Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) Issues Statement on 2012 U.S. Geological Survey Report

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For Immediate Release:

Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) Issues Statement on 2012 U.S. Geological Survey Report

Los Angeles, CA.  – January 25, 2012 The following statement was issued today by Linda Reinstein, Co-Founder, President & CEO of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, regarding the 2012 United States Geological Survey report about the dramatic increase in asbestos importation to the United States

Los Angeles, CA.  – January 25, 2012 “As a Mesothelioma widow and asbestos awareness advocate, I was appalled and shocked to discover today that the 2012 United States Geological Survey (USGS) Mineral Commodity Summaries reported asbestos consumption from January through July of 2011 to be 1,100 metric tons; however, when comparing a previous report from January through July of 2010, asbestos consumption was reported to be 820 metric tons. This difference of 220 metric tons between January – July, 2010 and January – July, 2011 represents a 34% increase in consumption.  In 1977, the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) declared asbestos a human carcinogen, yet occupational and environmental exposure continues throughout the United States.

The World Health Organization, International Labour Organization, United States Environmental Protection Agency, and United States Surgeon General all agree – there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. The EPA estimates that’3,000 different types of commercial products contain some amount of asbestos, and their use ranges from paper products and brake linings to floor tiles and thermal insulation.’

The asbestos industry has argued for years that importation and exposure has been decreasing; however, we have discovered today that their argument simply isn’t true. As the USGS asbestos report cited, ‘Roofing products were estimated to account for about 60% of U.S. consumption; the chloralkali industry about 35%; and unknown applications, 5%.  All the asbestos used in the United States was chrysotile.’  More than 10,000 Americans die every year from asbestos-caused diseases such as Mesothelioma, Asbestosis, and Lung Cancer.

On behalf of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), I am calling on Congress and the President to immediately prohibit the importation of raw asbestos and asbestos-containing products from crossing our borders to protect public health. I have lost my husband, Alan, to Mesothelioma, a disease caused from asbestos exposure. Nothing can bring him or the hundreds of thousands of other victims back to life, but we can begin by aggressively preventing exposure thus eliminating deadly diseases.”

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About Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure. ADAO is an independent global organization dedicated to preventing asbestos-related diseases through education, advocacy, and community. For more information, visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.

Media Contact:
Doug Larkin
Director of Communications
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)
(202) 391-1546
doug@asbestosdiseaseawareness.org
www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org
United States Geological Survey Report Excerpts:

2011 Domestic Production and Use: Asbestos has not been mined in the United States since 2002. The United States is dependent on imports to meet manufacturing needs. Asbestos consumption in the United States was estimated to be 1,100 tons, based on asbestos imports from January through July, 2011. Roofing products were estimated to account for about 60% of U.S. consumption; the chloralkali industry about 35%; and unknown applications, 5%.

2010 Domestic Production and Use: Asbestos has not been mined in the United States since 2002, so the United States is dependent on imports to meet manufacturing needs. Asbestos consumption in the United States was estimated to be 820 tons, based on asbestos imports from January through July, 2010. Roofing products were estimated to account for about 72% of U.S. consumption and other applications, 28%.