U.S. Surgeon General Doctor Regina Benjamin has issued a statement for asbestos awareness week, which took place from April 1-7. Benjamin has urged all Americans to educate themselves on the dangers and prevalence of asbestos and diseases associated with asbestos exposure.
Benjamin labeled the asbestos problem as one that can affect anybody and promoted a recent federal report detailing how to deal with problems that can jeopardize healthy households, such as asbestos. The carcinogenic fiber was used heavily in industry and construction from the 1940s through the 1970s, and can be in thousands of buildings and homes in every city.
Asbestos exposure is the leading cause of mesothelioma cancer, a deadly form of cancer that can take decades to develop and attacks the lungs or abdominal cavity. Thousands of mesothelioma lawsuits have been filed on behalf of people exposed to asbestos at their jobs.
