H R 771 … We’ve Got The Signatures!

Breaking News (07/09/10)

Washington DC – H R 771 to institute a National Mesothelioma Awareness Day on September 26th has the signatures needed to move on to the next step in the progress of celebrating a formal day!

Here are the 49 Representatives currently listed on the bill (the dates in red illustrate all of your hard work since the 2010 Symposium, with a * denoting a signature on Advocacy Day):

Believe in a Cure

Sponsor: Rep McCollum, Betty [MN-4] (introduced 9/24/2009)
Rep Abercrombie, Neil [HI-1] – 1/21/2010
Rep Akin, W. Todd [MO-2] – 6/10/2010*
Rep Altmire, Jason [PA-4] – 11/17/2009
Rep Austria, Steve [OH-7] – 6/15/2010
Rep Baca, Joe [CA-43] – 9/29/2009
Rep Baldwin, Tammy [WI-2] – 6/10/2010*
Rep Bartlett, Roscoe G. [MD-6] – 6/10/2010*
Rep Bishop, Sanford D., Jr. [GA-2] – 11/2/2009
Rep Bordallo, Madeleine Z. [GU] – 9/24/2009
Rep Boucher, Rick [VA-9] – 6/29/2010
Rep Calvert, Ken [CA-44] – 6/10/2010*
Rep Capps, Lois [CA-23] – 9/24/2009
Rep Castle, Michael N. [DE] – 11/2/2009
Rep Cohen, Steve [TN-9] – 9/24/2009
Rep Connolly, Gerald E. “Gerry” [VA-11] – 6/24/2010
Rep Delahunt, Bill [MA-10] – 11/2/2009
Rep Donnelly, Joe [IN-2] – 6/16/2010
Rep Driehaus, Steve [OH-1] – 2/4/2010
Rep Ellison, Keith [MN-5] – 9/24/2009
Rep Engel, Eliot L. [NY-17] – 6/29/2010
Rep Frank, Barney [MA-4] – 6/9/2010
Rep Green, Gene [TX-29] – 9/24/2009
Rep Grijalva, Raul M. [AZ-7] – 9/24/2009
Rep Honda, Michael M. [CA-15] – 6/15/2010
Rep Kilroy, Mary Jo [OH-15] – 6/16/2010
Rep Lance, Leonard [NJ-7] – 9/24/2009
Rep Lipinski, Daniel [IL-3] – 10/8/2009
Rep Lowey, Nita M. [NY-18] – 9/29/2009
Rep Maloney, Carolyn B. [NY-14] – 6/17/2010
Rep Markey, Edward J. [MA-7] – 10/28/2009
Rep Moore, Dennis [KS-3] – 6/22/2010
Rep Nadler, Jerrold [NY-8] – 12/2/2009
Rep Norton, Eleanor Holmes [DC] – 6/17/2010
Rep Oberstar, James L. [MN-8] – 9/24/2009
Rep Obey, David R. [WI-7] – 9/25/2009
Rep Paulsen, Erik [MN-3] – 6/22/2010
Rep Platts, Todd Russell [PA-19] – 6/10/2010*
Rep Rogers, Mike D. [AL-3] – 6/10/2010*
Rep Rothman, Steven R. [NJ-9] – 2/4/2010
Rep Rush, Bobby L. [IL-1] – 6/10/2010*
Rep Sanchez, Loretta [CA-47] – 6/17/2010
Rep Schock, Aaron [IL-18] – 6/23/2010
Rep Schwartz, Allyson Y. [PA-13] – 6/10/2010*
Rep Shea-Porter, Carol [NH-1] – 10/13/2009
Rep Shuler, Heath [NC-11] – 6/15/2010
Rep Slaughter, Louise McIntosh [NY-28] – 9/29/2009
Rep Stupak, Bart [MI-1] – 1/12/2010
Rep Titus, Dina [NV-3] – 6/10/2010*
Rep Tonko, Paul [NY-21] – 7/1/2010

I have been lead to believe both Rep. Ron Klein (22nd/FL) and Rep. Joe Courtney (2nd/CT) have both signed on to this legislation as well.

Our sincere thanks and appreciation goes out to everyone who made this possible, especially Jeni Piccolo who worked tirelessly lead up to and on our Advocacy Day to insure these results! *Find out more about Jeni at http://www.curemeso.org .

Canada Opens Asbestos Mine???!!!

A note from the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization …

NEWS: EHP, peer-review journal publishes revealing article on asbestos and calls for a global ban

Today, the Environmental Health Perspectives, a peer-review journal published by a division of the National Institute of Health, released the article “A Worn-Out Welcome: Renewed Call for a Global Ban on Asbestos” detailing the effects of asbestos worldwide and reiterating the deadly chrysotile cycle.

The Canadian Medical Association, the Canadian Public Health Association and the National Specialty Society for Community Medicine issued a press release demanding that provincial and federal governments stop funding the asbestos industry and promoting Canadian asbestos abroad. Canada is the world’s fifth largest exporter of chrysotile asbestos and there are two mines in the province of Quebec that accounts for all of the Canadian chrysotile production.

We are moving closer to a global asbestos ban and look to the United States and Canada to take a leadership role to end the deadly asbestos legacy.

In unity,

Linda Reinstein

And from the Canadian Medical Association:

Canada still one of world’s largest exporters of Chrysotile asbestos

National health organizations are calling on governments to ban the use and export of asbestos

OTTAWA, June 30 /CNW Telbec/ – The Canadian Public Health Association (CPHA), the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) and the National Specialty Society for Community Medicine (NSSCM) are calling on the federal and provincial governments to stop mining asbestos and to ban its use and export.

Canada continues to provide financial support for the asbestos industry and actively promotes Canadian exports to the remaining markets for asbestos – developing countries that lack regulations, occupational health and safety resources, and public awareness to protect asbestos workers and their families.

“More than 40 countries, including all member states of the European Union, have banned the use of all forms of asbestos, including Chrysotile,” said Dr. Cordell Neudorf, Chair of the CPHA Board of Directors. “There is clear scientific evidence that exposure to asbestos through mining, processing and use is harmful to health,” he added.

Although Canada has strict restrictions on the domestic use of asbestos under the Hazardous Products Act and the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, it is the world’s fifth-largest exporter of Chrysotile asbestos to developing countries. Ninety six per cent of the output from the country’s two remaining mines, both in Quebec, is for export, primarily to developing countries such as India and Indonesia.

Asbestos fibres remain in the body, therefore each exposure increases the likelihood of developing an asbestos-related disease such as lung cancer, scarring of the lungs and mesothelioma (cancer of the lining of the chest or abdominal cavity).

“It’s inconceivable that we would restrict the use of asbestos in our own country but continue to export this hazardous product around the world,” says Dr. Anne Doig, President of the Canadian Medical Association.

CPHA, CMA and the NSSCM noted that the Government of Quebec intends to guarantee a $58-million loan to Jeffrey Mine that will result in the export of large quantities of asbestos to developing countries for the next twenty-five years.

Rather than investing in asbestos extraction and export, all levels of government should direct new investments to support the transition of asbestos mining regions toward environmentally healthy and sustainable industries. “The decision is simple: Choose to invest tax payer’s dollars to diversify the economy of the regions and to re-train those currently employed by the declining asbestos industry,” said Dr. Matthew Hodge, President of NSSCM.

As health professionals, we believe that the health consequences of public policy must be a key determinant of its implementation. Canada’s must eliminate asbestos production and exportation and encourage economic activity that does not endanger the public’s health.