Asbestos Awareness Week starts today. The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is kicking off this global campaign of education and awareness about the risks of asbestos and the need for a ban with a candlelight vigil. Throughout the week, they’ll be presenting information from doctors, activists, and victims of asbestos diseases. Asbestos Awareness Week was
Because the Environmental Protection Agency began limiting the use of asbestos in the 1970s, many believe it is a disease of generations past. Unfortunately, it’s common use and the lack of a worldwide ban means it still poses significant risks. In fact, many predict resurgence. In 1990, a convention met to examine the threat of more
Many years have passed since asbestos use became limited in the United States, yet the effects are still felt by workers and families alike. Those employed by steel mills, paper mills, shipyards and more put their lives in danger every day simply by going to work. Unlike other substances, overall evidence suggests there isn’t a […]
Asbestos is a silent killer, infecting its victim and waiting years to make its presence known. Many believe asbestos is a threat of the past and assume it’s banned with no risk of exposure. In reality, asbestos remains a deadly and destructive force. In the 50 years since the landmark medical study definitively indicated asbestos […]
WASHINGTON (June 30, 2015) – Fifty years after a landmark medical study definitively established that asbestos kills, the exact death toll remains unknown. Now, new research from EWG Action Fund provides the most accurate estimates available for the deadly impact of asbestos – across the nation and in your back yard. EWG Action Fund today […]
For Immediate Release: June 17, 2015 Contact: Alex Formuzis, EWG Action Fund: 202.667.6982 or alex@ewg.org Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s official guidance on the demolition of crumbling buildings with asbestos is woefully outdated and must be revamped to protect public health, says the agency’s own inspector general in a new report. The EPA’s Office […]
Washington, D.C. – (June 16, 2015) – A man diagnosed with mesothelioma in 2013 saw his tumors virtually disappear within two months of completing an experimental treatment developed by Australian cancer researchers, a newly published study reports. Bradley Selmon, 51, who was exposed to asbestos over years of working as a plumber in Sydney, shared […]
For Immediate Release: June 10, 2015 Contact: Alex Formuzis, EWG Action Fund: 202.667.6982 or alex@ewg.org Washington, D.C. – For decades, American workers have been breathing air contaminated with asbestos in excess of federal health limits, according to a new analysis of federal government air sampling data. In a study published last month in the journal, Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology researchers from […]
Contact: Alex Formuzis: 202.667.6982 or alex@ewg.org WASHINGTON, D.C.(May 14, 2015) – In response to today’s congressional action setting up a likely House vote on a bill designed to delay compensating asbestos victims, several prominent victims’ advocates took lawmakers to task for siding with industry instead of public health. The Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency Act, dubbed […]
Contact: Alex Formuzis: 202.667.6982 or alex@ewg.org WASHINGTON, D.C. (May 13, 2015) – A new analysis by EWG Action Fund concludes that up to 15,000 Americans die every year from asbestos-related diseases, significantly more than previous estimates. The findings indicate that 50 years after medical research definitively established that asbestos kills, the government still can’t say for […]
Washington, D.C. (May 12, 2015) – EWG Action Fund today filed Freedom of Information requests with the federal Food and Drug Administration and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission seeking information on undisclosed asbestos contamination in consumer goods. “American asbestos mining stopped years ago, but a mounting body of evidence indicates that asbestos still contaminates some consumer products,” EWG […]
For Immediate Release: May 7, 2015 Contact: Alex Formuzis: 202.667.6982 or alex@ewg.org Washington, D.C. – Almost every week, somewhere in the U.S., another asbestos problem makes the news – contamination of schools, hospitals, court houses and other public buildings, faulty abatement and removal, workers illegally exposed to deadly airborne fibers, and more. Although many people […]
WASHINGTON – Wednesday’s $12.4 million verdict against Colgate-Palmolive Co. by a jury that found that a California woman contracted mesothelioma from asbestos-laced talcum powder is a stark reminder of the threats that asbestos still poses to millions of people, said EWG Action Fund. The Los Angeles jury found in favor of Judith Winkel, ordering the company […]