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Global Asbestos Awareness Week

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Easily inhaled asbestos fibers

The theme of the 2021 Global Asbestos Awareness Week is “One Word. One Week. One World.” Since 2005, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) has hosted a week of education and action to end the use of asbestos. Though the dangers of asbestos have been known for decades, there remains a need to educate the public and those in office who can make a difference in its importation and use. April 1-7 of each year we are reminded that this danger still exists and threatens lives. Since the first Global Asbestos Awareness Week in 2005 until today, it is estimated 600,000 Americans lost their lives to asbestos-caused illnesses.

U.S. Senate passed 16th resolution for “Global Asbestos Awareness Week”

The Senate once again formally recognized the need for public exposure to the dangers of asbestos. Linda Reinstein, mesothelioma widow and ADAO co-founder, congratulated the Senate for the passage of S. Res. 145. Reinstein wrote, “We are grateful to Congress for passing this resolution and once again putting the dangers of asbestos exposure on the national radar, but we must do more.” She further emphasized, “With this continuation of use and an increase in imports, awareness of the dangers of asbestos, and an eventual ban on imports and use, are more important than ever. Unlike the more than 70 countries that have banned asbestos, Americans remain at risk of asbestos exposure every day from a variety of places, including our schools, homes, workplaces, and from unsuspecting products on consumer shelves like toys and cosmetics.”

What are the dangers of asbestos?

Asbestos is a mineral that can be used in the manufacture of many products, including insulation, shingles, brake pads, tile mastic, cosmetics and hundreds of other uses. Though it’s been known for over a century that asbestos exposure can be deadly – no matter the level of exposure ­– there is still no ban in the United States.

Inhalation of asbestos causes a spectrum of diseases including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma. There is currently no cure for mesothelioma – a disease which can be caused by even brief or intermittent asbestos exposures. 

How can Global Asbestos Awareness Week help?

Each year, goals are set to push forward the asbestos banning agenda. This year there are four main points:

            • Banning the mining, manufacturing, and use of asbestos

            • Preventing asbestos exposure

            • Increasing compliance and enforcement of existing laws and regulations

            • Strengthening international partnerships

Reinstein reported, “The United States imported nearly 30 percent more asbestos in 2020 than in the prior year. With this continuation of use and an increase in imports, awareness of the dangers of asbestos, and an eventual ban on imports and use, are more important than ever.”

What can you do to help?

If you suspect asbestos in your home or business built before 1980, have an abatement professional inspect before any remodeling or disturbance of the material. If you’ve been exposed, let your doctors know so they can create a baseline and monitor you for signs of asbestos disease.

During this Global Asbestos Awareness Week, let your congressional and senatorial representatives, as well as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), know your concerns and the need for a ban. This is long past due; let’s make it happen!

Federal Task Force OKs Free Lung Cancer Early Testing

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Free lung cancer screening

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) says the benefits of free lung cancer early testing could be significant – especially for women and Black people. This task force is an independent assembly of 16 physicians and scientists who evaluate medications and tests. As a federally appointed group, they have recommended major changes in how, who and when people should begin this testing for lung cancer.

Under the Affordable Care Act, private insurers must cover services, without patient cost-sharing, that receive “A” or “B” recommendations from the task force.  The lung-cancer screening recommendation received a “B” rating.  Medicare also generally follows the group’s recommendations.

Why invest in these additional scans?

Lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer. While lung cancer diagnoses are fairly low before the age of 50, it increases rapidly after that age and especially after 60 years of age.

However, the survival rate is higher when the disease is caught in the earliest stages.   The conclusion of the task force was that broadening eligibility for lung cancer screening would save a substantial number of lives each year. 

How should people be tested?

Testing would begin with an annual low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) scan. People with cancer have a much better chance of survival when diagnosed early. This type of screening identifies small possible cancers and has shown a substantially reduced risk of dying from lung cancer.

However, it does have limitations. LDCD doesn’t detect all types of lung cancer. When it does detect cancers, it may not be at an early stage and does not ensure an avoidance of death from the disease. Detection of a false positive is also a possibility. This may mean additional tests and anxiety for the patient.

Who should receive lung cancer early screening?

According to the USPSTF 2021 recommendations:

Adults 50 – 80 who have smoked approximately 1 pack a day for 20 years.

In all cases, the testing is for people who currently smoke or quit within the past 15 years.

Those who develop lung cancer from exposure to asbestos would definitely benefit from earlier and frequent testing. Smoking paired with asbestos exposure leads to a much greater risk for lung cancer than those with similar smoking habits and no asbestos exposure.

What age should testing begin?

According to the new proposed guidelines, testing would start at 50 for those who meet the qualifications. This should be followed with annual checkups.

Is this covered by insurance?

Through a provision of the Affordable Care Act, since this lung cancer recommendation has a “B” rating from the task force, costs are covered by private insurers. There is also no cost-sharing by the patient. Medicare generally follows the task force’s guidance.

Varying opinions on lung cancer early testing

“We have to find these lung cancers early. It’s a very minimal test,” according to Roy S. Herbst, a lung-cancer specialist at the Yale Cancer Center. He is enthusiastic that identifying this cancer at an early stage means a better chance of treating or curing it. Estimates claim fewer than 5 percent of eligible Americans have had screening for lung cancer.

On the more cautious side, Daniel S. Reuland, professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, co-wrote an analysis of pros and cons. In that analysis he said, “Screening high-risk people with low-dose CT can reduce lung cancer mortality but also causes false-positive results leading to unnecessary tests and invasive procedures, overdiagnosis, incidental finding, increases in distress, and, rarely, radiation-induced cancers.” Follow-up tests can be costly and cause anxiety. He and other physicians believe that along with the screening must be shared decision making between doctors and patients. The pluses and minuses need to be explained to the patient before testing.

Dr.  John Wong, a member of the task force and an internist at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, believes finding a potentially lethal cancer at an early stage far outweighs the harms. Though follow-up tests from a screening might cause some anxiety, “if you miss a lung cancer, then it might spread and shorten your life.”

Asbestos, Quebec Putting Asbestos Past Behind

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After a 120 year history, Asbestos, Quebec is putting its asbestos past behind. Asbestos is known throughout the world as a deadly mineral comprised of microscopic fibers. These fibers, when inhaled, can cause diseases such as lung cancer, the deadly mesothelioma, and asbestosis. There is no safe level of exposure according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

History of Asbestos, Quebec

In 1879, the Jeffrey Mine opened. This was the beginning of the town that bore the name of the mineral that brought wealth, high-paying employment, and – eventually – a negative notoriety to Asbestos, Quebec.

By the 1920s, the dangers of asbestos were known, but ignored. The mining companies were not willing to lose the large profits from the mines. The mineral was becoming recognized throughout the world for its many properties including insulation and fire-retardance. Products and new ways of using the mineral were rapidly created. Asbestos, Quebec became a well-known exporter of asbestos for the world. By 1969, Asbestos had to relocate from its original site to allow room for the Jeffrey Mine expansion.

However, by the 1970s and 1980s, demand began to decrease as the dangers of asbestos, known to mine owners and manufacturers since the 1920s, became known to the public as well.

It was 2011 before the mines closed, along with Jeffery Mine tours the public could take into the western world’s largest mine. With the mine closures, Asbestos was hit hard with unemployment, bringing about a need for new industries bringing jobs to the small town.

Bringing new business to Asbestos, Quebec

Town officials began a search for new businesses, but immediately ran into objections based on the town’s name. As far back as 2006, the idea of a name change was suggested to the citizens. At that time it was rejected by those who remembered the history of their town with pride, despite the reputation of asbestos. Even today, many people in Asbestos believe there is a use for asbestos under safe and controlled circumstances.

In 2019, Mayor Hugues Grimard stated, “If we want to go further in terms of economic development, then we don’t have the choice. The media attention of our past stays with us any time we do anything.” Not only the media is a roadblock, but also the reputation of the word, “asbestos.” Many corporations do not want that negative image attached to their company and products.

A few new businesses located to the town, but not nearly enough to replace the enormous economic impact of the asbestos mines. Companies that did relocate to Asbestos have to fight the town’s name with customers who often think their products contain asbestos.

And the new name is?

A notice says the “city council remains aware that the history of Asbestos and its heritage are very dear to everyone. This is why these elements will be taken into account throughout the process.”

To give everyone a chance to rename the town, the council opened the search for a new name to the citizens of Asbestos – even those as young as 14. There were several requirements for suggestions: they must reflect the area or people, no saints or other names of persons, and it must be in French. After collecting all the suggestions, a committee will review and select five or fewer to be voted on by the people. The winner will be announced in May, 2020 and Asbestos, Quebec will take on a new character – one without the dark history of asbestos.

