Statement of Linda Reinstein regarding "Drop the Rock"

Statement of Linda Reinstein regarding "Drop the Rock": "Linda Reinstein, CEO and Co-Founder of Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) Issues Statement on 'Drop the Rock', SB 624

Largest Independent Organization for Asbestos Awareness Continues Mission of Public Health

Washington, DC ... July 19, 2010 --- The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), the largest U.S. organization serving as the voice of asbestos victims, today released a statement from Linda Reinstein, CEO and Co-Founder, regarding the Drop the Rock campaign.

'In a united call for compassionate action, The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) fully supports the Drop the Rock campaign to remove the official California State rock, Serpentine, which is the host rock for asbestos. The tragic irony of this designation is that asbestos exposure can cause numerous respiratory diseases and cancers including lung cancer and mesothelioma. The legislation behind the movement, SB 624, is about abolishing a symbol that conveys a very dangerous legacy. In 1965, Serpentine was designated as the state rock of California to promote the then lucrative asbestos mining industry, an industry that has since been closed down. For these reasons, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) joined The John McNamara Foundation and the Pacific Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to 'drop the rock', a symbol that represents suffering, death and disease to thousands of people.

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