The White Lung Association (WLA, Norman grantee 1980–1982) was founded in 1979 in San Pedro, CA, by shipyard workers exposed to asbestos on the job, and was the first asbestos victims’ organization in the United States. WLA organized workers to demand medical screenings, file compensation claims, and push for reforms in how the asbestos industry, labor unions, and medical providers handled exposure. 

Norman’s 1982 grant supported WLA’s participation in the Breath of Life Organizing Conference — a landmark gathering of the White Lung, Black Lung, and Brown Lung Associations, bringing together a cross-issue, multiracial coalition from the shipyard, coal mining, and textile industries, respectively, who shared a common fight against occupational lung disease.  By 1984, WLA had expanded its mission to educate the broader public about asbestos hazards and opened a national office in Baltimore, MD, which contributed to transformative changes in local, state, and national laws governing asbestos inspection, training, and safe disposal.