REDONDO BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), which combines education, advocacy, and community to provide a unified voice for asbestos victims, today applauded the successful XIX World Congress on Safety and Health at Work dedicated to “Building a Global Prevention Culture for a Healthy and Safe Future” September 11-15, 2011 in Istanbul Turkey. ADAO President and Co-founder Linda Reinstein joined other global speakers including representatives from the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) to address key worker safety and health issues including asbestos.
The World Congress gathered 5,400 participants from more than 140 countries, and was co-organized by the ILO and the International Social Security Association (ISSA), together with the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. A safety and health exhibition held in conjunction with the Congress attracted some 12,000 visitors. Since the first World Congress in 1955, the triennial event has provided the primary international platform for occupational safety and health (OSH) practitioners, specialists and policy-makers.
The 2011 event was the largest gathering of health and safety experts in the history of the Congress and concluded that decent work is safe work and called for a renewed commitment to build and maintain a global culture of prevention. Addressing the opening ceremony of the World Congress, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan emphasized that a productive economy required a competent and skilled workforce, and called for “protective and preventive” approaches to occupational safety and health that aim to provide working conditions which “all human beings deserve”. The elimination of asbestos-related diseases remains an important issue for the World Congress.
Prior to the Congress, a Summit of Ministers for a Preventative Culture involving Ministers of Labour from all world regions was organized by the Government of Turkey. Thirty-four Ministers signed the Istanbul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work, recognizing that the right of workers to a healthy and safe working environment is a fundamental human right as well as a societal responsibility, and committing their countries to building sustainable national preventive safety and health cultures. The Istanbul Declaration builds on the commitments of The Seoul Declaration on Safety and Health at Work signed in 2008, which is considered a blueprint for a comprehensive safety and health culture worldwide.
ADAO President and Co-Founder, Linda Reinstein commented on the World Congress: “This event was a powerful reaffirmation that unsafe workplaces will not be tolerated and that asbestos, including Chrysotile asbestos, remains a global occupational and environmental hazard impacting workers and their families. In May 2010, the President's Cancer Panel (PCP) in America reported that “Construction workers were found to be 11 times more likely to develop mesothelioma, due to asbestos exposures.” We were extremely honored to be included among the list of global representatives and are excited about the resulting Instanbul Declaration. We look forward to seeing this event gain even more momentum as we leverage technology and continue the social dialogs and discussions to prevent asbestos exposure to eliminate deadly asbestos-caused diseases.”
Asbestos is a known human carcinogen and exposure can cause asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis. Studies estimate that during the next decade, 107,000 workers around the world will die every year of an asbestos related disease – equaling 300 deaths per day.
About Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure. ADAO is an independent global organization dedicated to preventing asbestos-related diseases through education, advocacy and community. ADAO’s mission includes supporting global advocacy and advancing asbestos awareness, prevention, early detection, treatment, and resources for asbestos-related disease. For more information visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.