LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), which combines education, advocacy, and community to help ensure justice for asbestos victims, today announced Rear Admiral (RADM) Boris D. Lushniak, M.D., M.P.H., Acting United States Surgeon General, as the keynote speaker at its 2014 conference. At the upcoming 10th Annual Asbestos Awareness Conference to be held April 4-6 in Washington, D.C., Dr. Lushniak will join a premier list of more than 30 renowned speakers from ten countries who will present on the latest advancements in asbestos disease prevention, treatment for mesothelioma and other asbestos-caused diseases, and global ban asbestos advocacy.
As the Acting United States Surgeon General, Dr. Lushniak articulates the best available scientific information to the public regarding ways to improve personal health and the health of the Nation. He also oversees the operations of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, comprising approximately 6,700 uniformed health officers who serve in locations around the world to promote, protect, and advance the health and safety of our Nation. Dr. Lushniak served as Deputy Surgeon General from November 2010, until July 17, 2013, when he assumed the duties of Acting U.S. Surgeon General.
“ADAO is privileged to welcome Dr. Lushniak as our 2014 keynote speaker,” stated ADAO Co-Founder and President, Linda Reinstein. “Dr. Lushniak has been a passionate promoter of public health for decades, having joined the USPHS in 1988. We are truly honored that he will lend his valuable time and expertise to our 10th Annual Conference to help us promote important information about the dangers of asbestos exposure.”
The Office of the Surgeon General has played an instrumental role in helping to promote asbestos awareness, having issued two official statements during National Asbestos Week since 2009. ADAO has collaborated over the years with the Office, having worked with four U.S. Surgeons General to date.
“I am very happy that my old friend and Acting Surgeon General Boris Lushniak will be joining us as our Keynote Speaker for this year’s conference celebrating our 10th year of advocating for the victims of asbestos-related diseases and their families,” said Dr. Richard A. Lemen, Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS (Ret.) and ADAO Science Advisory Board Co-Chairman. “It is certainly an honor that the leader of the Nation's Premier Public Health Agency will share with us his thoughts about asbestos-related diseases and their elimination.”
Despite its known dangers, there is still no global ban on asbestos, and it continues to claim lives. Exposure to asbestos, a human carcinogen, can cause mesothelioma, lung, gastrointestinal, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers; as well as non-malignant lung and pleural disorders. The World Health Organization estimates that 107,000 workers around the world will die every year of an asbestos-related disease, equaling 300 deaths per day.
ADAO will hold its Tenth Annual International Asbestos Awareness Conference on April 4-6, 2014, at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in Arlington, VA.
About the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization
The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families in 2004. ADAO is the largest non-profit in the U.S. dedicated to providing asbestos victims and concerned citizens with a united voice through our education, advocacy, and community initiatives. ADAO seeks to raise public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure, advocate for an asbestos ban, and protect asbestos victims’ civil rights. For more information, visit www.asbestosdiseaseawareness.org.
