New Jersey Considers Mesothelioma Awareness Day

A resolution by the leader of the New Jersey Senate would designate Sept. 26 of each year as Mesothelioma Awareness Day in the Garden State. The resolution was introduced by Senate Leader Tom Kean to raise awareness of this deadly form of cancer.

Mesothelioma is a rare, incurable cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart. It kills about 3,000 Americans each year and is closely linked to breathing asbestos, a material widely used as insulation and in construction through the mid 1970s.

“We don’t have a cure or standard treatment yet for mesothelioma, so we need to learn more about this disease and spur the development of effective treatments,” Kean, a Republican, said in a statement issued Thursday by his office. “Our designation of each September 26th as “Mesothelioma Awareness Day” will help ensure that the public researchers and policy makers don’t forget about those suffering from this disease.”

Approved by the Senate in June, Kean’s resolution awaits consideration by the N.J. General Assembly. A number of communities have started to recognize the date.

While most people with mesothelioma were exposed repeatedly to asbestos, exposure to asbestos for as little as a month can result in a person developing the disease decades later, the resolution says. Kean noted that many firefighters, police officers and rescue workers were exposed to asbestos-contaminated dust at the World Trade Center site after the 9-11 attacks.

“Thousands of rescue and construction workers labored for months at Ground Zero in hazardous conditions,” Kean said. “We don’t know if those who worked at the World Trade Center site will develop mesothelioma, but we do know that we want to have effective treatments ready to help anyone who falls ill.”