As the 18th annual Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW) comes to a close on April 7, 2022, it’s important to carry forward the momentum built from the week’s advocacy efforts into the rest of 2022 and beyond.
As awareness campaigns like GAAW remind us, it’s a common myth that asbestos is already banned in the United States. While asbestos is banned in nearly 70 countries, it remains legal in the United States to this day. So long as asbestos remains legal, it will continue to wage war against citizens, killing up to 40,000 Americans each year.
This week, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) proposed a ban on the use and import of chrysotile asbestos — the most common type of asbestos used in the United States — marking a landmark first step in the country’s progress toward protecting public health. About the proposal, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) President Linda Reinstein said:
“EPA’s proposed restrictions on chrysotile asbestos are a strong step forward in eliminating exposure to a substance that is killing 40,000 Americans each year. We strongly support putting an end to the dangerous use of chrysotile asbestos by the chlor-alkali industry, which has irresponsibly failed to adopt proven non-asbestos technology in the decades since it became available.”
Today, GAAW will conclude with a candlelight vigil hosted by the ADAO. The ceremony aims to remember all the brave mesothelioma warriors who have lost their lives to mesothelioma and honor the survivors who are currently fighting asbestos-related diseases.
Join this year’s virtual ceremony to pay your respects to the individuals and families impacted by these diseases. Visit the ADAO’s website to learn more.
Today We Remember Warriors and Honor Survivors
For more than 20 years, Simmons Hanly Conroy has had the unique privilege of working directly with the individuals and families impacted by mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases.
Today, as GAAW comes to a close, we wish to pay our respects to the fallen mesothelioma warriors of whom it was our honor to know personally and serve proudly as clients, including Mike Mattmuller, George Drieth, Bruce Waite, Bob Guinn, Larry Davis, Forrest Wulf and many, many more.
We also wish to honor all mesothelioma survivors who continue to fight their disease while using their powerful hearts, words and stories in the hope of both bringing awareness to mesothelioma and building momentum toward an asbestos ban in the United States.
The stories of mesothelioma survivors — such as Julie Gundlach — are an inspiration to the mesothelioma community and serve an invaluable role in educating the public on the dangers of asbestos exposure.
In addition to honoring mesothelioma warriors and survivors through the ADAO’s GAAW candlelight vigil, there are many other opportunities to participate in advocacy efforts throughout the year — through donations, political advocacy and fundraising and awareness events around the country.
14th Annual Miles for Meso Will Benefit Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
Simmons Hanly Conroy is honored to announce the 14th annual Miles for Meso 5K race and 3k fun run/walk, which is set to take place on September 24, 2022.
For the ninth straight year, all proceeds from the Miles for Meso event will benefit the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) – the largest independent asbestos victims’ organization in the United States.
ADAO was founded in 2004 to give mesothelioma warriors and concerned citizens a united voice, to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure, and to work toward asbestos bans in the United States and around the globe. The 2021 Miles for Meso race raised $38,000 for ADAO.
A platinum sponsor of the ADAO for 11 straight years, Simmons Hanly Conroy brings the cumulative amount donated to ADAO by the firm and its foundations, including its Miles for Meso races, to more than $1 million.
Since its inception by Simmons Hanly Conroy in 2009, the Miles for Meso has impacted the lives of thousands of people by not only raising mesothelioma awareness, but raising more than $850,000.
Funds from the race benefit the ADAO, and are used to support the organization’s important work, including its annual international asbestos awareness and prevention conference.
