Posted on April 14, 2016
Deaths from the results of inhaling asbestos are still rising. This year’s Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW) marked 12 years of efforts from all at the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) who strive to raise awareness of the issue. By encouraging victims worldwide to share, learn and most importantly, take action, the hope is that exposure to asbestos will lessen ultimately reducing unnecessary death.
Partnership in Prevention
To ensure our messages were communicated globally, we once again decided to join forces with The McOnie Agency, a specialist PR agency with expertise spanning the occupational health, manufacturing and industrial markets. Working in these sectors for over 25 years, they are all too aware of the true dangers of asbestos – the costs to society, the devastating effects on the individuals and families affected, and the startling fact that despite all of this, asbestos is still only been banned in 55 countries.
The PR practitioners developed communications material that encouraged a worldwide call to action. The “Join the Asbestos Fight” message and supporting information included key World Health Organization (WHO) statistics highlighting 300 deaths globally every day from an asbestos related disease. It also provided salient information for the 12th Annual Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference in Washington DC, held immediately after GAAW in Washington DC from 8th-10th April. This was distributed through the IPRN, an international network that comprises 38 communication agencies, operating in 44 countries across 5 continents, each with extensive media knowledge and connections within their region.
The team then engaged with other international networks to ensure the press release was translated into as many languages as possible, ensuring maximum sharing. This effort resulted in the GAAW material being translated into 21 different languages of including Arabic, Hungarian and Romanian. To date, this material has been distributed to 3,401 journalists worldwide.
Outcomes
As I reflect today on the success of GAAW ’16 I am both amazed and encouraged. Amazed at how far the core messages of GAAW and the ADAO were communicated worldwide and encouraged to see tangible results from our combined efforts, highlighting that what we are doing is for a purpose and really is working. GAAW and the ADAO received extensive press coverage worldwide – from areas that included the USA, UK, Czech Republic, Greece and France. More people then ever have truly heard our messages and more importantly, have recognized the importance in sharing them.
In the US, where a National Asbestos Awareness Week is held in conjunction with GAAW, the U.S. Surgeon General Murthy delivered a stark warning at the end of GAAW on the dangers of asbestos, citing the awareness week as “a good time to remind Americans about the health dangers of asbestos exposure”.
The 12th Annual International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference (held immediately after the week) hosted medical, academic and occupational experts from nine countries, as well as hosting asbestos victims. In total, there were 40 conference presenters and a candlelight vigil at the end to honor and support those touched by the disease.
Looking Ahead
The global reaction to GAAW ’16 has been truly remarkable and we have created worldwide conversations on asbestos dangers. Our 2016 mantra “One Word, One Week, One World” has been realized and more people than ever are aware of the efforts of the ADAO.
Together have share serious goals and our ultimate objectives are:
- to ban both the manufacturing and mining of asbestos
- prevent overall exposures
- increase the compliance and enforcement of existing laws and regulation
How will this ever be achieved? With collaborative efforts that unite the world with one simple message – HEAR ASBESTOS. THINK PREVENTION. If we continue to take action together, we will achieve!
On behalf of ADAO , I want to sincerely thank Sarah McOnie and her amazing team for supporting ADAO and GAAW for allowing us to take this message and week to a wider global audience. The McOnie Agency is absolutely incredible and enormously talented, two of their many qualities that ensure success.
We look forward to continuing the Global Asbestos Awareness Week conversation in 2017. Remember to use #GAAW too!
Linda Reinstein