FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 8, 2019
PRESIDENT OF ASBESTOS DISEASE AWARENESS ORGANIZATION TESTIFIES IN SUPPORT OF ALAN REINSTEIN BAN ASBESTOS NOW ACT
New Data Shows 1 Million Americans Have Died from Asbestos-Related Diseases
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 testifying before the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change in the United States House of Representatives.
“Asbestos has claimed more than 1,000,000 American lives since 1991, when the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) attempt to ban asbestos was overturned following litigation from the asbestos industry.
While the majority of Americans believe asbestos has already been banned in this country, the truth is the threat is real and ever present. That is why I testified today to urge Congress to immediately pass the lifesaving bicameral Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2019 and protect public health.
Today I shared the toll asbestos-caused diseases have wrought on American families like my own. I shared new research from the The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), an independent global health research center at the University of Washington, which shows more than one million families like mine are aching for a loved one they have lost as a result of an asbestos-related disease.
This data, was the first to comprehensively compile statistics on deaths from asbestos-caused lung cancer, mesothelioma, ovarian cancer, larynx cancer, and chronic asbestosis shows annual asbestos-related disease deaths are more than double the previous estimates of 15,000 per year.
In 2016, a bipartisan Congress strengthened the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) to empower the Environmental Protection Agency to ban deadly chemicals like asbestos. Since then the EPA has taken token steps to enact toothless regulations that cater to the chemical industry rather than take bold steps to protect public health. The time for action is now–before more families lose loved ones to these entirely preventable diseases.
In the face of this inaction, Congress must step forward.”
For more information
Read Linda’s full testimony before the Energy and Commerce Committee http://bit.ly/2J6FdJY
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Media Contacts
Tracy Russo, (202) 556-1631
tracy@upshiftstrategies.com
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.
Source:
Chart Data provided by:
Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network.
Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 (GBD 2017) Results.
Seattle, United States: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME), 2018.
Available from http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool.