Nearly one-third of the people who are diagnosed with mesothelioma served in a branch of the U.S. military during a time when use of asbestos was rampant. We spread the word about the increased health risks veterans have because of that exposure.
Seventy-five years later, Dec. 7, 1941, still lives in infamy. Wednesday marks the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor. The surprise Japanese military strike killed 2,403 Americans and wounded another 1,178, devastating the U.S. naval base and dragging the nation into World War II. But the death toll continued to rise decades after…
Decorated U.S. Army Capt. Aaron Munz has joined The Mesothelioma Center and Asbestos.com as the new director of the advocacy group’s Veterans Department. He was drawn by the opportunity to serve those with whom he once served so proudly. Munz, who received the Bronze Star Medal for Valor in 2004 during Operation Iraqi Freedom, has…
Michael Johnson watched his father, retired U.S. Marine Corps veteran John Johnson, die prematurely almost three years ago from mesothelioma after the VA health care system misdiagnosed and mishandled his case more than once. His biggest point of contention, which ultimately cost his father’s life, is that patients within the VA health care system have…
As the youngest person to become chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Elmo Zumwalt played a major role in U.S. military history — a war hero whose service spanned World War II, Korea and Vietnam. It’s only appropriate that the Mesothelioma Center for Excellence at the VA West Los Angeles Medical Center is adopting his name….
The USS Enterprise, one of the most decorated aircraft carriers in American military history, was retired earlier this month after 51 years of active duty, spanning both the heights and depths of the Navy’s asbestos era. The USS Enterprise was the world’s first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, allowing it to pioneer the defense of American interests…
Young Donald Boehner was just 15, sitting at his mother’s kitchen table in Minneapolis, playing cribbage with a friend, when he heard the stunning radio news report that the Japanese had just bombed Pearl Harbor. America was going to war. He was going, too. “I told my mother right then, ‘I’m joining the Navy. I’m…
The Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) launched a national pilot initiative to provide at-risk veterans with life-saving information and services as a kickoff to Lung Cancer Awareness Month. Working closely with select medical centers and the Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), a national veterans’ advocacy organization, LCA aims to educate veterans about their elevated risk for…
Older cancer patients who receive treatment at veterans’ hospitals are getting equal, if not better, treatment than patients at fee-for-service Medicare hospitals, according to a new study. The report, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, describes improved survival rates among older male cancer patients who go through the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), compared to…
The U.S. Navy required asbestos and asbestos-containing materials be used to build its ships despite understanding some of the health hazards associated with asbestos exposure, a recent research report concludes. The report “Government and Navy Knowledge Regarding Health Hazards of Asbestos: A State of The Science Evaluation (1900 To 1970)” was created by ChemRisk, a…
Patrick Burke might not be around to see how the 2012 presidential election turns out in November, but he will know he did his part. Mesothelioma may shorten his life, but it won’t stop him from trying to change the direction of his country, for as long as he possibly can. Burke, 55, has spent…
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