Health | Mesothelioma | Cancer

This Earth Day, many celebrate the enormous progress we have made in making our planet more sustainable and inhabitable not only for ourselves, but for our children and grandchildren. While indeed we have made extraordinary strides toward this end, there are still environmental issues we need to deal with. These issues affect not only the health of our planet, but the health of its inhabitants.

Among the more pressing issues facing us today is the danger that asbestos exposure poses. Asbestos is a natural mineral, but is often released into the air through the environmentally unfriendly methods of strip mining for other natural resources. While mining for coal, vermiculite, and other minerals, asbestos affects miners and those in neighboring towns. It is indeed a double edged sword when these people are affected not only by the contamination of water supply by strip mining, but also in the air, where dangerous asbestos fibers can be inhaled.

The relationship between the two can easily be overlooked, but upon further examination it is clear the two are closely connected. Among those companies commonly associated with polluting, many have at least some asbestos exposure history among their employees. It is a clear and present danger when corporate interests collide with those of the people. In each case, either our environment or our population is paying the consequences.

Like the risk of environmental contamination, the risk of asbestos exposure is a real human problem. We call on lawmakers to remember the risk of asbestos contamination when introducing further environmental legislation. Like environmental conservation, asbestos exposures are not a problem of the past. We must continue to find new ways to prevent harmful exposures. Additionally, we must continue to fund research for health complications caused by asbestos exposure, such as the cancer mesothelioma.

As we celebrate our accomplishments in the advancement of conservation and a decreased risk of asbestos exposure, let us too find new solutions so that we may finally eliminate these detriments to our earth and humanity.

The Mesothelioma and Asbestos Awareness Center has long been recognized as the web’s leading information resource on asbestos, asbestos related disease, and mesothelioma treatment. Hundreds of pages of up to date content feature important information pertaining to asbestos exposure, top physicians, and ongoing clinical trials, as well as breakthroughs in the treatment of asbestos related disease.

This article was originally published at transworldnews on April 22, 2008