“A Global Ban On Asbestos – Chasing Windmills or A Real Global Pursuit” by Dr. Richard Lemen

Dr. Lemen

Richard A. Lemen, Ph.D., M.S.P.H. Assistant Surgeon General, United States Public Health Service (retired) 

“The global campaign to ban asbestos is a public health emergency as is that to curtail any global epidemic. When the world addresses killers like Ebola, Malaria, Cholera or the many other epidemics we seek to include all nations and all political and philosophical avenues for resolution. The same applies to overcoming the global epidemic caused by asbestos. We cannot afford to limit participation in this global campaign through egocentric thinking or hiding behind differing political philosophies, personal differences, or archaic organizational structures that have not always worked together. It means all of us must put such thinking aside if we are to mount this global campaign. We must work for one common goal – a Global Ban on asbestos. Asbestos fibers don’t affect just those directly working with them as they float throughout our environment, even the bystander who least expects their presence can be targeted. Dr. Irving Selikoff, a pioneer in this campaign, tells us, “The floating fibers do not respect job classifications”, likewise we cannot limit our campaign by refusing to work together in pursuit of this common goal. For the Global banning of asbestos to succeed we have to embrace all that seek to join our cause whether their political philosophy leans right or left or represents labor or management. As a public health official with over 45 years pursuing this goal I implore you to put aside such egocentric thinking and come together for the united cause of a Global Ban on asbestos. If we cannot do so then our work will become nothing more than a series of unfulfilled dreams chasing imaginary windmills rather than uniting in the pursuit of our one common goal – a Global Ban on asbestos. It is clear we will not succeed and our epidemic will continue so long as we allow egocentric thinking to block our commonality of cause. So I ask each of you, join together and make a Global Ban on asbestos a reality.”

Richard A. Lemen, Ph.D., M.S.P.H.
Assistant Surgeon General,
United States Public Health Service (retired)