Five honorees will be recognized at this year’s Asbestos Disease Awareness Day Conference for their dedication to changing asbestos-related laws and for their commitment and support to those suffering from asbestos-related illnesses. The ADAO (Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization) will be presenting the awards during their 5th annual conference this March in Manhattan Beach, CA. Linda Reinstein, co-founder and executive director of the ADAO, noted that the organization is honored to recognize these individuals for their commitment to asbestos-related causes.
California Senator Barbara Boxer will receive the Tribute of Hope Award for her dedication to changing asbestos laws. Boxer has been a longtime supporter of banning asbestos in the United States and has worked vigorously on other environmental issues.
The Tribute of Unity Award will be awarded to Margaret Seminario of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO) for her continued international efforts to educate and support victims of asbestos. Seminario is noted for going before the House of Representatives last year and demanding federal help for victims of exposure to toxins.
India has a very serious asbestos problem as it continues to import asbestos materials from Canada and expose thousands of workers to asbestos fibers every year. Two Indian citizens, Pralhad Malvadkar and Raghunath Manwar, will be recognized at this year’s conference and presented with the Tribute of Inspiration Award for their support and on-going efforts on behalf of asbestos victims of their country.
Also being recognized will be the Head of the Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine at Mt. Sinai Hospital, Dr. Stephen Levin. Levin will receive the Dr. Irving Selikoff Lifetime Achievement Award for his years of asbestos-related research. Levin is well-noted for research and comprehensive study of the effects of asbestos exposure after the September 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks. Dr. Irving Selikoff played an instrumental role in the passing of asbestos-usage regulations by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration over twenty-five years ago. Selikoff died in 1992.
Asbestos victims and their families founded the ADAO in 2004, and they have organized a great conference this year filled with expert speakers; asbestos victims and their families; researchers and medical experts; and keynote speaker Jordon Zevon, renowned musician and asbestos victims’ advocate who lost his own father to asbestos-related disease. For more information or to register, go to: www.AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org
