On Mesothelioma Awareness Day, the broader mesothelioma community comes together to celebrate survival, raise funding and provide information about this deadly disease that affects thousands of new patients every year.
Most importantly, for many, Mesothelioma Awareness Day is about raising the awareness needed to take action against asbestos, the primary known cause of mesothelioma.
What Is Mesothelioma Awareness Day?
Since 2004, September 26th has been the annual day to promote mesothelioma awareness, and this day of remembrance and awareness was started by community members of the Meso Foundation.
Why Is Mesothelioma Awareness Day Significant?
The thousands of newly diagnosed mesothelioma patients every year and those who continue to suffer from this disease know firsthand that there is no known cure for mesothelioma. Moreover, while scientific understanding of the disease grows and treatment is improving, the medical community knows that improved understanding of the disease is needed to improve patient treatment and outcomes.
Most of the estimated 3,000 new mesothelioma patients each year are victims of asbestos exposure, and it can mean a great deal for these individuals to become part of a community that brings awareness to the harms of asbestos. This support and awareness is especially important in a world that has still not banned asbestos in many countries, including the United States.
Asbestos Is Still Not Banned (Far From It, in Fact)
During the 1970s, steps were taken to regulate the use of asbestos. And, in 1989, advocates of a complete asbestos ban were overjoyed when the EPA’s Asbestos Ban and and Phase-Out Rule took effect. Sadly, however, the asbestos ban was not to last, and the EPA rule was effectively overturned in 1991. It is true, however, that asbestos usage has declined greatly compared to the early parts of the 20th century, even since 1991.
That said, although asbestos has not been mined in the United States for well over a decade, more than 8 million tons of raw asbestos have been imported into the United States in the past decade. In our schools, it is estimated that 132,000 schools have asbestos-containing materials in them, and these schools are thought to serve more than 55 million children.
In short, asbestos is far from a thing of the past and it is not banned. For environmental and health advocates who wish to see a day where this dangerous material is banned from the United States, Mesothelioma Awareness Day is an essential reminder of the fact that asbestos causes significant loss of life every year.
This fact is important to keep in mind, especially in light of the EPA’s Significant New Use Rule (SNUR) for asbestos, which has opened the possibility of asbestos returning to manufacturing on a case-by-case basis as determined by the EPA. On Mesothelioma Awareness Day, know that there is no level of asbestos exposure that has ever been found to be safe, making the potential manufacturing return of asbestos a public health concern.
Mesothelioma health advocates and other opponents of asbestos have raised public concerns over the EPA’s SNUR proposal, which is worth placing a renewed spotlight on for Mesothelioma Awareness Day.
You May Be Entitled to Legal Compensation for a Mesothelioma Diagnosis
On Mesothelioma Awareness Day, our team at The Ledger Law Firm wants mesothelioma victims and loved ones to know they may be entitled to legal compensation. If your diagnosis or the disease of a loved one was caused by a wrongful exposure to asbestos by a legally responsible party, our nationally recognized law firm will represent your claim.
We have helped mesothelioma victims recover millions in compensation from parties who bear legal responsibility. Contact us online for a free case evaluation with a local mesothelioma lawyer at one of our national law firm’s local offices today.
