Do you have a question for the new ADAO ChatBot: The Source – 20 Years of Asbestos Knowledge 

Posted on March 28, 2025

One Word. One Week. One World: Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2025 Calls for Action

Welcome to the 21st Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW)! The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is honored to lead this annual global initiative to spotlight the urgent need to prevent asbestos exposure, share life-saving research, and honor those making a meaningful impact. This year’s theme, “Asbestos: One Word. One Week. One World,” is a powerful call to action for global solidarity.

Asbestos remains a known carcinogen with no safe level of exposure, claiming over 200,000 lives worldwide every year. #2025GAAW goes beyond awareness—it’s about action, equity, and hope. This year, we’re proud to share our campaign and videos in six languages — Arabic, French, Hindi, Russian, Spanish, and Ukrainian—breaking barriers and expanding global access to vital, life-saving information.

ADAO continues to work closely with our Organizing Partners for Prevention—the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS)—to develop prevention-based education. Since our founding in 2004, ADAO’s work with the U.S. Senate has helped secure 20 National Asbestos Awareness Week Resolutions and eight U.S. Surgeon General warnings.

Throughout the week, the GAAW campaign focuses on:

  • Banning the mining, manufacturing, and use of all six asbestos fibers worldwide
  • Preventing asbestos exposure
  • Increasing compliance and enforcement of existing laws and regulations
  • Strengthening international partnerships to protect public health

Day One: A Movement Begins

We launch GAAW by remembering Alan Reinstein and his legacy that inspired ADAO’s founding. We rally around his words, “I’ll do anything to fight mesothelioma to have more time with my family—anything.” Our Day One PSA, “Asbestos: The Killer You Can’t See,” and our latest blog on the Top Ten Asbestos Facts reminds the world: there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. The International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), our long-standing Partner for Prevention, spotlights the link between occupational cancer and asbestos. In Dr. Danny Whu’s powerful words, “Occupational cancer is the number one killer of fire fighters, and the IAFF is steadfastly committed to removing every known human carcinogen from the fireground.”

Day Two: Global Public Health

With support from the World Health Organization’s asbestos fact sheet and a PSA in Hindi, we shift the focus to public health. Julie’s story, “The Power of Public Health Advocacy,” underscores why personal stories matter. One of those personal stories is Julie’s, which we share today. Her voice is a powerful reminder that behind every statistic is a real person whose life has been forever altered by this preventable toxin. Dr. Richard Lemen also reminds us, “In 1976 NIOSH recommended to OSHA that asbestos be banned in the workplace, but no such ban has ever been enacted and thousands continue to be exposed and die from asbestos-related diseases.”

Day Three: Art, Advocacy, and Action

We celebrate the emotional and political power of art through the lens of Jordan Zevon’s tribute to his father, musician Warren Zevon. With support from the Collegium Ramazzini and visuals from Earl Dotter’s BADGES series, the day reminds us that art has the power to humanize data and ignite change. Dr. Arthur Frank reminds us, “There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, a known carcinogen, and it becomes dangerous when the microscopic asbestos fibers become dislodged and airborne.” 

Day Four: Policy and Justice

ADAO’s longtime advocacy is recognized on Day Four. For the past two decades, ADAO has raised awareness about the dangers of asbestos, lowered the barrier to access for life-saving resources, educated global audiences about how to prevent asbestos exposure, fought to protect the public health of future generations, and more. April 1-7 has been designated by the US Senate as “National Asbestos Awareness Week” nearly two dozen times. With the American Public Health Association (APHA) as our Partner for Prevention, we push for the passage of the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act. Dr. Raja Flores said, “Congress can do more with a pen to prevent disease than I can with a scalpel.”

Day Five: Global Solidarity

Simon Pickvance’s legacy serves as a rallying cry. He was a tireless advocate who dedicated his life to exposing the deadly risks of asbestos in the workplace. As Rory O’Neill’s reminds us, “Simon was critical in exposing how pursuit of profits by industry came at a high price to working people and communities. People said it was ‘ironic’ he subsequently developed mesothelioma. It wasn’t ironic, it was the inevitable consequence of the cynical promotion of the marketing and use of asbestos.  In Simon’s name, and the memory of all asbestos victims who die from preventable diseases, we call on supporters to sign the petition to end asbestos imports and use in the U.S. once and for all. 

Day Six: Digital Tools for Prevention

With the debut of our AI-powered ADAO’s AI-powered Chatbot — The Source: 20 Years of Asbestos Knowledge, we made two decades of asbestos advocacy accessible in nearly 100 languages. This first-of-its-kind tool, paired with the “kNØw Asbestos” website and resources, is built for workers, families, and policymakers.  We are reminded by Ruth Wilkinson, Head of Policy and Public Affairs, IOSH “Asbestos remains a major issue around the world and is the biggest cause of occupational cancer. We want to see more action to prevent exposure, manage asbestos risks and, ultimately, save lives.”  On April 6th, honor our partners IOSH and BOHS, who continue to drive evidence-based prevention policies worldwide. 

Day Seven: Candlelight Vigil and Remembrance

We conclude with a global virtual Candlelight Vigil. We remembered Mavis Nye, whose story and advocacy touched hearts and minds globally. With over 300 dedications in our 2025 Warrior Tribute Video, the vigil will be both a moment of mourning and of recommitment.

Professor Kevin Bampton of BOHS reminds us: “The WHO estimates that twice as many people will die as a result of the asbestos industry as from uncontrolled climate change.”

This chilling statistic underscores the urgency for bold, united action.

Why Join ADAO?

Because knowledge saves lives. Because advocacy advances justice. Because prevention is the cure.

For over 20 years, ADAO has been a trusted, independent nonprofit that leads with compassion, action, and evidence. We:

  • Advocate for strong asbestos legislation, including the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act
  • Produce multilingual educational materials for global accessibility
  • Empower survivors and families through storytelling and support
  • Deliver digital tools like the ADAO ChatBot to connect the world with lifesaving knowledge

Get Involved

Time has proven, together change is possible.

Linda Reinstein