Posted on April 7, 2017
Each year, ADAO dedicates April 1-7 to increasing awareness of asbestos and preventing exposure by bringing together experts and victims from around the world to share, learn, and take action. To view all 7 days of Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW) contributors and content on our landing page, please click here.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen and there is no safe level of exposure. Since the 19th century, asbestos was widely used in construction, shipbuilding, and the automotive industry. Without a ban, asbestos remains legal and lethal in the USA and nearly 70% of countries around the world today.
Today, we are sharing the story of Day Seven Ambassador: Daniel Pineda, Colombia “Love is Stronger than Cancer.” Daniel and his wife Ana Cecilia Nino Robles have been leaders of the anti-asbestos movement in Colombia. Ana lost her battle with mesothleioma in January, and Daniel has been fighting all the harder ever since. An obituary for Ana in Colombia’s La Reporteria put it beautifully: “seguir es justamente el mejor legado que deja Ana Cecilia Niño” / “to continue is precisely the best legacy left by Ana Cecilia Niño.”
Asbestos Victims’ Candlelight Vigil
Our ADAO community will gather today for a virtual candlelight vigil to honor the warriors fighting asbestos disease and remember those we have lost. We light these candles with heavy hearts, but also with hope for a brighter future without asbestos.
Global Asbestos Awareness Week is a reminder each year of the importance of education in order to prevent asbestos exposure, disease, and death. You can make a difference. Take action by connecting with ADAO on Facebook and sharing GAAW’s content with your social network. This week’s blogs, infographics such as Asbestos: Legal and Lethal in the USA, and ADAO’s educational resources can easily be shared with friends and family – and may save lives!
Thank you to everyone for their participation in this year’s Global Asbestos Awareness Week! We are deeply grateful for the support of our contributors and those who joined the GAAW conversation around the world. Together, we will ban asbestos. Until then, prevention is our best tool to protect our international community.
Together, we make change happen.
Linda Reinstein