Senator Tom Kean (R-21) would like to help raise awareness of a deadly form of cancer that kills more than 3,000 Americans each year.  Mesothelioma is an incurable form of cancer that involves the cells lining an organ, usually the lungs, abdominal organs and heart.  The expected survival time of those diagnosed with the disease is as little as four to fourteen months.

            Senator Kean has introduced legislation, SJR-77, to declare September 26^th of each year as “Mesothelioma Awareness Day” in New Jersey.

            “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,” said Kean.  “Our designation of each September 26^th as ‘Mesothelioma Awareness Day’ will help ensure that the public, researchers and policymakers don’t forget about those suffering from this disease.”

            The main cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, a material used in the construction of virtually all office buildings, public schools and homes built before 1975.  Most of those who are diagnosed with the disease were repeatedly exposed to asbestos, and 30% of all mesothelioma victims worked on U.S. Navy ship or shipyards, where asbestos was often used.

            Although most people with mesothelioma had frequent exposure to asbestos, exposure to asbestos for as little as one month can result in a person developing the disease decades later.  It is believed that many firefighters, police officers and rescue workers exposed to asbestos-contaminated dust at the World Trade Center site following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 could be at great risk for developing mesothelioma in the future.

            “Thousands of rescue and constructions workers labored for months at Ground Zero in hazardous conditions,” added Kean.  “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.”

            Senator Kean’s legislation creating “Mesothelioma Awareness Day” has been approved by the New Jersey Senate and awaits consideration by the General Assembly.