Linda Reinstein became an asbestos activist after her husband was diagnosed with mesothelioma. It took two years for Alan, her husband, to get that diagnosis, which stemmed from occupational and nonoccupational exposure to asbestos. A year after his diagnosis, Linda Reinstein co-founded the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization in 2004 with the goal of passing a ban on all uses of asbestos. Alan Reinstein died in 2006. Since then, Linda Reinstein has testified before Congress, pushed for chemical reform law and advocated for a ban on asbestos in the United States. A bill, H.R. 1603, which would ban all uses of asbestos, last year passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee by a 47-1 margin but has not been called to the House floor for a vote. "We are the only organization dedicated to eliminating all asbestos through prevention and policy," Reinstein said. More than 60 countries have already banned the substance that kills thousands of people a year. About 2,500 Americans die every year from mesothelioma, which is a cancer caused by breathing in asbestos fiber, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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