Posted on October 5, 2026

October is Health Literacy Month, and we at the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) believe that health literacy saves lives.

When people understand where asbestos may be found, how exposure occurs, and what steps can prevent exposure, 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. An estimated 40,000 Americans die each year from asbestos-related diseases, roughly one person every 13 minutes.

Because these diseases can take decades to develop after exposure, the decisions we make today can protect people for generations to come.

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

Legacy Asbestos Is Still With Us

Although asbestos use in the United States has declined significantly recently, it was imported in hundreds of tons less than 10 years ago, and asbestos-containing materials remain throughout our built environment, including older homes, schools, workplaces, public buildings, industrial facilities, and infrastructure.

EPA’s Part 2 risk evaluation also found unreasonable risks associated with legacy asbestos uses. EPA is now developing a risk-management rule addressing those exposures.

Asbestos fibers are microscopic and cannot be identified simply by looking at a material. The danger increases when asbestos-containing materials are damaged or disturbed by renovation, repair, demolition, maintenance, or other activity that releases fibers into the air.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises that suspected asbestos-containing material that is in good condition and will not be disturbed is generally best left alone. If a material may contain asbestos and could be disturbed, EPA recommends evaluation by a properly trained and accredited asbestos professional.

Know Before You Disturb

Before beginning renovation, demolition, repair, or maintenance work:

  • Do not cut, sand, drill, scrape, sweep, or remove material you suspect may contain asbestos.
  • Do not rely on appearance alone. You cannot determine whether a material contains asbestos simply by looking at it.
  • Use trained and accredited asbestos professionals when inspection, sampling, repair, or removal is needed.
  • Ask questions before work begins in a home, school, workplace, or other older structure.
  • Follow federal, state, and local requirements for asbestos inspection, management, renovation, and disposal.

The same prevention principles matter following fires, storms, building collapses, and other disasters. Damaged structures can create additional exposure hazards when debris and building materials are disturbed.

Twenty-five years after September 11, we continue to see why preventing exposure matters. First responders, workers, residents, students, and others exposed to toxic dust and debris continue to face long-term health concerns. What happens during an exposure may not reveal its consequences for decades.

Prevention Begins With Knowledge

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 eliminate the continuing challenge of legacy asbestos already present in buildings and infrastructure.

That makes individual and community awareness especially important.

Learn where asbestos may be found. Ask before disturbing suspicious materials. Use trained professionals. Know your workplace protections. Share prevention information with your family, coworkers, schools, and community.

As we always say at ADAO:

“Hear Asbestos. Think Prevention.”™

Thank you for joining us and sharing this important public-health information throughout Health Literacy Month.

Linda Reinstein
President and Co-Founder
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization