Registration Opens For 5th Annual Asbestos Awareness Day Conference - March 27 - 29, 2009, Manhattan Beach, California

Main Category: Asbestos / Mesothelioma
Article Date: 11 Dec 2008 - 6:00 PDT

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Registration is now open for the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization's (ADAO) 5th annual Asbestos Awareness Day Conference March 27 - 29, 2009 at the Manhattan Beach Marriott in Manhattan Beach, CA.

Affected individuals and families, employers, employees, research scientists and medical experts from around the globe are expected to attend. This international conference will offer medical, occupational and environmental information about asbestos-related disease, and provide a special emphasis on prevention and early detection.

Expert speakers will discuss preventing exposure, identifying occupational and non-occupational exposure, public health and environmental aspects of exposure and the early warning symptoms of disease. Musician Jordan Zevon, whose father Warren Zevon lost his life to asbestos disease, is the keynote speaker. Zevon is a prominent advocate for the rights of asbestos victims and their families.

"Communicating how to prevent deadly asbestos exposure and recognize asbestos-related disease in its earliest stages is critical to our efforts in 2009," said Linda Reinstein, executive director and co-founder, ADAO. "Primary care physicians often misdiagnose or do not recognize signs of disease as they fail to ask patients about possible risk factors they have experienced when completing health history questionnaires."

According to Michael R. Harbut, M.D., MPH, FCCP, co-director, National Center for Vermiculite and Asbestos-Related Cancers, Karmanos Cancer Institute, "Early detection and treatment are significant for optimal long-term health of the patient. Some of the asbestos cancers can be beaten into remission or outright cured. Although the non-malignant diseases caused by asbestos aren't generally curable, they are often quite treatable, and we can often greatly enhance the quality of life."

The global asbestos crisis will be an integral part of the 2009 ADAO conference, with a particular emphasis on India, the world's largest importer of asbestos. "Inhalation of the deadly dust is increasing in some developing countries," said Laurie Kazan-Allen, founder and coordinator of the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat. "Many innocent and unsuspecting people around the world continue to be exposed to a known carcinogen."

The conference is made possible with the support and collaborative efforts of the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute and the International Ban Asbestos Secretariat.

The conference registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch and Sunday Brunch and Remembrance Service. The charge is $250 for professionals and $125 for students, patients and caregivers. The Sunday Remembrance Brunch is $25 with conference registration or $50 without conference registration. Organizations with 10 or more registrants attending will receive table recognition.

For further information or to register, go to http://www.AsbestosDiseaseAwareness.org.

About ADAO

In 2004, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) was founded by asbestos victims and their families. The mission of ADAO is to provide the most advanced medical, occupational and environmental information available about asbestos-related diseases to individuals throughout the world.

ADAO seeks to give asbestos victims and concerned citizens a united voice to help ensure their rights are fairly represented and protected, while raising public awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure and often deadly asbestos related diseases. ADAO is an independent organization funded through voluntary contributions and staffed by volunteers.

About the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute

Located in mid-town Detroit, MI, the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute is one of 41 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the United States. Caring for more than 6,000 new patients annually on a budget of $216 million, conducting more than 700 cancer-specific scientific investigation programs and clinical trials, the Karmanos Cancer Institute is among the nation's best cancer centers. Through the commitment of 1,000 staff, including nearly 300 faculty members, and supported by thousands of volunteer and financial donors, the Institute strives to prevent, detect and eradicate all forms of cancer. For more information call 1-800-KARMANOS or go to http://www.karmanos.org.

About IBAS

The International Ban Asbestos Secretariat (IBAS), established in 2000, provides a conduit for the exchange of information between groups and individuals working to achieve a global asbestos ban and seeking to alleviate the damage caused by widespread asbestos use. Such use may be largely historical in the established economies of the West but is continuing in developing nations. Since its inception, IBAS has been involved in co-sponsoring and supporting national and international conferences furthering the above aims. In so doing, we have sought to counter the asbestos industry's control of the information stream and to provide a platform for victims to speak out against the injustices they have suffered. Through its coordinator, Laurie Kazan-Allen, IBAS channels the views of a network of victims' groups, medical and legal professionals and concerned individuals. IBAS has a continuing role in raising public awareness of asbestos hazards and providing informed comment on current developments.

Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute