10th ADAO Senate Staff Briefing Resources
September 13, 2016 Washington, D.C.
*This briefing was dedicated to the Brazilian miners and asbestos victims who mine this toxic chemical for the United States.
- ADAO Position Statement and Summary of Organizations Urging EPA to list asbestos in the first top ten high-risk chemical on or before December 22, 2016
- ADAO letter to EPA Administrator McCarthy (August 11, 2016)
- ADAO Senate Staff Briefing Power Point Presentations
- ADAO Senate Staff Briefing Executive Summary (2016)
- ADAO Senate Staff Briefing Speaker Bios
- ADAO Press Release (9.13.2016): “Scientific Experts and Industry Leaders Spoke at ADAO’s 10th Congressional Staff Briefing Urging the EPA to Name Asbestos as a Top Ten Toxin for Priority Review”
Speakers
- Barry Castleman, ScD, Environmental Consultant
- Mark Catlin, American Public Health Association (APHA)
- Andy Igrejas, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families (SCHF)
- Brent Kynoch, Executive Director, Environmental Information Association (EIA)
- Mike Mattmuller, Mesothelioma Patient
- Linda Reinstein, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization President/CEO/Co-Founder
- Daniel Rosenberg, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
Overwhelming consensus in support of this position comes from political leaders, prominent health and environmental organizations, and industry leaders including:
- US Sen. Barbara Boxer
- US Sen. Jon Tester
- US Sen. Dianne Feinstein
- US Sen. Dick Durbin
- US Sen. Patty Murray
- Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families
- Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
- Environmental Working Group (EWG)
- Motor and Equipment Manufacturers Association (MEMA)
American Chemistry Council Chorine Division letter to the EPA in support of continuing asbestos use.
Resources and Reports Mentioned
- President Obama signs the Frank R Lautenberg Chemical Safety Act (2016)
- American Public Health Association: Policy Statement: Elimination of Asbestos (2016)
- Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families: Asbestos (2016)
- Natural Resources Defense Council: Toxic Chemicals (2016)
- U.S. Surgeon General’s Statement on Asbestos (2016)
- U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Report on Asbestos (2016)
- NIOSH Study of Firefighters Finds Increased Rates of Cancer (2013)
- ADAO Graphics: “Identifying Asbestos in Your Home” and “How Small Is Asbestos?”
Ten Top Asbestos Facts:
- 1. President Obama said “Asbestos [is] a known carcinogen that kills as many as 10,000 Americans every year.”
2. The United States and Canada are the last two western industrial nations not to ban asbestos.
3. Nearly 40 years ago, the International Agency for Research on Cancer declared asbestos to be a human carcinogen.
4. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates “there are approximately 125 million people in the world who are exposed to asbestos in the workplace.”
5. The World Health Organization (WHO) states “more than 107,000 people die each year from asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis resulting from occupational exposures.”
6. The World Health Organization (WHO) states, “one in every three deaths from occupational cancer is estimated to be caused by asbestos. In addition, it is estimated that several thousands of deaths can be attributed annually to exposure to asbestos in the living environment.”
7. USGS: “In 2015, asbestos consumption in the United States was estimated to be about 360 tons.”
8. USGS: In 2015, the “chloralkali industry accounted for an estimated 90% of U.S. consumption.”
9. USGS: “Numerous materials substitute for asbestos.”
10. Russia is the leading producer of asbestos worldwide, followed by China, Brazil, and Kazakhstan.