Posted on October 31, 2018

The word “legacy” carries significant meaning in asbestos-safety circles. In a literal sense, the word is used frequently in the public health jargon surrounding the carcinogenic fiber, referring to the decades-old, unregulated asbestos still present in countless American buildings. Schools built before 1990, for example, generally contain grandfathered, legal, and lethal “legacy asbestos.”

As the decades have continued to pass us by, however, the term has begun to take on a broader meaning. This shifting connotation has never been more clear than in Certified Medical Assistant (CMA) Today’s recent article “Asbestos-related disease has a breathtaking legacy.” With the failed 1989 attempt to ban this mineral now nearly 30 years in our rearview mirror, as well as new figures that demonstrate 40,000 annual deaths linked to asbestos-caused diseases, the United States can indeed begin to claim a legacy of asbestos-related illness. Whether we like it or not, this carcinogen is a part of our national story.

The flagship medical journal of the American Association of Medical Assistants, CMA Today is a preeminent publication in the field of medicine designed to inform and support industry professionals. ADAO was honored to provide resources for the article, written by Mark Harris.

Dr. Celeste Monforton, lecturer at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University and Liaison to ADAO’s Prevention and Scientific Advisory Boards, was quoted throughout the piece. She provides an unflinching account of the transforming legacy of legacy asbestos: “Tens of millions of tons of asbestos were imported and mined in the United States

[in recent decades],” she explained. “As the so-called magic mineral, asbestos does not degrade. It doesn’t go away.”

Also quoted is Dr. Raja Flores, Chairman of Thoracic Surgery at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City and a member of the ADAO Science Advisory Board. Explaining how persistent this mineral is in American life, Dr. Flores cautions that “some people can have asbestosis and [won’t ]even know it… I’ve had patients die from progressive shortness of breath [as a result of this disease], which is just as horrible as cancer.”

As pointed out by Harris, “reckless environmental practices” are to blame for our current-day asbestos dilemmas. It is vital to recognize that many of these practices still persist today, as irresponsible officials at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) continue to uphold the legacy of this carcinogen.

On June 7th, it was reported that the EPA would be distorting the Toxic Substances Control Act in favor of polluters over public health. That same week, the now-disgraced former EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt rejected a prompt from Congress to monitor the health risks and impacts of legacy asbestos. In September, it was announced that the EPA had begun directing funds away from efforts to remove asbestos from public schools.

In partnership with the Environmental Working Group, ADAO will be issuing a press release this week regarding startling new findings on domestic asbestos imports. According to data from the U.S. International Trade Commission and Department of Commerce, imports increased by a full 2,000 percent between July and August of this year.

Yet our movement remains active and steadfast. When the work of scholars like Dr. Monforton and Dr. Flores is shared widely, as has just occurred in CMA Today, we empower countless people with increased asbestos awareness.

ADAO asks the same of you. If you believe that banning this mineral is a vital step toward protecting American lives, we call on you to share the work of experts – it very well may be our most powerful tool for combating the misinformation spouted by industry propaganda. Together we can educate the world, fight for change, and reverse the legacy of asbestos.

Linda Reinstein
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