Posted on March 29, 2024

Each year, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (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) content, please click here. Be sure to follow the online conversation by using #2024GAAW. 

Asbestos is a known carcinogen, and there is no safe level of exposure. While promising research continues, prevention remains the only cure.


Today, on the second day of Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW), we spotlight a critical resource in our fight against asbestos: The World Health Organization (WHO) Asbestos-Related Disease Fact Sheet. This fact sheet is a key tool, providing life-saving information on illnesses caused by asbestos exposure. In addition, we share the moving narrative of Julie in “The Power of Public Health Advocacy: A Patient’s Perspective.”

The dissemination of this information by such a globally respected authority as the WHO is of immeasurable significance. It underscores the urgency and importance of our mission and gives scientific proof and validation to our fight against the known carcinogen.

Key WHO Facts:

  • Approximately 125 million people worldwide are exposed to asbestos in their workplaces.
  • All six types of asbestos fibers, including chrysotile, are classified as carcinogenic to humans.
  • These fibers can cause cancers of the lung, larynx, and ovaries, in addition to fatal diseases like mesothelioma and asbestosis.
  • Despite more than 200,000 deaths annually worldwide from asbestos-related conditions, a majority of individuals remain unaware of its presence and risks. They lack the means to test their homes or products for asbestos. To combat diseases caused by asbestos, we must focus on prevention through education, advocacy, and a global ban on asbestos.

The WHO has stated that “recognizing that the most efficient way to eliminate asbestos-related diseases is to stop the use of all types of asbestos.”

Echoing this sentiment, Richard Lemen, Ph.D., MSPH, retired United States Assistant Surgeon General and Chairman of the ADAO Science Advisory Board, remarked, “In 1976, NIOSH recommended to OSHA that asbestos be banned in the workplace, but no such ban has been enacted, resulting in continued exposure and thousands of deaths from asbestos-related diseases each year.”

Additionally, today we highlight the GAAW Press Release, अभ्रक रोग जागरूकता संगठन द्वारा 1-7 अप्रैल, 2024 के दौरान होने वाला 20वां वार्षिक “वैश्विक अभ्रक जागरूकता सप्ताह”शुरू किया गया, and the एस्बेस्टोस: द किलर आप देख नहीं सकते  (“Asbestos: The Killer You Can’t See”) video, translated into Hindi.

Join us tomorrow with us for Day Three of GAAW, titled “Asbestos: Art, Advocacy, and Action.” We will share Jordan Zevon’s touching account of his father, Warren Zevon, under “My Hero, the World’s Hero.” Also, look forward to the Press Release announcing the launch of the 20th Annual Global Asbestos Awareness Week from April 1-7, 2024, and the 30-second PSA Video “Asbestos: The Killer You Can’t See,” both translated into Spanish.

Thank you to our Day Two 2024 Gold Sponsor: The Gori Law Firm