Global Asbestos Awareness Week 2026

Organised annually by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), GAAW is an international initiative dedicated to preventing asbestos exposure, advancing evidence based policy, and protecting public health.

GAAW is in its 22nd year. It brings together scientists, worker representatives, policymakers, public health professionals, and advocacy organisations from across the world to share knowledge, document risks, and drive preventive action. The 2026 theme continues to emphasise community education, global cooperation, and the urgent need to eliminate asbestos‑related diseases, which remain entirely preventable.

ADAO’s 2026 programme includes multilingual educational materials, personal stories, daily thematic events, and newly expanded digital tools designed to close the global knowledge gap on asbestos risks. These efforts reflect the reality that asbestos remains legal and in use in many countries, and that legacy materials pose ongoing hazards worldwide.

IOSH’s role as a Day Six Partner for Prevention highlights its leadership in advancing global occupational risk management. ADAO recognises IOSH for offering “excellent educational materials aimed at embedding risk management principles across national administrations and throughout global education and training systems.”

Ruth Wilkinson, head of policy and public affairs at IOSH, said: “Asbestos remains one of the most significant and persistent occupational health hazards in the world, which is why IOSH proudly continues to support Global Asbestos Awareness Week.

“Despite the harmful effects of asbestos being known, and it being banned or restricted in many countries, asbestos containing materials still exists in millions of buildings worldwide. In some countries it is still being mined and used. Asbestos exposure therefore continues to pose a severe threat when it isn’t managed properly.

“The World Health Organization estimates that around 125 million people are still exposed at work, and asbestos exposure causes an estimated 233,000 occupational cancer deaths every year – a burden that is entirely preventable.

“Raising awareness and preventing exposure is essential because asbestos fibres, once disturbed, released and inhaled, can become lodged in the lungs and lead to devastating, often fatal diseases years later. No worker should face such risks simply for doing their job.

“By supporting this awareness week, IOSH is continuing to raise awareness of the harms of asbestos exposure and the need to address the challenge through improved public policy and occupational safety and health management. We are reinforcing the need for urgent joint action by policy‑makers and organisations to stop people being exposed, to manage asbestos risks more responsibly, to ensure there is greater global understanding of where it is found, and advocate for improved action to protect workers and communities. Lives depend on it.”

A call for global prevention

IOSH continues to urge governments, organisations, and industries worldwide to:

• strengthen asbestos regulation and enforcement
• improve public and workforce awareness
• invest in safe management, remediation, and long‑term monitoring.

These priorities align with ADAO’s 2026 calls for action and IOSH’s long‑standing commitment to eliminating occupational cancer.