Posted on August 1, 2016
Take Action Now: Call Your Two U.S. Senators! Invite and encourage their Health and Environmental Senate Staffers to attend.
This year has already been monumental for ADAO in terms of legislative progress, and we’re working hard to capitalize on the momentum we’ve earned. Following the passage of sweeping reform to the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), our nation’s chemical safety regulatory process, the possibility of an imminent ban on asbestos is more real than ever. ADAO served as a stakeholder throughout this legislative process, and now that the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act is law, we’re shifting our focus to implementation.
ADAO is proud and excited to host our 10th Congressional Staff Luncheon Briefing on September 13th. To ensure the success of our educational briefing, we need your help. Please call your two U.S. Senators and invite their health and environmental staffers to attend, as nothing motivates a senator more than calls from their constituents.
It’s a snap and very rewarding.
- Find your senators’ DC phone number here.
- Call their offices using the script below. If necessary, leave a voice message and/or email the staffer.
- Post your message on my Facebook wall to let the community know you have called and what their office said.
Phone script: “Hello, my name is (first name) and I am one of your constituents from (town where you live). I’m calling to confirm that your health and environmental staffers received the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization’s invitation to their Staff Luncheon Briefing on September 13 at 12 PM. This invitation was sent to your office on Monday August 1. This briefing is important to me and I urge them to attend this educational briefing about implementing TSCA and why asbestos must be prioritized in the first ten high-risk chemicals. Please RSVP by Friday, September 9, 2016 via the link on the invitation flyer or call: (310) 251-7477. Thank you.”
Help us even further by getting social throughout the months of August and September by joining ADAO’s new 6-Word Quote || Raise Your Voice Campaign! Check out our blog for simple instructions on how to get involved.
Together, we are shaping policy for a safer world!
Linda
10th Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) Congressional Staff Luncheon Briefing: “TSCA Implementation: Prioritizing Asbestos to Protect Public Health and the Environment” Tuesday, September 13, 2016
WHO: Health and Environmental Senate Staffers ONLY
RSVP: Via Google form (link on flyer) or call (310) 251-7477
DEADLINE: RSVP for lunch by Friday, September 9, 2016
Background: Asbestos is responsible for 15,000 deaths each year in the USA, yet this killer chemical remains legal and lethal. In June, President Obama became the first sitting president to acknowledge asbestos as a carcinogen and signed into law the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act, a sweeping chemical safety reform that empowers the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to ban asbestos once and for all. In the coming months, EPA will announce 10 high-risk chemicals for prioritization, and there is overwhelming consensus that to protect public health and the environment, asbestos must be on that list.
Date: Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Time: 12:00 – 1:00 pm
Where: Dirksen Senate Office Building
Speakers:
- Barry Castleman, ScD
- Mark Catlin, American Public Health Association (APHA)
- Andy Igrejas, Safer Chemicals, Healthy Families (SCHF)
- Brent Kynoch, Executive Director, Environmental Information Association (EIA)
- Mike Mattmuller, Mesothelioma Patient
- Linda Reinstein, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization President/CEO/Co-Founder
- Daniel Rosenberg, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC)
To Be Discussed: The informational briefing will focus on implementing The Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act and ensuring the EPA will prioritize asbestos, making it among the first five chemicals reviewed and regulated.