For Immediate Release:
November 15, 2010
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) and the Brazilian Association of the Asbestos-Exposed (ABREA) Announce GBAN – Global Ban Asbestos Network
Worldwide Asbestos Education and Awareness Portal Harnesses the Power of Social Media
Washington, DC … November 15, 2010 — The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) and the Brazilian Association of the Asbestos-Exposed (ABREA) today announced the formation of the Global Ban Asbestos Network (GBAN), a non-profit and independent initiative established to promote and facilitate collaboration, communication, and action to achieve a global asbestos ban. GBAN is a one-stop portal that brings together interactive social media outlets to promote an end to asbestos mining and use, thereby preventing continued exposure to this known human carcinogen.
GBAN was designed to allow a diverse group of individuals from around the world to connect and share information and digital media. To this end, the GBAN social media network will pioneer innovative methods to improve the efficacy of grassroots efforts to combat the global asbestos threat. Facebook, the first piece of the portal to go live, already has nearly 300 supporters. Twenty-four Charter Members representing 17 countries have joined in solidarity with GBAN. Initial charter members will be joined by other leading ban asbestos individuals from across the globe as GBAN rapidly expands.
Founding Charter Member Engineer Fernanda Giannasi, a founding member of the Brazilian Association of the Asbestos-Exposed (ABREA), states, “Since 2000, the coordinated work of asbestos victims groups, campaigners, trade unionists, medical professionals, scientists, medical experts, and politicians has been pivotal in countering decades of propaganda and misinformation. With GBAN, we are embarking on a new era of e-campaigning that can have significant global impact.”
Linda Reinstein, CEO and Co-Founder of the Asbestos Diseases Awareness Organization stated, “Since ADAO was founded in 2004, we have witnessed the power of social media platforms that synergistically integrate global networks. Social media is undeniably revolutionary, dynamic and essential for grassroots organizations. Technological advances now allow for our website portal to translate postings into nearly 60 different languages, enable people to connect and share reports, news, and personal stories – all in real time. GBAN will promote and facilitate collaboration as we work within our own countries and with diverse individuals to increase education and advocacy, and work to ultimately end the deadly legacy of asbestos.”
The World Health Organization, The Environmental Protection Agency, and U.S. Surgeon General agree: all forms of asbestos are carcinogenic and there is no safe level of asbestos exposure. GBAN seeks to end the global use of this deadly mineral through educational efforts that have the power to unite and save lives. For more information visit www.gban.net .
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About GBAN
The Global Ban Asbestos Network (GBAN) is a non-profit and independent initiative established to promote and facilitate collaboration, communication, and action to achieve a global asbestos ban. GBAN is a one-stop portal that brings together interactive social media outlets to promote an end to asbestos mining and use, thereby preventing continued exposure to this known human carcinogen. For more information visit www.gban.net.
Media Contact:
Doug Larkin
Director of Communications
Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO)
Phone: (202) 391-1546
media@gban.net