The third annual Asbestos Awareness Day Conference was held Saturday at the Drexel University College of Medicine. Several mesothelioma experts, including medical professionals, scientists, concerned citizens and politicians spoke to an audience on mesothelioma and other asbestos-related issues. This year, the awareness day has been extended to a week.
The Discussion
According to executive director and cofounder of the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, Linda Reinstein, 90,000 people die of asbestos-related illnesses in the United States each year. She added that most Americans aren’t aware of the severity of the problem of asbestos in the workplace. A mesothelioma diagnosis may be missed for decades before symptoms surface.
“Like most Americans, people don’t know asbestos has not been banned, but its deadly diseases are all preventable,” said Reinstein.
She noted that about 65 percent of people who are exposed to asbestos develop cancerous cells in their body.
“It reduces the ability to breathe so it wreaks havoc on your heart and lungs, and lack of oxygen kills you, causing cardiac arrest,” she said.
Reinstein discussed the situation with the World Trade Center collapse. She said that the nearly 400 tons of toxic dust that was released when that building collapsed could affect thousands of people tomorrow or years from now.
“It’s like you’re holding a ticking time bomb in your hands, wondering if you’re going to get sick or not,” she said.
Dr. Arthur L. Frank, chairman of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health at Drexel, also chimed in. He said asbestos kills more factory and construction workers than any hazardous substance in the world next to tobacco.
He added that like second-hand smoke, asbestos dust lingers in the air and on clothes for a significant period of time after exposure, and can jeopardize the health of any person who comes into contact with it.
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