2015 Year-In-Review 

2014 Year-In-Review   

2013 Year-In-Review

2012 Year-In-Review

2011 Year-In-Review

2010 Year-In-Review

Posted on November 30, 2015

ADAO MissionThe Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), the largest non-profit in the U.S. dedicated to providing asbestos victims and concerned citizens with a united voice, is pleased to share a Year-End Summary of Accomplishments including our education, advocacy, and community impact in 2015. As a leader in social media advocacy, we are on the front lines working to end the asbestos man-made disasters on many levels.  ADAO further strengthened its network of victims, physicians, researchers, public health practitioners, and labor union members by utilizing social media platforms such as FacebookTwitterLinkedIn, and YouTube.

Some of our biggest highlights of the year include: presenting at 6 conferences around the world spanning from Pakistan to Australia, hosting our 8th Congressional Staff Briefing, participating as a stakeholder in legislative discussions. being a resource for the media, publishing nearly 200 “Share Your Stories,” coordinating Global Asbestos Awareness Week, launching the ADAO Prevention Advisory Board & State Leadership Team, and hosting our 11th Annual International Asbestos Awareness Conference. After a year of such success ADAO looks towards 2016 with excitement for continued progress.

Every accomplishment ADAO achieved in 2015 was possible because of the generosity of the volunteers, sponsors, and donors who fuel our work and further our cause. The organization’s growth continues reflects the growth and progress made around the world in this issue area. We look forward to continued shared success in 2016.

2015 Educational Initiatives: In an effort to educate the public about the dangers of asbestos, ADAO:

2015 Advocacy Initiatives: In order to advocate for an international ban on asbestos use, mining, and exportation of this known carcinogen, ADAO:

  • Ensured the passage of U.S. Senate’s 11th Annual Resolution, which designated April 1-7, 2015 as “National Asbestos Awareness Week”
  • Championed the 4th U.S. Surgeon General’s Asbestos Awareness Week warning statement
  • Served as a media resource and/or quoted in The Hill, the San Francisco Chronicle, and the Green Divas Podcast
  • Quoted as an expert resource in publications by The Center for Public IntegrityThe Hill, and The Guardian
  • Published numerous Op-Eds in The Hill and Roll Call
  • Collaborated with health and safety influencers and leaders with guest blogs raise asbestos awareness and action

2015 Community Initiatives: To provide a community of support for those affected by asbestos, ADAO:

ADAO 2015 Presentations:

“Global Asbestos Challenges and Progress in the 21st Century,” World Congress, Karachi, Pakistan, January 31, 2015 

“Asbestos: The Human Cost of Inaction,” Professional Abatement Contractors of New York (PACNY), Verona, NY, February 26, 2015

“Asbestos: Still Legal. Still Everywhere,” EWG Congressional Briefing, Washington, D.C., March 10, 2015

Senators Barbara Boxer and Ed Markey’s Press Conference, Washington, DC, March 17, 2015

“Where Knowledge and Action Unite,” ADAO 11th Annual International Asbestos Awareness Conference, Washington, D.C., April 18, 2015

‘Badges, A Memorial Tribute to Asbestos Workers”, American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations’, Washington, DC, April 27, 2015

The Fight against Asbestos and Mesothelioma: The Human Cost of Inaction,” 5th International Symposium on Lung-Sparing Therapies for Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma, Santa Monica, CA, May 2, 2015

“Asbestos: Shattered Lives and Broken Dreams,” European Asbestos Forum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 27, 2015

“The Human Cost of Inaction,” European Asbestos Forum, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 27, 2015

“OSH Perils Workers Face without an Asbestos Ban,” National Council for Occupational Safety and Health National Conference, Baltimore, MD, June 2 – 4, 2015

Mesothelioma Action Day, London, England, July 3, 2015

“Asbestos: Impact on Consumer Safety, Public Health, and Asbestos Victims’ Civil Rights”, 8th ADAO Congressional Staff Briefing, Washington, DC, July 2015

Symposium & Exhibit Commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the birth of Dr. Irving J. Selikoff,  Mt. Sinai, NYC, NY, October 2015

 “Leveraging Social Media for Success and Social Good”, Southland Technology Conference Long Beach, CA ,October 2015

 “Asbestos: The Human Cost of Inaction” Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, October 2015

“Asbestos Public Health Campaigns and Disease Prevention Movements in the 21st Century”, 143rd American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting and Exposition, Chicago, IL, November 2015

Global Burden of Asbestos”, Asbestos Safety and Eradication Agency (ASEA), Brisbane, AUS , November 2015

“Research and Advocacy Initiatives to Curb The Health Impacts of Environmental Contaminants”, Unite for Sight, Yale, CT, December 2015