The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) recently announced the dates of its forthcoming 16th annual International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference, which will be held on Sept. 17-18, 2021. This year, the conference will be entirely virtual, allowing people from all around the globe to stream the event live. Simmons Hanly Conroy is proud to be a platinum sponsor of the event. 

With the twofold goal of spreading knowledge and awareness and gaining momentum behind legislative action, the International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference brings together the entire mesothelioma and asbestos-disease prevention communities, made up of advocates, doctors, and medical and public health experts, among others.

In addition to presentations on cutting-edge medical research and therapies, discussions on legislative policies and hurdles, and award and recognition ceremonies, this year, the conference will also host a one-day film festival, to be held on Friday, Sept. 17.

The Conference That Fights Back Against Asbestos

Spanning two days, the International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference aims to unite knowledge and action to help lower and/or eliminate the threat of asbestos, a known carcinogenic substance that kills more than 250,000 people globally, according to recent data.

In the United States, recent research out of the Institute for Health Metric and Evaluation (IHME) shows that asbestos killed more than 40,000 Americans in 2019 alone. Sadly, the United States remains one of the few developed nations that has yet to totally ban the substance. 

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), asbestos can spur the development of certain diseases and cancers, including:

  • Mesothelioma
  • Asbestosis
  • Lung cancer
  • Ovarian cancer
  • And other cancers

A naturally occurring mineral once prized for its ability to resist heat and electricity, asbestos was used for decades in thousands of products from insulation to floor tiles. Over time, when these products begin to break down, their deterioration can release microscopic asbestos fibers into the air. It’s when these fibers are unknowingly inhaled or ingested that asbestos is at its most dangerous.

Promoting knowledge helps to identify actionable items and develop social and legislative strategies for creating a healthier and safer environment for everyone.

What to Expect From This Year’s Conference?

For this year’s conference, the ADAO has put together an outstanding two-day schedule, featuring a range of experts across a number of different disciplines from investigative journalism to medicine and public health.

Below is a brief overview of the conference. For more detailed information, be sure to visit the ADAO’s conference website.

Friday, Sept. 17, 2021

The first day of this year’s International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention conference will feature a film festival, screening the following three films, all of which focus on asbestos disease and prevention:

  • The Mother, directed by Paolo Monico
  • Dirty Laundry, directed by Conor B. Lewis and Zack Johnson
  • Breathless, directed by Daniel Lambo

Before each film screening, a different keynote speaker will present. At the day’s conclusion, a candlelight vigil will be held to honor and pay respects to those who have lost their lives from preventable asbestos-related diseases.

Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021

The second day of the conference will be broken up into several different panel discussions, during which the panel will speak about various issues that are significant to the asbestos disease awareness and prevention community, including:

  • Progress and Challenges from the Frontline
  • Medical Advancements: Diagnosing and Treating Mesothelioma and Asbestos-Related Diseases
  • What Is It? Where Is It? What Do I Do?
  • Advocacy: Global Ban Asbestos Action

In addition to panel discussions, the second day of the conference will also feature keynote speaker Safety and Health Director of the AFL-CIO Rebecca L. Reindel, MS, MPH.

Join Us at the 16th Annual International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference

Each year, the International Asbestos Awareness and Prevention Conference brings much-needed attention to the scourge of asbestos and the havoc it has wreaked across the globe.

Without organizations like the ADAO and the annual conference it holds, it’s quite possible legislative progress on asbestos could be stymied. This year alone, the ADAO — with the help of several state attorneys general and other non-profit organizations — won a lawsuit against the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, requiring the agency to now take further actions to hold U.S. companies accountable for importing and using asbestos within the United States.

To join us at this year’s conference, visit the Registration Page on the conference’s website. All proceeds from the conference will support ADAO’s mission to spread knowledge and awareness about asbestos-related diseases and to work toward an asbestos ban.

Simmons Hanly Conroy is honored to be the longest consecutive platinum sponsor of the conference, aving now donated a cumulative total of more than $1 million over the past decade.

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