Congressional Staff Briefing "Impact of Asbestos on Public Health, Environment, and Economy" on August 27, 2019

1. LINDA REINSTEIN
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)
President/ CEO and Co-Founder
California
Linda@adao.us

3. Linda@adao.us
Education Advocacy Community
www.adao.us

5. • Executive Summary
• Speaker Biographies
• Constituents’ Stories
• PowerPoint Presentations
• ADAO Chlor-Alkali Report
• Referenced Materials
@Linda_ADAO

7. Legacy Asbestos in the White House
Photographer: Zach Gibson/ Bloomberg

12. U.S. SurgeonGeneral JeromeAdams Issues the 2019
AsbestosAwarenessWeekWarning
@Linda_ADAO

13. Mesothelioma Patient
Diagnosed in 2011
Mike Mattmuller

14. JUST A REGULAR GUY
diagnosed with Pleural Mesothelioma at the age of 29

15. Extrapleural Pneumonectomy (EPP) Surgery

17. Fighting for Today and the Future

18. Briefing Takeaways
 I am the new face of mesothelioma patients, and I am
only 37—with a baby girl.
 Asbestos is in children’s toys, cosmetics, and
consumer products in the United States, confirmed by
several independent investigations in 2000, 2007,
2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

19. Dr. Raja Flores
Chairman of the Department of Thoracic Surgery
Mount Sinai School of Medicine

20. Source: IJERPH | Global Asbestos Disaster

23. 9/11 Aftermath
World Trade Center
Health Program
• 70,000+ WTC
rescue/recovery workers &
17,000+ community
members monitored and
treated
• Over 50% are afflicted with
chronic, exposure-related
conditions, which
represents a 7% increase
over last year
• 1,387 have died since the
program’s inception
• New patients diagnosed with
WTC-related cancer 10-15
times every week

24. Briefing Takeaways
 Asbestos is deadly.
 World Trade Center Health Program Facts:
- 70,000 workers have chronic conditions
- 10-15 new cancers a week

25. Assistant General President for Health, Safety and
Medicine
International Association of Fire Fighters

26. Prior to 1975, building materials
contained asbestos.
Often times members are unaware
that a building contains asbestos.
Exposures occur during fire
suppression, over haul and gross
decontamination.
Asbestos impacts IAFF members everyday

28. IAFF Involvement

29. Why we need to pass S. 717
• According to the NIOSH Firefighter
study, “Firefighters have a rate of
mesothelioma two times greater than the
rate in the U.S. population as a whole.”
• There is no safe level of exposure to
asbestos, a known carcinogen, and it
becomes especially dangerous when the
microscopic asbestos fibers become
dislodged and airborne.

30. Briefing Takeaways
 According to the NIOSH Firefighter study, “Firefighters have a rate of
mesothelioma two times greater than the rate in the U.S. population as a whole.”
 There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos, a known carcinogen, and it
becomes especially dangerous when the microscopic asbestos fibers become
dislodged and airborne.

31. US Policymakers Face a Moment of Truth
Bob Sussman, ADAO Counsel

32. The good news . . .
• Asbestos is no longer being
mined in the US
• Canada and Brazil, once large
producers, have banned
asbestos
• Many asbestos-containing
products have been eliminated
• There is a strong scientific
consensus in the developed
world on the asbestos threat
2

33. • Imports of raw asbestos by the chlor-alkali
industry are increasing
• Asbestos contamination is being found in
talc-based products like baby powder,
makeup and crayons used by many
consumers
• Despite movement away from asbestos,
some products containing it are still
entering the US, including:
• Brake linings and friction products
• Tile
• Wallboard
• Woven fabric
• Cement
• Gaskets
• We don’t know the quantities of these
products or who is exposed
3

34. • EPA banned most uses of asbestos under TSCA
in 1989 but ban was blocked by a court in 1991
• Almost all asbestos uses are now lawful
• Congress fixed TSCA in 2016 to give EPA new
tools to address asbestos
• EPA is doing a TSCA risk evaluation on asbestos
but is not addressing
• legacy uses
• discontinued products
• some asbestos-related cancers
• asbestos environmental releases
• contaminated consumer products.
• Even if EPA finishes the risk evaluation in mid-
2020, actual regulation could take 2-4 more
years
• We can’t wait for EPA – Congress should ban
asbestos now
4

35. Congress is stepping into the void with
the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now
Act of 2019 (ARBAN)
• Introduced in the House (H.R. 1603) and Senate (S.
717) on March 7, 2019
• Lead sponsors include E&C Chair Pallone (D-NJ),
Rep. Bonamici (D-OR) and Sen. Merkley (D-OR)
• Nearly 60 co-sponsors in two Houses
• House legislative E&C hearing on May 8, 2019
demonstrated bi-partisan concern about asbestos
5

36. • A complete and rapid end to all
asbestos imports and uses
• The ban covers all types of asbestos,
including “Libby Amphibole”
• Asbestos contamination of consumer
products prohibited
• Right-to-Know reporting to assure a
full picture of asbestos exposure and
risk
• A new study of the dangers of legacy
asbestos in buildings to inform
changes in laws and policies to protect
the public
6

37. Briefing Takeaw ays
ü Despit e high ho pes t hat t he 2016 TSC A o ver haul w o uld give EPA t he t o o ls t o ban
asbest o s, EPA’s use o f t he law has been w eak and half-hear t ed and is unlikely t o result in
significant public healt h pro t ec t io n fro m t he c o nt inuing t hreat o f asbest o s expo sure.
ü C o ngress sho uldn’t w ait fo r ac t io n by EPA but sho uld st ep int o t he vo id w it h
c o m prehensive legislat io n pro hibit ing all asbest o s im po r t s and use.

38. @Linda_ADAO

39. @Linda_ADAO

40. Annual U.S. Chlorine Production Usage
• 40% PVC or vinyl
• 37% basic organic chemicals needed for manufacturing,
and solvents for metalworking, dry cleaning, and
electronics
• “ large uses” of chlorine to produce hydrochloric acid
• 4% water treatment
• “very small” percentage used to help manufacture over
93 percent of pharmaceuticals sold in the U.S.
@Linda_ADAO

41. @Linda_ADAO
• Energy Efficient
• Economically Viable Substitutions
• Increased Competitiveness
• Independent from Foreign Imports
Asbestos Ban Financial Benefits

42. EPA’s risk evaluation exclusions will lead to a incomplete and
inaccurate review of the risks and conditions of use
• Legacy Asbestos in Homes, Schools, and
Workplaces
• Deaths from Ovarian and Laryngeal
Cancers, and Asbestosis
• Libby Amphibole in 30 Million Homes
@Linda_ADAO

43. @Linda_ADAO

44. Support Banning Asbestos
The Attorneys General of Massachusetts, California,
Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maine,
Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, North
Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, and the District of Columbia
18
EPA career staff, scientists and lawyers
17
@Linda_ADAO

45. Reinstein Linda@adao.us
@Linda_ADAO

46. ADAO Briefing Resources Page
@Linda_ADAO

47. Briefing Takeaways
 Asbestos kills nearly 40,000 Americans each year.
 The chlor-alkali industry is the sole industry importing and using raw
chrysotile asbestos.
 In 2018, the chlor-alkali industry imported 750 metric tons of raw chrysotile
asbestos from Russia and Brazil.