ADAO President Calls on EPA to Demonstrate Success of TSCA Reform by Prioritizing Asbestos as a Top Ten Chemical for Risk Evaluation
Asbestos Has Killed More Than 200,000 Americans Since EPA’s Failed 1989 Ban
For Immediate Release: August 8, 2016
WASHINGTON – August 8, 2016 – The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), the largest independent nonprofit asbestos victims’ advocacy group in the United States, released a statement from Co-Founder and President Linda Reinstein ahead of two Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) public meetings to address the implementation of The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act (H.R. 2576):
“This week, as we take another landmark step forward to protect public health and our environment from toxic chemicals, we are reminded that asbestos use is not a legacy issue as imports, diagnoses, and deaths continue.
“As asbestos victims, we have paid the ultimate price for asbestos use with our lives. We call on the EPA to prioritize asbestos by selecting it in the first top ten high-risk chemicals for risk evaluation and action.
“President Obama recently recognized asbestos as a carcinogen and the poster child for the failure of the 1976 TSCA. Since the EPA tried to ban asbestos in 1989, it is estimated that more than 200,000 Americans have died from preventable asbestos-caused diseases.
“Under the new law, EPA is mandated to evaluate chemicals purely on the basis of the health risks they pose. Asbestos continues to present an unreasonable risk of injury to health and the environment. ADAO isn’t alone. There is an overwhelming consensus of the public health and environmental communities who have called on the EPA to prioritize asbestos. The time is now to move forward in pursuit of the prohibition of asbestos manufacturing, processing, use, and distribution in commerce.
“Until the EPA bans asbestos, you can be assured that public health and our environment will remain at risk from this killer chemical. The first litmus test for the success and efficacy of the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century will be banning asbestos.”
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About the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is a global leader in combining education, advocacy, and community initiatives to prevent and end asbestos exposure. ADAO seeks to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos, advocate for an asbestos ban, and protect asbestos victims’ civil rights. ADAO, a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, does not make legal referrals. For more information, visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.
Media Contact:
Sara Tiano
(310) 251-7477
Sara@asbestosdiseaseawareness.org