adao meeting with the u.s. office of the surgeon general
TRANSCRIPT
MEETING WITH THE UNITED STATES
OFFICE OF THE SURGEON GENERAL
MARCH 26, 2012
Linda Reinstein
President/CEO and Co-Founder
ADAO Memorial Dedication
www.AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org
Dr. Stephen Levin
1941-2012
• ADAO Science Advisory Board
• Medical Director of the Mount Sinai Irving J.
Selikoff Center for Occupational and
Environmental Medicine
• Professor of Occupational Medicine at the
Mount Sinai School of Medicine
• Co-Director of the World Trade Center
Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening
Program
The International Social Security Association reported that
the “cost-benefit potential for investments in
prevention may be as strong as 1 : 2.2, and even higher
in some cases.”
Building a Culture of Prevention
Brad Black, MD
Barry Castleman, ScD
Raja Flores, MD
Michael
Harbut, MD, Hedy
Kindler, MD
Steven Levin, MD
Co-Chairs Arthur Frank, MD, PhD
Richard Lemen, PhD, MSPH
ADAO Scientific Advisory Board
About ADAO:
ADAO is an independent 501(c)3 certified nonprofit organization
founded in 2004 and based in Redondo Beach, CA.
Mission: To prevent asbestos-related diseases such as mesothelioma
through education, advocacy, and community support initiatives.
Community: ADAO’s community is 20,000+ strong and includes
medical, scientific, labor and occupational safety and health
professionals, government agencies, NGOs, victims of asbestos-related
diseases such as mesothelioma, and their families.
How Small is Asbestos?Fibers compared to rice and hair
2-3 rice grains
5-6 human hairs
20,000
Asbestos Fibers
U.S. Asbestos Apparent Consumption
(Metric Tons)
-
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
60,000
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2000 -
2010
Data from USGS
2000 – 2010 Total 52,509 Metric Tons
1. The World Health Organization, International Labour
Organization, Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Surgeon General
agree: asbestos is a human carcinogen and there is no safe level of asbestos
exposure.
2. More than 10,000 Americans die every year from preventable asbestos-
caused diseases.
3. Asbestos has not been banned in the United States.
4. The United States still imports raw asbestos and contaminated consumer
products.
5. Construction workers are 11 times more likely to develop mesothelioma due
to asbestos exposure at the site.
U.S. Asbestos: Top Five Facts
www.AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org [email protected]
www.AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org [email protected]