Posted on November 30, 2017 

I’m thrilled to announce our new “Partners for Prevention” Committee, newly established by Asbestos Disease Awareness Org. (ADAO) to help guide the development and creation of a cutting-edge digital asbestos prevention toolkit with international reach.   

As you may recall, we received a restitution award stemming from a Washington State asbestos lawsuit.  The restitution fund is meant to “repay” some of the damage caused by the crime committed, so in this case, the funds are earmarked to support asbestos awareness, education, and safety training. When considering which organization should receive these funds and put them to educational use, the Washington State attorney general’s office discovered ADAO. We’re creating this site in conjunction with Washington’s Spokane Regional Clean Air Agency (SRCAA), whose asbestos management programs follow some of the strongest prevention policies I’ve seen from a U.S. agency. 

Our goal for this project is to develop and launch a rich, user-friendly asbestos education and awareness campaign to be used locally in Spokane, as well as nationally and internationally. This digital toolkit will feature prevention-centric resources targeted at three specific audiences vulnerable to asbestos exposure: homeowners/DIYers, workers, and businesses. We’ll also provide audience-specific information for emergencies and disasters that cause structural damage and create a searchable database of agencies that deal with asbestos prevention and remediation.  

This site will be the first of its kind: an easy to access one-stop shop for asbestos resources and prevention tips and tools with internationally applicable data and agency contact information. What is especially exciting about this project is that it is being funded through the “polluter pays principle,” which simultaneously penalizes those exposing others to asbestos while working to amend the damage caused. We’re thrilled to have this launched and ready in time for 2018 Global Asbestos Awareness Week! 

Our “Partners for Prevention” Committee includes leading global experts in medicine, occupational health and safety, industrial hygiene, and individual prevention techniques. Committee members include: 

  • Claire Deacon, South Africa Occupational Safety & Health
  • Dr. Arthur Frank, Professor of Public Health and Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia 
  • Geoff Fary, Deputy Chairman, Institute of Managers and Leaders: Australia/New Zealand
  • Brent Kynoch, Executive Director of the Environmental Information Association (EIA) 
  • Tom Laubenthal, Training Supervisor & Technical Chief for The Environmental Institute 
  • Dr. Richard Lemen, former Assistant Surgeon General of the United States
  • Jessica Mattmuller, Graphic Designer 
  • Dr. Celeste Monforton,  Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University
  • Dr. L. Christine Oliver, Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at Harvard Medical School  
  • Tony Rich, Industrial Hygienist
  • Christine Winter, UK Health & Safety Communications Liaison 
  • Mark Winter, UK Training and Regulations 

We are so thrilled to be working with such knowledgeable experts, as well as the great team at SRCAA, which includes Deirdre Fitzgerald, who spoke at our 2017 conference. We’re also excited to have ADAO superstar Jess Mattmuller onboard as our graphic designer. Each person involved in this project has a true passion for protecting people from the dangers of asbestos, and I couldn’t think of a better team to create the useful toolkit we hope to produce.  

Our new kNØw Asbestos website is now live! Click the link to check it out!  

Together, we are making change happen! 

Linda
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