2026 ADAO Staff Briefing Flyer
2026 RSVP: ADAO Staff Briefing Luncheon on Sep. 23 at 12:00 pm ET
Note: ADAO’s briefing is for credentialed staffers only. RSVP is Required.
Posted on August 31, 2026
The briefing comes at a pivotal moment for federal asbestos policy. On August 4, Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and John Curtis (R-UT) introduced the bipartisan Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act of 2026 (S. 5235). The bill would prohibit remaining commercial uses of asbestos and establish comprehensive federal protections in law, protections a future administration could not simply reverse. Passage would protect workers, families, and communities from preventable asbestos exposure for generations to come.
Speakers include:
Brent Kynoch, Environmental Information Association Linda Reinstein, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization Greg Russell, International Association of Fire Fighters Bob Sussman, JD, Counsel for the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
Nearly Two Decades of Congressional Education
Since 2008, ADAO has convened 19 Congressional Staff Briefings on asbestos’s impact on public health, workers, families, communities, and the environment. This briefing falls during Mesothelioma Awareness Month, when ADAO shares resources, honors those living with mesothelioma, remembers those lost, thanks caregivers, and recognizes the scientists and medical professionals advancing treatment.
With the continued leadership of Senator Jeff Merkley, ADAO is bringing congressional staff together again for an evidence-based update on:
- Asbestos-related diseases and their human and economic toll
- Ongoing exposure risks from legacy asbestos in homes, schools, workplaces, and public buildings
- Federal regulatory developments
- Current commercial uses of asbestos
- The need for comprehensive federal legislation to prevent exposure and disease
The bipartisan leadership of Senators Merkley and Curtis underscores an indelible fact: preventing asbestos exposure and disease is not a partisan issue. It is a public health imperative.
Why It Matters
Asbestos is a known human carcinogen. There is no safe level of exposure to any type of asbestos fiber. It can cause mesothelioma, lung cancer, asbestosis, and other serious diseases, often decades after exposure occurs.
The EPA’s 2024 chrysotile asbestos rule marked important progress, but the United States still lacks a comprehensive statutory ban on asbestos. Congressional education and bipartisan legislative action remain essential.
Take Action
ADAO encourages patients, families, workers, advocates, public health professionals, and concerned citizens to ask their members of Congress to support the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act: S. 5235 in the Senate and H.R. 5373 in the House.
Learn more: ARBAN Act Resource Page and Timeline.
Twenty briefings. One enduring goal: prevent exposure, prevent disease, and save lives. Prevention remains the only cure.
Onward. Together.
Linda Reinstein President and Co-Founder Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)