FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 10, 2019
AS CORPORATIONS LIKE JOHNSON & JOHNSON FAIL TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM ASBESTOS, CONGRESS MUST DEMAND MORE
Asbestos Advocacy Organization Urges Congress to Pass Legislation in the Face of Corporate Failure and Agency Inaction
Washington, DC––Linda Reinstein, president of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, the largest asbestos-victim advocacy organization, released the following statement today in advance of the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Economic and Consumer Policy Committee “Examining Carcinogens in Talc and the Best Methods for Asbestos Detection” hearing.
“For too long the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have neglected their duty to protect the public health of Americans when it comes to asbestos-contaminated consumer products.
It is long past time EPA and FDA do their job to hold corporations accountable for protecting the health and safety of their customers.
As evidenced by Johnson and Johnson’s refusal to appear before the committee today to take accountability for their unacceptably contaminated talc products, the United States must demand corporations do more.
They must use the most advanced, and accurate, scientific testing methods available to detect asbestos, uphold existing laws and regulations, and protect public health and the environment. Asbestos kills 40,000 Americans every year. All of those deaths are preventable.
In the face of this inaction, Congress must act. Four bills, including the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2019 (ARBAN) would prevent cosmetic, consumer, and workplace asbestos exposures. All four remain pending in Congress. Congress should move to pass these bills immediately and prevent more Americans from unnecessary and deadly asbestos exposure.”
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Media Contact
Tracy Russo, (202) 556-1631
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About the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO is the largest non-profit in the U.S. dedicated to providing asbestos victims and concerned citizens with a united voice through our education, advocacy, and community initiatives. ADAO seeks to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure, advocate for an asbestos ban, and protect asbestos victims’ civil rights. For more information, visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.