Posted on February 3, 2014
World Cancer Day is a great day for “Debunking the Myths about Asbestos.” Asbestos-caused cancers continue to claim thousands of lives every year in the United States and asbestos, a known carcinogen, has not been banned.
FACT: Asbestos is legal and lethal in the USA.
FACT: Asbestos kills 30 Americans every day and imports continue.
FACT: Prevention remains the only cure.
FACT: There is no safe level of asbestos exposure.
FACT: All six types of asbestos are carcinogenic.
FACT: Asbestos causes mesothelioma and lung, gastrointestinal, laryngeal, and ovarian cancers, as well as non-malignant lung and respiratory diseases.
“It is unfortunate that we still need a World Cancer Day, said Arthur Frank, MD, PhD. We must recognize that the best method of dealing with this worldwide scourge is to practice more prevention in the form of reducing smoking, totally eliminating asbestos, improving diets, and taking other steps to stop this serious problem.”
“The best message I can give on World Cancer Day is that if we stop a man’s exposure to a carcinogen, we stop the cancer, said Richard A. Lemen, Assistant Surgeon General, USPHS (Ret.), That’s something society can do.”
World Cancer Day takes place every year on February 4 and represents an initiative under which the entire world can unite in the fight against the global cancer epidemic. The day, which is coordinated by the International Union Against Cancer (UICC) with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to help save millions of preventable deaths each year by raising awareness and education about cancer and pressing governments and individuals across the world to take action against the disease. World Cancer Day 2014 has been themed “World Cancer Declaration: Reduce stigma and dispel myths about cancer” because every person, organization, and government individually needs to do their part in order for the world to be able to reduce premature deaths from cancer by 25% by 2025.
The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), the specialized cancer agency of the World Health Organization released the World Cancer Report 2014. “Despite exciting advances, this Report shows that we cannot treat our way out of the cancer problem,” states Dr Christopher Wild, Director of IARC and co-editor of the book. “More commitment to prevention and early detection is desperately needed in order to complement improved treatments and address the alarming rise in cancer burden globally.”
As a melanoma survivor and mesothelioma widow, join me, debunk the asbestos myths and sign the World Cancer Declaration to end cancer.
Join the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO), for a day of social media advocacy, as we raise awareness to prevent asbestos exposure to eliminate cancer.
Together, change is possible.
Linda