Posted on June 21, 2023
Last week, ADAO and colleagues went to Capitol Hill to meet with Congressional leaders and staff to discuss the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act and urge them to ban all imports and use of all forms of asbestos. We met with Members and high-level staffers from California, Colorado, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi, Montana, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Washington, and West Virginia.
We were proud to stand with a diverse group of key stakeholders and experts including the Olin Corporation, International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), American Public Health Association (APHA), and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, Inc who share a commitment to protecting public health and safety from asbestos.
The ARBAN Act, introduced by Senator Merkley and Representative Bonamici, would ban all six types of asbestos and the Libby Amphibole (winchite and richterite) in all conditions of use.
Our meeting resources –– which include the most recent news and data on the ongoing threat of asbestos are available here to the public.
ADAO has always sought to bring together diverse stakeholders in the fight to ban asbestos. For years, ADAO has worked with a community of victims and their families, public health experts, and workers’ advocates. This year our effort to end the import and use of asbestos has expanded to include representatives from the Olin Corporation, one of the nation’s last remaining users of chrysotile asbestos.
Olin, an unexpected ally but a welcome one in this fight, went on the record earlier this year to state that they had already ceased importing asbestos. They’ve gone public with their willingness to transition their plants to non-asbestos technology and have willingly come forward to explain how a possible path forward can protect public health and allow the industry to transition safely and without harm to its workers. They’ve taken a leadership role within their industry and have also sought to bring their industry peers to the table.
This collaborative effort between advocates, experts, and industry shows we have taken a significant step forward in our mission for a comprehensive asbestos ban. For too long, we have missed the opportunity to make meaningful change because we did not have the full complement of stakeholders urging Congress to take action. Our meetings showed Congress there is not only a desire to see an end to asbestos in the United States, but there is a viable way forward.
We will continue our work to urge Congress to take action. You can add your voice to our coalition to support ARBAN by contacting your representatives and telling them to move ARBAN forward.
Thank you to all of the Members, staffers, and colleagues who made our meetings possible. You have proven, together we make change possible.
Linda