Posted on February 1, 2022
Over 50 years ago, in 1971, former President Richard Nixon signed the National Cancer Act. The Act, which expanded funding for cancer research and programs, also established a network of cancer centers. This year, we are dedicated to knowledge, because knowledge is power. As more people know about the danger of asbestos exposure, less people will be exposed. Thanks to the work of researchers and healthcare professionals across the nation, there is more information and awareness available about cancer than ever before. National Cancer Prevention month is a great opportunity to join the online conversation about cancer prevention by using the hashtag #PreventAsbestosCancer and #WorldCancerDay. 
According to the Cancer Journal for Clinicians, since the peak in 1991, cancer deaths have declined 31%, due to advances in research and improvements in early detection and treatment. Last year’s Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer (March 12, 2020) provided rates and trends for the most common cancers among people younger than 15 years, as well as people between the ages of 15-39. Among those less than 15 years old, overall cancer incidence rates increased an average of 0.8% per year during 2012 to 2016.
In 2021, it was projected that there would be 1,898,160 new cancer cases and 608,570 cancer deaths in the United States. The number does not need to be this high. There are now prevention methods that could be utilized to hopefully lessen these numbers. Physicians not only need to have more conversations with their patients to talk about early warning symptoms of cancer, but also about how to prevent high risk exposures. People can be exposed to asbestos through consumer goods (asbestos has been found in children’s toys and makeup products), occupational hazards, and in the environment. They can also be exposed through home repairs or during a natural disaster. If physicians and medical personnel had these conversations more frequently with their patients, people might be able to decrease risk in patient exposure to asbestos.
This report underscores the importance of preventative action in the fight against cancer, as prevention remains the only cure for asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma, and other asbestos-caused diseases.Unfortunately, despite a century’s worth of scientific data condemning it as carcinogenic, asbestos remains legal and lethal in the U.S. Each person we lose to asbestos leaves behind a legacy of loss and devastated loved ones.
Through education, advocacy and community building, ADAO has worked diligently to raise awareness about the dangers of asbestos exposure. Together with stakeholders, we took landmark steps with the bicameral Alan Reinstein Ban Asbestos Now Act (ARBAN) to end imports & use, study legacy asbestos, and improve chemical reporting. We hope to see ARBAN move forward in 2022 and finally become a law.
I am honored to present at Less Cancer’s National Cancer Prevention Workshop on February 2-4th which will bring together the nation’s brightest scientific and political minds in the movement to prevent cancer. If you’d like to participate more directly, please Join us online for the streaming workshop.
Stay tuned for educational updates throughout this critical month of advocacy!
Together, we can end asbestos-caused cancers.
Linda