April 1st
Every year in the United States, 10,000 people succumb to asbestos-related diseases including asbestosis, asbestos-related lung cancer, peritoneal mesothelioma, and the very aggressive pleural mesothelioma. Around the world, the WHO estimates 107,000 workers die annually from asbestos-related diseases. .
Truly, asbestos-related diseases are a worldwide pandemic made all the more atrocious because the disease is completely preventable. ADAO works diligently to educate the public on simple truths, including the truth that though asbestos, a known human carcinogen, has been banned in more than 50 countries around the world, the United States has still not banned asbestos. Canada continues to mine and export asbestos to developing countries. On top of that, asbestos can affect anyone. It is not just the disease of blue collar workers or of grandfathers or of veterans. Movie stars, singers, professional athletes, federal representatives, the young, the young at heart, mothers and fathers are all at risk. Below are just a few of the more famous victims of asbestos who you never knew were affected.
Asbestos does not discriminate – there are no boundaries or borders with the deadly dust. ADAO believes that knowledge is stronger than asbestos and is paramount to educating citizens and the government that asbestos exposure must be prevented/eliminated to eliminate deadly diseases. .
Warren Zevon
(1947 – 2003)
Grammy Award Winner Singer and Songwriter of Werewolves of London fame quickly recorded his final album The Wind after being diagnosed with mesothelioma. The album went on to become Gold and garnered him five posthumous Grammy nominations.
Ron Cyrus
(1935 – 2006)
Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives for 21 years and Regional Member of The Federal Reserve Bank with Alan Greenspan, the father of country singer-songwriter Billy Ray Cyrus and grandfather of Miley Cyrus, passed away at the age of 70 from mesothelioma. Ron Cyrus will be honored posthumously with the Warren Zevon “Keep Me in Your Heart” Memorial Tribute on April 2, 2011.
Steve McQueen
(1930 – 1980)
“The King of Cool” succumbed to mesothelioma after seeking unconventional treatment in a clinic in Juarez, Mexico. Mesothelioma still has no known cure.
Army Archerd
(1922 – 2009)
A Variety columnist for over fifty years before retiring his “Just for Variety” column in September 2005, Archerd died at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center from a rare form of mesothelioma, which was a result of his exposure to asbestos in the Navy during World War II.
H
amilton Jordan
(1944 – 2008)
This “good ole boy” was Chief of Staff to President of the United States Jimmy Carter; he became a high-level staffer on the presidential campaign of independent candidate Ross Perot. He later served both as a member of the founders council and as an important public advocate for Unity08, a political movement focused on reforming the American two party system. Jordan died from mesothelioma; he survived several other forms of cancer earlier in his life including diffuse histiocytic non-Hodgkin lymphoma, melanoma, and prostate cancer.
Merlin Olsen
(1940 – 2010)
An American football player in the NFL, NFL commentator, and actor, Olsen played his entire 15-year career with the Los Angeles Rams. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2009 and underwent three courses of chemotherapy before dying in March of 2010.
Malcolm McLaren
(1946 – 2010)
The legendary manager of the groundbreaking group Sex Pistols, McLaren helped introduce hip hop to the United Kingdom. He was diagnosed with mesothelioma in October 2009 and died of the disease on April 8, 2010 in Switzerland. His partner was the famous stylist Betsy Johnson.
Bruce Vento
(1940 – 2000)
He represented Minnesota’s 4th congressional district as a Democratic-Farmer-Labor member of the United States House of Representatives from 1977 until his death while still a member of Congress. He succumbed to mesothelioma in 2000, as a result of exposure to asbestos.