A video that demonstrates the effects of asbestos in the lungs was recently brought to my attention by two sources. Our friend Debbie Brewer posted it to her Facebook, and then Linda Reinstein from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization sent me a link, which I’m planning to post on my Twitter feed. This is one of the best dramatizations I’ve seen yet about how asbestos fibers enter the lungs, and how they can cause such conditions as asbestosis, pleural plaques, and mesothelioma.

If you have a Twitter account and would like to share this video, please re-Tweet @ Linda_ADAO Excellent 90 second video on asbestos fiber inhalation produced by ANROAV, AMRC and A-BAN http://tinyurl.com/yhqsdzd

A story on the Cold Truth web site published Oct. 21 reported on a recent meeting of the Manhattan Beach, Calif., City Council, during which it passed a resolution to ask the State of California to find a new “official state rock.” The state’s current stone is serpentine, which usually contains asbestos. Asbestos is a known carcinogen that causes the deadly cancer mesothelioma, which affects the lining of the lungs, stomach and/or heart, as well as other deadly diseases including asbestosis, a severe scarring of the lungs.

Cold Truth is an original investigative journalism reporting site created by Pulitzer Prize winning reporter Andrew Schneider, who broke the story of the asbestos poisoning of Libby, Montana, among others. According to his report, serpentine was chosen as the state rock of California in 1965, “in order to promote the then-lucrative asbestos mining industry.”

The proposal to ask California’s government to change the official state rock was presented and supported by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), which is headquartered in California. The organization has dubbed the effort the “Drop the Rock” Campaign, and urges statewide action while building awareness about cancer-causing asbestos.

According to a news release from ADAO dated Oct. 21, Resolution 6223 is “Urging the State Legislature to repeal the designation of serpentine, the host of asbestos, as the official state rock, in support of world eradication of asbestos for public health as urged by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.”

The resolution from Manhattan Beach represents the first official request to the California legislature to remove the rock. ADAO notes that Chrysotile asbestos, which is often found in serpentine, causes cancers and respiratory diseases such as mesothelioma, asbestosis and lung cancer.

“California has the dubious distinction of being the state with the highest recorded number of asbestos-related deaths and the death toll will continue until the United States Congress passes legislation banning asbestos,” said ADAO Executive Director and Co-Founder Linda Reinstein in the news release. “We have a strategic plan in place and look forward to working with asbestos victims and their families, the John McNamara Foundation, the Pacific Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, and political leaders as we move throughout California to repeal serpentine as the state rock.”

The ADAO news release quotes Manhattan Beach Mayor Portia Cohen as saying, “It is unthinkable to have Serpentine as the State Rock of California when more than 7,000 people in our state alone have died from asbestos since 2007.”

Read Resolution 6223.

“For every life lost to asbestos, a shattered family is left behind.” This is the motto and the message of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) co-founder Linda Reinstein. Linda, who now serves as ADAO’s executive director, became an activist on behalf of the victims of asbestos disease in 2003, when her husband Alan was diagnosed with mesothelioma. He passed away in May 2006.

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which Linda established in 2004 along with co-founder Doug Larkin,  is a non-profit organization dedicated to serving as the voice for all asbestos victims. Its mission includes education, outreach, networking for asbestos victims, and especially working to accomplish a complete ban of asbestos in the United States. ADAO has gotten a U.S. Senate resolution to officially declare April 1 as Asbestos Awareness Day, and hosts an annual Asbestos Awareness Day Conference to increase awareness and help prevent future exposure.

This year, the Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Galson supported National Asbestos Awareness Week, the first week of April, and issued a statement about the deadly health hazard posed by asbestos.

Since co-founding ADAO, Linda has globally united countless individuals and families who have been affected by asbestos related diseases, including mesothelioma and asbestosis. She also has worked to produce awareness materials including a slide show called “Asbestos Kills,” and other educational materials including an internationally distributed online book, “Reflections,” which features articles from renowned global experts.

Last week, the ADAO launched a new resource center page on its web site, and issued a call to action for those of us in the mesothelioma community to push for a complete ban on asbestos in the United States by contacting our Congressional representatives.

There is an easy way to do it – just visit www.banasbestos.us and click on the link that says “Write Your Congressman,” which is on the home page. This will take you to a form you can fill out, and it will automatically send the message to your Congressional delegates. Remember, YOU shoud be THEIR voice on Capitol Hill!

