice through our education,
advocacy, and community initiatives. ADAO seeks to raise public
awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure, advocate for an
asbestos ban, and protect asbestos victims’ civil rights. For more
information,
visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.
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Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)Sara TianoMedia
Relations213-251-7477Sara@asbestosdiseaseawareness.org