Asbestos News
Ex-MP with terminal lung cancer points to asbestos exposure
An ex-Member of Parliament (MP) from British Columbia and former Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons in Canada is currently struggling with terminal lung cancer, which he ascribes to exposure to asbestos.Chuck Strahl, a 54-year-old father of four, announced in 2005 that he has an inoperable pulmonary carcinoma, according to CBC News. The one-time logging contractor told the Vancouver Sun that his exposure to asbestos may be to blame.
"People just didn't know about the long term impacts of asbestos. But we do today. The doctors tell me that the cancer I was diagnosed with six years ago and [which] collapsed my lung was certainly caused by exposure to asbestos," he told the news source.
"Most guys that get diagnosed are dead in six to 12 months," he added.
For someone diagnosed with mesothelioma, another asbestos-linked lung disease, the median survival time is similar to these figures. Such a patient is likely to live just 16 months past their diagnosis, according to the National Cancer Institute in the U.S.
Currently, Strahl is battling a movement, led by a group of Conservative Canadian MPs, to continue exporting asbestos out of the province of Quebec, as reported by the Sun.
8/24/11
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