Johnson & Johnson Knew for Decades Talc Contained Asbestos

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Johnson & Johnson’s Baby Powder, a talcum powder product used by generations of parents and children, often contained asbestos, reports Reuters.  The same mines where talc is found are often contaminated with deposits of naturally occurring asbestos.   

A Reuters review of internal company documents, show that from at least 1971, Johnson & Johnson’s raw talc and finished powers sometimes tested positive for asbestos content.  The company’s lawyers & executives, however, were concerned about how to deal with the problem without disclosing the problem to the public.  

As the EPA considered regulating the use of asbestos in cosmetic products in the mid-1970s, Johnson & Johnson successfully avoided increased regulatory scrutiny by assuring the agency that no asbestos was detected in any sample of talc. This belied the reality that at least three internal tests in three years had found asbestos in its talc.  

Asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral, is a deadly carcinogen.  Decades of scientific research establish that inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause an array of human injuries including asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma – an incurable and fatal cancer.  The latency period, or time from exposure to diagnosis of an asbestos disease, can take decades: 30 or even 40 years is common.  

The Johnson & Johnson documents have recently come to light after years of legal claims brought by victims who alleged their injuries were caused by exposure to Baby Powder.  While most of these claims were brought by women with ovarian cancer,  more recent trials have involved mesothelioma victims – a signature disease caused only by asbestos.  

Johnson & Johnson states it will appeal the recent verdicts and maintains that its talc is safe, as shown by what the company views as the best available studies.  

Talc which studies showed sometimes contained small amounts of asbestos came from mines in Italy and Vermont.  Since 2003, talc in Baby Powder sold in the United States has been sourced from China.  

Talcum Powder a Carcinogen?

Mesothelioma Awareness Day and ADAO, the Group that Started it All

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The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, ADAO, was the group that started it all. It began in 2004 when two people, Doug Larkin and Linda Reinstein, who had loved ones suffering from mesothelioma saw a need and worked to find a way to stop this deadly disease. They found it through the ADAO as they began spreading the message about asbestos and mesothelioma.

Today is Mesothelioma Awareness Day, started by ADAO, and a perfect time to look at this amazing organization that makes fighting for past, current, and future victims of asbestos its goal.

The journey

Caring for, and watching their family members die, put the founders in contact with others going through the same painful journey – a journey that could be prevented for the generations to come if the mineral at the heart of it all could be banned. Fourteen years later, it is still not banned in the United States, but is in many parts of the world.

This group started slowly but gathered momentum as other victims and their family members learned of its existence. Today, thanks to people from all walks of life: patients, caregivers, and a host of donors and volunteers, the ADAO boasts a network of over 50,000 people who share in this quest to eradicate mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases from the world.

More than a ban

While the ADAO does strive for a ban, their mission goes beyond that with three initiatives: education, advocacy, and community.

Education

The ADAO has gathered a built an extensive library that is shared throughout the globe, along with a website brimming with information about asbestos and what you can do. There are speakers at conferences and events around the world presenting opportunities to interact and share information with others on similar missions. Each year, the ADAO hosts its own conference, the International Asbestos Awareness Conference where the latest information on the status of prevention and treatments is shared. In 2019, the conference will be in Washington, D.C. on April 5-7.

Advocacy

Since 2004, the ADAO has presented 13 staff briefings for the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. They’ve created and sponsored a bill, the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act, that is supported by both the House and the Senate. This bill would require the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to finally – and permanently – remove the possibility of all human or environmental asbestos exposure.

Community

Caring for someone suffering from mesothelioma is an isolating experience. Linda Reinstein experienced that as she cared for her husband and knew it was an important part of the ADAO mission to support those with the disease and those caring for them. There are groups throughout social media to provide contacts and support without leaving home, there are campaigns, like “Share Your Story” and “6 Word Quotes” that educate about the dangers of asbestos and unite those living with the aftermath of exposure.

The fight continues

Until asbestos is banned throughout the world and there is no one suffering any longer from this disease, the ADAO will continue to fight to educate, support, and bring the issues of exposure to those in government who can make a difference.

You can sign a petition to the EPA for a final ban on asbestos, follow the ADAO on Facebook and Twitter, and get their eNewsletter – all ways to stay informed.