“I need them to feel our pain,” Reinstein said. “Asbestos victims – patients, families, caregivers -  are turning their anger to action, across the nation, working for the difference we can make, together.”

Pictured above, Linda Reinstein with her and Alan’s daughter Emily. The flag is in recognition of Alan’s military service to his country.

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), has issued a special bulletin urging the mesothelioma community and U.S. citizens in general to step up the fight to ban asbestos in the United States. They have added a page on their web site, www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org, that provides specific information about the health hazards of asbestos, along with helpful links to educational resources, and sample Facebook and Twitter messages they are asking everyone to post who uses those social media sites.

ADAO has dedictated its National Asbestos Awareness Resource to the memory of June Breit, who is well known in the mesothelioma community, and who recently lost her battle with the disease, as well as to the thousands of other victims “silenced by asbestos.”

According to the information on the resource page, “Asbestos can cause cancer and irreversible lung damage. Asbestos has no warning properties — you can’t see it smell it or taste it. Avoid asbestos exposure, and consult the CPSC, EPA, NIOSH, ILO and WHO guidelines, regulations and laws.”

The resource page also includes information from a statement issued by Acting Surgeon General Steven K. Long in April, in commemoration of Asbestos Awareness Day, which outlines the health hazards of asbestos and which urges Americans to become more aware of these dangers and to protect themselves from asbestos exposure.

The ADAO is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to serve as the united voice for all asbestos victims, to unite asbestos victims and educate the public and medical community about asbestos-related disease, to support research that leads to early detection, prevention and a cure; to ensure equitable compensation for victims and their families, and to ban the use of asbestos.

For more information and to participate in this awareness outreach effort, please visit the National Asbestos Awareness Resource page today, and make use of the many tools available there!

It’s not too early to begin making preparations for Mesothelioma Awareness Day, September 26. The Meso Foundation has a helpful toolkit on its web site, that will assist you in planning mesothelioma awareness events in your area. There are two main activities encouraged – a radio public service announcement (PSA) campaign, and a proclamation from your local government to declare Meso Awareness Day in your community.

Here at myMeso, we have had great support for both Mesothelioma Awareness Day and Asbestos Awareness Day (April 1) from the City of Montgomery in the past. This year, we are hoping to expand our efforts, and share this important message with even more folks throughout our community and across the state. I’ll keep you posted as our plans develop. If you’d like any help in your area, please let me know, and I’ll be glad to lend a hand, or certainly contact the good folks at the Meso Foundation.

In addition to Meso Awareness Day, there are a few other upcoming mesothelioma and asbestos awareness events – go ahead and mark your calendar!

• The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) has announced its Sixth Annual International Asbestos Awareness Day (AAD) Conference will be held in Chicago, Ill., April 9-11, 2010. Registration starts January 1, 2010. The theme is “Science and Technology Proves Asbestos is a Carcinogen.” This great conference features tons of expert speakers, as well as a heartfelt Remembrance Brunch to honor those who lost their lives to asbestos disease. Visit the ADAO web site for more information, and make plans now to attend.
• The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (Meso Foundation) announced the 2010 International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma will again be held in Washington, D.C., and the event will return to the Omni Shoreham Hotel, which was a wonderful host for the event this year. Dates are June 10-12, 2010.

I will provide more information about both of these events as details are announced, but it’s never too late to make your plans. These events provide a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the dangers of asbestos, and the progress being made in research and treatment of asbestos-related diseases like mesothelioma. They also are a wonderful way to network and make connections with other people who are fighting the battle to prevent and cure mesothelioma.

As Asbestos Awareness Week – April 1-7, 2009 – draws to a close, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) is encouraging the mesothelioma and asbestos awareness community to recognize the victims of asbesots disease around the world.

Tonight, on Tuesday, April 7, everyone is encouraged to join in a candle-lighting at 6 p.m. PST (8 p.m. CST). The event will signify Unity, Hope and Remembrance of those we love, and will be a time to honor those who have been lost to asbestos disease.

Many people are surprised to learn that asbestos is still not completed banned in the United States. It is allowable at contents of 1 percent or less, despite studies that show that there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. The only known cause of mesothelioma, a deadly cancer most often affecting the lining of the lungs, is exposure to asbestos.

