17th ADAO Congressional Staff Briefing, “Impact of Asbestos on Public Health, Environment, and Economy.” Speakers: 1) Barry Castleman, ScD, Environmental Consultant 2) Raja Flores, MD, Chair of the Department of Thoracic Surgery, Mount Sinai School of Medicine 3) Arthur L. Frank, MD, PhD, Professor of Public Health and Chair Emeritus of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at the Drexel University School of Public Health in Philadelphia 4) Brent Kynoch, Managing Director, Environmental Information Association 5) Greg Russell, International Association of Fire Fighters 6) Linda Reinstein, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization 7) Bob Sussman, Former EPA Deputy Administrator and Senior Policy Counsel to the EPA Administrator The topics covered included: 1) Health effect of asbestos exposure, asbestos disease, and treatments, 2)) Asbestos imports and use commercially and in consumer products, 3) Devastating impact of legacy asbestos in homes, schools and buildings, 4) Update on EPA new proposed Part 1 Chrysotile Asbestos, Part 2 Asbestos Legacy, and Asbestos Reporting rules under TSCA, and 5) Need to enact the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act

1. LINDA REINSTEIN
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)
President/CEO and Co-Founder
Linda@adao.us
Congressional Staff Briefing
Impact of Asbestos on Public Health, Environment,
and Economy
August 17, 2022

2. @Linda_ADAO

3. Linda@adao.us
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
ADAO is a registered 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization
and does not make legal referrals.
Education Advocacy Community
Education Advocacy Community
www.adao.us

4. @Linda_ADAO

5. To Be Discussed:
• Health effect of asbestos exposure, asbestos
disease, and treatments
• Asbestos imports and use commercially and in
consumer products
• Devastating impact of legacy asbestos in homes,
schools and buildings
• Update on EPA new proposed Part 1 Chrysotile
Asbestos, Part 2 Legacy Asbestos, and Asbestos
Reporting rules under TSCA
• Need to enact the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos
Now (ARBAN) Act
@Linda_ADAO

6. ADAO Online Briefing Resources
• Briefing Executive Summary
• Speaker Biographies
• The Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act of 2022
• State-by-State Asbestos Mortality Study
• EPA: Economic Analysis of the TSCA Section 6 Proposed Rule for Asbestos Risk
Management, Part 1
• EPA: Asbestos, Part 1: Chrysotile Asbestos
• EPA: Asbestos, Part 2: Legacy Asbestos
• EPA: Asbestos Reporting
• 2022 "Carcinogenicity of occupational exposure as a firefighter”
• 2022 "Shift in lung cancer stage at diagnosis during the COVID-19 pandemic in
New York City”
• 2013 NIOSH Study of Firefighters Finds Increased Rates of Cancer
@Linda_ADAO

7. @Linda_ADAO

8. @Linda_ADAO

9. @Linda_ADAO
Senator Merkley Discusses theAlan Reinstein Ban
Asbestos Now Act (May 18, 2022)

10. Barry Castleman, ScD
“Asbestos exposure causes mesothelioma, lung, ovarian and
laryngeal cancer, asbestosis and other pleural diseases.”
“In 2020, an estimated 300 metric tons of raw asbestos was
imported from Russia and Brazil for the chlor-alkali industry, the
sole user of raw asbestos.”
@Linda_ADAO

11. Raja Flores, MD
“Members of Congress can do more with a pen than I can with a
scalpel.”
“WorldTrade Center Health Program Facts:
• 70,000 workers have chronic conditions
• 10-15 new cancers a week”
@Linda_ADAO

12. Arthur L. Frank, MD, PhD
The Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) (Toxic
Substances Control Act (TSCA) Title II) “defines asbestos as the
asbestiform varieties of: chrysotile (serpentine); crocidolite (riebeckite);
amosite (cummingtonite/grunerite); anthophyllite; tremolite; and
actinolite.” and is what is considered by scientists around the world to be
“asbestos”.
“There is no safe level of exposure to asbestos. a known carcinogen. It
becomes dangerous when the microscopic asbestos fibers become
dislodged and airborne.”
@Linda_ADAO

13. Brent Kynoch
“Nearly 70 countries have banned asbestos. Sadly, the US is not
among these forward thinking nations.”
“Legacy asbestos still resides in homes, schools, workplaces, and
the environment. Without a ban, the “legacy” of exposure, disease
and death will continue unabated.”
@Linda_ADAO

14. Linda Reinstein
“Each year, over 40,000 Americans die from preventable asbestos-
caused diseases.”
“EPA found unreasonable risks to workers for chlor-alkali
diaphragms, sheet gaskets, brake blocks, aftermarket automotive
brakes/linings, other vehicle friction products.”
“It’s time to protect Americans from all six asbestos fibers and uses
by passing the Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now (ARBAN) Act.”
@Linda_ADAO

15. Greg Russell
“According to the NIOSH Firefighter study, “Fire fighters have a
rate of mesothelioma two times greater than the rate in the U.S.
population as a whole.”
When asbestos becomes airborne when disturbed or damaged by
fire, fire fighters can inhale large amounts of these microscopic
fibers, increasing their risk of developing an asbestos-related
disease such as mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.”
@Linda_ADAO

16. Bob Sussman
“The chlor-alkali industry is stonewalling on an asbestos ban even
though the producers are rapidly shutting down asbestos-based
capacity and transitioning to non-asbestos technology.”
“EPA’s TSCA risk management process may not result in a
complete asbestos ban and could be tied up in litigation. We can’t
count on EPA to fully ban asbestos and Congress must get the job
done.”
@Linda_ADAO

17. The Asbestos Hazard Emergency
Response Act (AHERA) (Toxic Substances
Control Act (TSCA)Title II)
• The term ‘‘asbestos’’ means asbestiform
varieties of— (A) chrysotile (serpentine), (B)
crocidolite (riebeckite), (C) amosite
(cummingtonite-grunerite), (D) anthophyllite,
(E) tremolite, or (F) actinolite.
Definition of Asbestos
@Linda_ADAO

18. Source: Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME)
@Linda_ADAO

19. • Consumers and Bystanders: EPA found unreasonable risks to consumers and
and bystanders from all consumer uses of chrysotile asbestos. Most consumer
products containing chrysotile asbestos have been discontinued.Consumer products
still available and for which EPA found unreasonable risk include aftermarket
automotive brakes/linings and certain gaskets. Risks to consumers can come from
the inhalation of chrysotile asbestos.
• Workers and Occupational Non-Users: Commercial chrysotile asbestos uses for
uses for which EPA found unreasonable risk to workers include chlor-alkali
diaphragms, sheet gaskets, brake blocks, aftermarket automotive brakes/linings,
other vehicle friction products, and other gaskets.Additionally, EPA found
unreasonable risks to workers nearby but not in direct contact with chrysotile
asbestos (known as occupational non-users) for the use of chlor-alkali diaphragms,
sheet gaskets, brake blocks, and other gaskets. Risks to workers and occupational
non-users can come from the inhalation of chrysotile asbestos.
@Linda_ADAO
EPA found unreasonable risks to human health for
uses of chrysotile asbestos:

20. @Linda_ADAO

21. @Linda_ADAO

22. @Linda_ADAO

23. @Linda_ADAO

24. @Linda_ADAO
Sponsors
U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and
Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici