Posted on September 28, 2023
On behalf of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), we extend our heartfelt gratitude to everyone who joined the 18th Annual International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference, including our attendees, speakers, honorees, presenters, volunteers, sponsors, and steadfast supporters. This year’s conference, themed “Exploring the Intersection of Art, Advocacy, and Academia”, held on September 9, marked a monumental 19 years of ADAO’s relentless leadership in fostering awareness about asbestos, driving advocacy initiatives, and nurturing a united community. Our new blog detailing the decades of dedication ADAO and our wonderful colleagues have put into the conference is now up on our website.
Our conference featured eight enriching sessions, with a keynote address delivered by Kathy Best. These sessions offered the latest insights on prevention strategies and policy developments. The conference was live-streamed globally at no cost, underscoring ADAO’s belief that access to life-saving public health information should always be unrestricted. ADAO made this landmark move to free streaming last year, and we were thrilled to be able to keep the live stream free this year. This unregulated access to education is a milestone step in promoting health equity worldwide, and we are thrilled to have facilitated global participation in this manner.
While we are in the process of updating you on the conference details, the conference program remains accessible online. We anticipate having the session videos edited and uploaded to our YouTube channel in a few months, so that if you could not join us at the conference itself, you can still view and learn from these important sessions.
We gratefully received four letters of support for our conference and for the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) that can be found in this year’s program. Thank you to Senator Jeff Merkley, Representative Suzanne Bonamici, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), and Olin CEO Scott Sutton for sending in letters. We also received a letter of support from 21 organizations who urged Congress to sign ARBAN immediately.
This year, we had the privilege of bringing together over 30 presenters from six countries including medical professionals, academics, occupational experts, asbestos victims, artists, and ADAO allies. These individuals played a critical role in amplifying awareness about asbestos, sharing recent academic and legislative updates, distributing educational and preventative resources, and advocating for a ban on asbestos.
We are immensely proud and grateful for the collective efforts of our experts and community members who transformed this conference into a remarkable event. Your contributions, narratives, and dedication to creating an asbestos-free world are a constant source of inspiration. The camaraderie, energy, and empathy displayed were palpable, making the conference a reservoir of invaluable knowledge. This initiative not only fosters community building but also contributes significantly towards saving lives. We extend our deepest appreciation to each one of you for making this event a resounding success.
A heartfelt thank you to our 2023 Conference Sponsors who generously supported our educational, advocacy, and community outreach initiatives: Platinum Sponsor: Simmons Hanly Conroy; Gold Sponsors: The Gori Law Firm and and Motley Rice LLC; and Silver Sponsor: Early, Lucarelli, Sweeney & Meisenkothen.
After our conference, we received the incredible news that Rep. Don Bacon signed on to ARBAN as a co-sponsor, making history as the first Republican co-sponsor and officially making ARBAN a bipartisan bill. We know that he made this landmark decision because of the hard work of our community, whose support and guidance was on full display at this year’s conference, and at the conferences before. We are grateful that our community continues to grow, and we look forward to passing ARBAN soon with Rep. Bacon’s help.
In Unity,
Linda Reinstein