Posted on October 1, 2026

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As Mesothelioma Awareness Month comes to a close, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), is continuing the conversation during October’s Health Literacy Month with a four-part blog series on Asbestos Awareness and Prevention.

Beginning October 5, ADAO will share clear, practical, and accessible information about preventing asbestos exposure, recognizing occupational risks, understanding warning signs and symptoms of asbestos-related diseases, and finding specialized medical care.

Health literacy saves lives. When people understand where asbestos may be found, who is at risk, and how exposure can be prevented, they are better equipped to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.

The evidence is clear: there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Preventing exposure is the most effective way to prevent asbestos-caused disease, and it remains the only cure.

An estimated 40,000 Americans die each year from asbestos-related diseases, roughly one person every 13 minutes. These diseases can take decades to develop after exposure, making prevention today essential to protecting future generations.

The 25th anniversary of September 11 this year has reinforced that lesson. First responders, workers, residents, students, and others exposed to the toxic dust and debris following the attacks continue to face long-term health risks decades later. Even more of them will still find out they were exposed in the coming years. Their experiences remind us why accurate information about exposure, prevention, symptoms, and medical resources is so important.

Prevention Is Essential Because:

  • There is no safe level of asbestos exposure. Even limited exposure can increase the risk of serious and potentially fatal disease.
  • Asbestos-caused diseases often have long latency periods. Mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other diseases may not appear until decades after exposure.
  • Legacy asbestos remains throughout the built environment. Older homes, schools, workplaces, public buildings, infrastructure, and disaster sites can still contain asbestos-containing materials.
  • The United States still does not have a comprehensive statutory ban on asbestos. EPA’s 2024 chrysotile asbestos rule marked important regulatory progress, but it does not address every asbestos fiber or solve the continuing challenge of legacy asbestos.

ADAO remains committed to improving health literacy through education, advocacy, community initiatives, and accessible digital resources that help people understand asbestos risks before exposure occurs.

Bipartisan Progress on the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act

This year also brought an important development in federal asbestos policy.

In August 2026, Senator Jeff Merkley introduced the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act of 2026, S. 5235, with Senator John Curtis as an original cosponsor, establishing bipartisan Senate leadership for a comprehensive asbestos ban.

In the House, Rep. Suzanne Bonamici introduced H.R. 5373 with bipartisan leadership from Rep. Don Bacon.

The legislation would prohibit the import, manufacture, processing, use, and distribution of all six regulated asbestos fibers and Libby Amphibole Asbestos, going beyond the scope of EPA’s chrysotile-only rule. ADAO supports ARBAN as part of its longstanding work to prevent asbestos exposure and asbestos-caused disease.

Throughout Health Literacy Month, we will continue providing the public with understandable, science-based information about asbestos risks, prevention, disease, and public health policy.

ADAO’s 2026 Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Series

October 1 — Health Literacy Month Landing Page
October 5 — Part One: Prevent Asbestos Exposure
October 12 — Part Two: Recognize High-Risk Occupations and Exposures
October 19 — Part Three: Understand the Warning Symptoms of Asbestos-Related Diseases
October 26 — Part Four: Finding a Center of Excellence for Treatment

Knowledge is one of our strongest tools for prevention. Whether the concern is asbestos in an older home, workplace exposure, disaster recovery, occupational risk, or understanding symptoms decades after an exposure occurred, people need credible information they can understand and use.

For more than two decades, ADAO has worked to transform complex science and policy into actionable public health information.

As we always say at ADAO:

“Hear Asbestos. Think Prevention.”™

Thank you for helping us share this important public-health information throughout Health Literacy Month.

Linda Reinstein
President and Co-Founder
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization