Posted on March 30, 2021
Day FOUR:
2021 Global Asbestos Awareness Week || Day FOUR – April 4th: Partnering for Prevention
Day FOUR: Remembering Mike, (USA) — Read his story “Staying Positive”
Featured Video: “Асбест: убийца, которого вы не видите“
Press Release (Russian): Организация по информированию о заболеваниях, вызываемых асбестом, (ADAO) проводит 17-ю ежегодную «Всемирную неделю осведомленности об асбесте» с 1 по 7 апреля 2021 года
Each year, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) dedicates April 1-7 to increasing awareness of asbestos and preventing exposure by bringing together experts and victims from around the world to share, learn, and take action. To view all 7 days of Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW) content, please click here. Be sure to follow the conversation on social media with our GAAW hashtag: #2021GAAW.
Asbestos is a known human carcinogen, and there is no safe level of exposure. While promising research continues, prevention remains the only cure.
Today, we’re highlighting ADAO’s fabulous collaborators. We’re also remembering Mike with his story “Staying Positive”.
ADAO’s small but mighty team has created a network of tens of thousands, and we’re leading the charge for legislative change regarding asbestos imports and use. One thing that makes this all possible is the power of collaboration.
From individual volunteers to partnering nonprofits, thousands contribute to ADAO’s progress toward a global asbestos ban. Fighting for asbestos prohibition has always been an uphill battle against deep-pocketed lobbyists and pro-asbestos propaganda, but a number of international organizations stand with us through it all, fighting for our common goal.
We are grateful to collaborate this year with the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH), Environmental Information Association (EIA) and British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) for #2021GAAW. With these partnerships, we can continue to reach a global audience. Like ADAO — IOSH, EIA, and BOHS are dedicated to raising awareness about workers’ safety, health, and rights, and we are honored to work together this week!
Recently, ADAO and the Brazilian Association of People Exposed to Asbestos (ABREA) called for a worldwide ban on asbestos following a report from the the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) on asbestos imports that revealed the United States imported an estimated 300 metric tons of raw chrysotile asbestos into the country, an increase of more than 30 percent from the prior year. Almost all of these imports came from Brazil, a country that enacted a comprehensive national asbestos ban in November 2017.
Other longtime partners in advocacy include the AFL-CIO; the American Public Health Association; the Environmental Information Association; the Environmental Working Group; the Global Ban Asbestos Network (GBAN); International Association of Fire Fighters; Less Cancer; Natural Resources Defense Council; Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families; United States Public Interest Research Groups; Toxic-Free Future; and internationally, Associação Brasileira dos Expostos ao Amianto.
ADAO also hosted ninth Zoom conversations throughout 2020 featuring experts, Mesothelioma Warriors, Earl Dotter, Jordan Zevon, ADAO Board members, and more. Just last month, we hosted our eighth conversation with asbestos experts Barry Castleman, ScD, Arthur L. Frank, MD, PhD, Richard Lemen, PhD, MSPH, and Bob Sussman, JD. We are grateful for these community collaborations, which allowed us to feel connected in a time of social distancing.
We are excited to announce that registration for our 16th Annual International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference will be opening in May 2021! The conference will be virtual this year, and we are excited to share this event with viewers around the world to spread statistics, facts, and educational materials from leading asbestos experts and victims. Remember: when it comes to asbestos, learning truly does save lives.
Together, we make change happen.
Linda Reinstein
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