Senators Merkley and Daines Press Release Merkley, Daines Pass Bipartisan Resolution to Designate National Asbestos Awareness Week April 1-7

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 27, 2026

ADAO Commends U.S. Senate For Declaring National Asbestos Awareness Week April 1–7, 2026

Bipartisan Resolution Highlights Ongoing Public Health Risks and Urges the U.S. Surgeon General to Issue an Asbestos Warning

Washington, DC — The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), an independent nonprofit, commends the U.S. Senate for unanimously designating April 1–7, 2026, as National Asbestos Awareness Week. This bipartisan resolution raises awareness and underscores the ongoing, manmade asbestos public health crisis in the United States.

The Senate resolution was championed by Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Steve Daines (R-MT), and co-sponsored by Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ed Markey (D-MA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), and Cory Booker (D-NJ). Despite decades of evidence documenting its harm, asbestos continues to be imported and used in the United States, underscoring the need for comprehensive regulatory and legislative action.

Asbestos is a known human carcinogen with no safe level of exposure. More than 200,000 people worldwide die each year from asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. In the United States, nearly 40,000 people die annually. Although nearly 70 countries have banned asbestos, in the United States, only chrysotile asbestos is subject to limited prohibitions.

“The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization commends the U.S. Senate for recognizing National Asbestos Awareness Week and reinforcing the urgent need for prevention,” said Linda Reinstein, Co-Founder, President, and CEO of ADAO. “We sincerely thank Senators Jeff Merkley, Steve Daines, and the bipartisan cosponsors for their leadership. Asbestos exposure is entirely preventable, yet it continues to cause disease and death decades after exposure. 

“This resolution, including its call for a renewed asbestos warning from the U.S. Surgeon General, is a critical step toward elevating national awareness and protecting public health. By advancing science-based policy, amplifying the voices of those affected, and passing comprehensive legislation such as the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act, we can prevent exposure, save lives, and protect workers, families, and communities from this known carcinogen,” she said.

“All Americans deserve a future free of asbestos exposure—a carcinogen that has killed far too many,” said Senator Jeff Merkley. “This National Asbestos Awareness Week, we commit to shining a light on this ongoing crisis and ending this dangerous public health threat once and for all.”

“Far too many Montanans have suffered because of toxic exposure to asbestos, especially in the towns of Libby and Troy. National Asbestos Awareness Week is an important way to call attention to the dangers of asbestos and protect the health and safety of our communities,”  said Senator Steve Daines.

For 22 years, the first week of April has united advocates, scientists, policymakers, workers, and families worldwide to raise awareness of and prevent asbestos-related diseases. Through curated Global Asbestos Awareness Week (#2026GAAW) daily themes that connect science, survivor voices, advocacy, and global leadership, culminating in a Virtual Candlelight Vigil, ADAO’s evidence-based advocacy has strengthened public health protections, raised awareness, and built global partnerships to prevent asbestos exposure and eliminate asbestos-related diseases.

Read the full text of the 21st National Asbestos Awareness Week (April 1–7) Resolution.

Read the press release from sponsor Jeff Merkley.

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