Ciggyfree Blog

Hello,

My name is Chris Loman and I have been volunteering for the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center for about a year now. We are a website focused on a rare and extremely deadly form of cancer known as mesothelioma. A person who has been diagnosed has anywhere from a few hours to about 6 months to live. We know that mesothelioma is caused by asbestos exposure, and we have now been made aware that there is a relation between mesothelioma and cigarette smoking

Last March I received an email from a woman in S.C. who seemed upset in her email. She let us know that her husband had recently been diagnosed and died, but it wasn’t from the occupational hazards of a jobsite. Incorrectly, our site listed asbestos exposure or second hand asbestos exposure as solely coming from work-related conditions. The woman who emailed us pointed out that the cause of her husband’s mesothelioma was from smoking.

To better explain her story, she sent us information demonstrating that in the mid-1950s, cigarette companies utilized a filter that contained asbestos. Her husband’s habit of smoking Kent cigarettes nearly doubled his chances of developing a lung related illness. Thousands of others have died because of their lack of knowledge with this exposure.

Additionally, she pointed out (which our research supports) that there is an increased likelihood of complications with mesothelioma if you were a smoker. This means that if people were exposed to asbestos earlier on in life, they are increasing their chances of further lung complications by continuing to smoke.

My goal in emailing you is twofold. Much like we at MAA were educated on this subject, we’d like to make this information available to the readers of your site. Additionally, a link from your site will bring attention to our site and allow people to learn about this rare cancer. We feel a link to us would be a great enhancement to your already useful and trusted resource. I would like to thank you in advance, and at the very least, hope that I’ve brought this rare cancer to your attention.

Sincerely,
Chris

Volunteer
cloman@maacenter.org