Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Selected to Present at Australian Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency 1st Annual International Conference - ADAO

For Immediate Release: November 13, 2014

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) Selected to Present at Australian Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (ASEA) 1^st Annual International Conference

ADAO Honored to Join World’s Top Ban Asbestos Leaders to Help Further Education and Understanding about the Dangers of Asbestos

Los Angeles, CA – November 13, 2014 – The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), the largest independent non-profit organization in the U.S. which combines education, advocacy, and community to help ensure justice for asbestos victims; has been selected to present at the Australian Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (ASEA)’s 1st International Conference on Asbestos Awareness and Management on November 16-18, 2014 in Melbourne.

“ADAO is tremendously honored to have been formally invited, alongside many of the world’s top ban asbestos leaders, to participate and present in this world class event,” stated ADAO President and Co-Founder Linda Reinstein. “I am pleased about the level at which this event furthers our efforts as a truly global organization focused on helping to implement a worldwide ban. We applaud ASEA for their leadership and continued proactive stance to help build an extensive system to protect its citizens – a plan that many other countries would like to emulate.”

ADAO’s participation in the event, titled “Working towards an asbestos free Australia”, is diverse:

Dr. Richard Lemen, Co-Chair of the ADAO Science Advisory Board, will give the international keynote on “Asbestos and Public Health: A US Perspective” at the plenary session on November 17.
ADAO President and Co-Founder, Linda Reinstein, will be presenting a keynote speech on “The importance of building and sustaining strategic global and domestic partnerships” followed by a panel discussion with Paul Bastian, National Secretary at Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union and Kate Lee, Union Aid Abroad – APHEDA, Australian Council of Trade Unionsat afternoon session on November 17.
Ms. Reinstein will also participate in the “Creating an Environment for Change” panel on November 18, which also includes Dr. Ken Takahashi, Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre, Japan; in addition to Peter Tighe, Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency Chief Executive Officer; Laurie Kazan-Allen, Coordinator, International Ban Asbestos Secretariat, Paul Bastian, National Secretary at Australian Manufacturing Workers’ Union, and Michael Borowick, Assistant Secretary, Australian Council of Trade Unions.

Peter Tighe, ASEA Chief Executive Officer, remarked: “November is (Australia’s) National Asbestos Awareness Month and the

[ASEA] agency has organized a conference featuring well renowned international experts in asbestos management, health, advocacy and governance to challenge delegates into thinking how Australia can drive change in our region and globally when it comes to the continued manufacturing and distribution of asbestos containing materials. This event will provide a stimulating and entertaining environment for delegates and stakeholders to discuss the big issues facing them in raising awareness about the dangers of asbestos in our work and domestic environment and how it can be managed into the future.”

Interested parties can obtain more information at ADAO’s conference webpage and obtain a full program at the ASAE conference site.

Despite its known dangers, there is still no global ban on asbestos, and it continues to claim lives. Exposure to asbestos, a human carcinogen, can cause mesothelioma, lung, gastrointestinal, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers; as well as non-malignant lung and pleural disorders. The World Health Organization estimates that 107,000 workers around the world will die every year of an asbestos-related disease, equaling 300 deaths per day.

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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.

Media Contact:
Kim Cecchini
Media Relations
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)
(202) 391-5205
Kim@asbestosdiseaseawareness.org