Acorn Analytical Services is backing Global Asbestos Awareness Week (GAAW), which runs from April 1 to April 7. The campaign takes place annually and is organised by the U.S. based Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO). It aims to highlight the dangers of asbestos and prevent people from exposure, which can prove fatal.
This year, GAAW, supported by the Institution of Occupational Safety and Health (IOSH) and the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS), is calling for a total ban on the mining, manufacturing, and use of all six asbestos fibres worldwide. The campaign is also asking for better compliance and enforcement of existing laws and regulations, and for a strengthening of international partnerships to protect public health.
Sam Savage, Managing Director at Acorn Analytical Services, said: “I have been working in the asbestos industry for more than 20 years now and it still amazes me how little awareness there is around the dangers of asbestos.
“The use of asbestos has been banned in UK since 1999, so people assume it is an old problem that won’t affect them. What they don’t realise is that it is still all around them, in any building built before 1999. This means that older buildings such as schools, hospitals, prisons and libraries could contain this deadly substance. Even offices, factories or period properties that have been converted without the proper surveys and remediation works.
“We have seen first-hand how lives can be lost and families torn apart by exposure to asbestos and will support any campaign that raises awareness of the dangers and prevents exposure, the world over.”
In the UK, more than 5,000 people die each year from asbestos-related diseases, including mesothelioma, lung cancer, and asbestosis. This number has remained consistent for several years.
The International Commission of Occupational Health (ICOH) published an article in 2018 that showed asbestos-related diseases actually cause 39,275 deaths in the United States annually - more than double the previous estimates of 15,000 per year.
Linda Reinstein, mesothelioma widow and ADAO co-founder, said of the GAAW campaign: “Asbestos remains one of the most persistent occupational and environmental health threats of our time, claiming lives long after initial exposure.
“Many believe asbestos is a danger of the past — but it’s still hiding in homes, schools, workplaces, and even consumer products. That dangerous myth creates a blind spot in public awareness. In fact, U.S. companies are still importing and using asbestos today. Our mission is to empower people everywhere with the knowledge to recognise the risks and take action to prevent exposure — eliminating suffering, disease, and death.”