Governor Proclaims Mesothelioma Awareness Day 2022

WHEREAS, mesothelioma is an aggressive, asbestos-related cancer that affects the linings of the lungs, abdomen, or other organs, and for every 100,000 people one new mesothelioma case is reported and one person dies of this cancer; and

WHEREAS, in 2019, the latest year for which incidence data are available, there were 2,911 new cases of mesothelioma in the United States and 2,442 people died of this cancer; and

WHEREAS, there is no safe level of asbestos exposure; asbestos was used in the construction of most office buildings, public schools, and homes built before 1975; and

WHEREAS, because of occupational, Navy-service related, household, or incidental exposures and the long latency of the disease, tens of millions of Americans, are now at risk for developing mesothelioma, including many of the first responders at Ground Zero in New York City on and after September 11, 2001; and

WHEREAS, treatments available today generally have only limited effect and most patients die within 12 to 15 months from diagnosis; and

WHEREAS, in 1999, the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation was formed to eradicate the life-ending and vicious effects of mesothelioma, and progress is now being made in developing effective treatments for the disease; and

WHEREAS, Mesothelioma Awareness Day helps raise public awareness of the disease and the need to develop effective treatments for it;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, ROY COOPER, Governor of the State of North Carolina, do hereby proclaim September 26, 2022, as “MESOTHELIOMA AWARENESS DAY” in North Carolina, and commend its observance to all citizens.