Tonight, join us in remembering those who are struggling with mesothelioma and other asbestos disease, and those who have lost their fight. One of the greatest tragedies of asbestos disease is that it doesn’t have to happen. How many more have to suffer before this deadly substance is finally eradicated?

Mayor Todd Strange today signed a proclamation declaring April 1-7 as Asbestos Awareness Week in Montgomery, Alabama. This proclamation supports National Asbestos Awareness Week, as established by Senate Resolution.

It is the purpose of Asbestos Awareness Week to raise public awareness about the prevalence of asbestos and asbestos-related diseases and the dangers of asbestos exposure. Asbestos can still be found in many products in the United States, which consumes nearly 7,000 metric tons of asbestos each year. Asbestos also is present in insulation produced prior to the 1950s and building products used well into the late 1970s, all of which can still be found in homes and public buildings.

Microscopic asbestos fibers can be inhaled, where they imbed themselves in the body and cause diseases including asbestosis, a chronic scarring of the lungs, and mesothelioma, a deadly cancer.

Asbestos Awareness Day, and later Asbestos Awareness Week, was established nationally by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), which was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO works to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a voice as they fight for a total and complete ban on asbestos in the United States.

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization announced that the United States Senate has officially introduced a resolution declaring the first week of April as National Asbestos Awareness Week. This is the fifth year the event has been officially recognized by Senate Resolution. S.RES.57 also urges the Surgeon General to warn and educate Americans about the severe hazards of asbestos exposure.

The resolution was introduced by Senator Max Baucus (D-MT). Co-sponsors and key supporters are Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL), Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA), Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV), and Sen. John Tester (D-MT).

In a news release, Linda Reinstein, Executive Director and co-founder of ADAO said, “Since 2005, ADAO has worked with the Senate to raise awareness through the passage of asbestos awareness resolutions. We continue to honor individuals and their families who have suffered from diseases caused by asbestos exposure through our efforts to increase awareness and prevention. ADAO will continue to work with Congress to educate Americans until we finally ban the deadly fibers once and for all.”

In recognition of Asbestos Awareness Day, the ADAO will hold its fifth annual Asbestos Awareness Conference March 27-29 in Manhattan Beach, Calif.

Read SR 57.

The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) has announced its Fifth Annual International Asbestos Awareness Conference is set for March 28, 2009, in Manhattan Beach, Calif. The purpose of the event is to educate the public about the dangers of asbestos, ban its use and encourage research efforts to improve treatment options for asbestos diseases like mesothelioma.

The conference will feature prominent physicians, scientists, safety and health directors, as well as survivors, who will present current information about the status of asbestos in the U.S. and worldwide. Discussion will include facts on exposure, asbestos-related diseases and how to prevent them, and where to turn for help.

In addition to the main event on Saturday, there will be an evening reception on Friday, March 27, featuring musician Jordan Zevon, whose father, legendary singer-songwriter Warren Zevon, died of mesothelioma in 2003; and a Unity and Hope Remembrance Brunch on Sunday, March 29.

Five individuals will be honored for their outstanding work in raising awareness about asbestos exposure: U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer for her work to ban asbestos in the U.S.;  Margaret Seminario, AFL/CIO, for her efforts to unite, educate and empower asbestos victims and workers; Dr. Stephen Levin, MD, for his research into the social and medical impact of asbestos; and Pralhad Malvadkar and Raghunath Manwar for their work with victims of asbestos exposure in India and worldwide.

The conference is presented by ADAO, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat.

For more information or registration, visit ADAO online.

Sunday, Sept. 7, is the fifth anniversary of Warren Zevon’s death. The Grammy award-winning composer and musican, who penned such popular tunes as “Werewolves of London,” passed away in 2003 from mesothelioma, at age 56.

The following videos are from Zevon’s last appearance on the David Letterman show in October 2002, where he was the only guest for the program, a tribute to his life and work. During the interview with Letterman, Zevon quipped that facing death had taught him to “enjoy every sandwich,” a reminder to savor each moment of life.

These videos provide a wonderful portrait of this talented musician. He is greatly missed.

Warren Zevon’s son, Jordan, also a talented musician, is an active advocate for mesothelioma and asbestos disease awareness, and spokesperson for the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization.