According to the latest report by the American Lung Association, death rates due to lung disease are currently increasing while death rates due to other leading causes of death such as heart disease, cancer and stroke are declining. It is expected that by the year 2020, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) will become the third leading cause of death. According to Bernadette Toomey, President and CEO of the American Lung Association, “Every year, about 400,000 Americans die from lung disease. With our report, Lung Disease Data, we hope to provide valuable information on lung disease to the public, especially to people who become ill and their family members who are caring for them.”

The American Lung Association categorizes lung disease as one of the following:

· Obstructive lung diseases such as asthma and COPD which includes chronic bronchitis and emphysema. These all affect a person's airways and limit or block the flow of air in or out of the lungs.

· Infectious illnesses such as pneumonia, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and tuberculosis (TB). Bacteria or viruses cause these diseases that can also affect the membrane (or pleura) that surround the lungs.

· Lung cancer. A disease characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells.

· Respiratory failure, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism and pulmonary hypertension. These conditions are caused by problems with the normal gas exchange and blood flow in the lungs.

· Pulmonary fibrosis and sarcoidosis.

· Occupational diseases, such as mesothelioma and asbestosis, caused by exposure to hazardous substances.

The American Lung Association strongly believes that if cigarette smoking, preventable premature childbirth, disregard for workers' safety and violation of clean-air laws were to end today, a future largely free of the most lethal forms of lung disease would be possible.

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On Friday, a French court ordered the former employer of 17 workers forced to retire early because of asbestos exposure to pay compensation of up to €85,000 ($133,800 USD) for lost earnings.

The employer, papermaker Ahlstrom Labelpack, was ordered to pay the 17 workers between €9,000 and €85,000 ($14,044 and $132.634 USD) each for the loss of 35% of their earnings up to the legal retirement age. In addition, it ordered the company to pay €10,000 ($15,604 USD) for stress and anxiety to the workers, none of whom has so far contracted an asbestos-related disease.

If confirmed by an appeal court ruling in September, the decision could add significantly to compensation costs for asbestos-related diseases, expected to total between €11.7 billion and €22 billion ($18.26 billion and $34.33 billion) over the next 20 years, according to a report to parliament in 2004.

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NEWTON, MA, June 27, 2008 — The Law Offices of James Sokolove (LOJS), dedicated to providing greater access to the civil justice system, introduced more features to the ground-breaking community site, Mesothelioma Resource Center (MesoRC) to include a Community Marketplace and a Tribute Wall. The MesoRC website also provides a powerful one-stop informational resource for victims and families affected by this rare and aggressive cancer. Since its launch in September 2007, the site has seen continuing growth in traffic, and more importantly, in the dedicated involvement of its community.

The new MesoRC Community Marketplace offers insightful books on mesothelioma and other cancers, and novelties that seek to raise awareness of mesothelioma. With 2,500 new cases diagnosed annually in the US, mesothelioma, caused by exposure to asbestos, is often called an orphan cancer. As such, there are few research funds and often little help for patients who want to seek treatment at the twelve medical centers focused on advanced treatment options. LOJS may receive compensation from some of websites with links on MesoRC.com. LOJS donates all compensation received from websites based on these links to charitable organizations that benefit mesothelioma patients.

Another new MesoRC feature is the Tribute Wall to remember those affected by mesothelioma. This rolling recall of names by family, friends and loved ones is dedicated to the memory of mesothelioma victims.

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This week, monumental legislation was passed dedicated to minimizing lung cancer mortality. Last year, an act was established to reduce lung cancer deaths by 50% by 2015. The new bill allots $75 million towards making this goal a reality.

The Lung Cancer Alliance hails the bill as historic and the biggest step so far in the fight against lung cancer. Included in the bill are facts about the disease and its impact: lung cancer claims more victims each year than breast, prostate, colon, kidney, melanoma and liver cancer--combined.

The bill, known as the Lung Cancer Mortality Reduction Act of 2008, outlines a five-year multi-agency plan that will expand research and boost development in the field of lung cancer drug treatments. Agencies such as the National Cancer Institute, the departments of Health and Human Services, Defense, and Veterans Affairs, and the National Institute for Environmental Health are all involved in the program. To ensure accountability, these firms must submit annual reports to Congress documenting their work and progress.

Senator Feinstein co-sponsored the bill. She said, "Its time for the federal government to step up its efforts and make fighting lung cancer a national priority. Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer death in both men and women, but efforts to fund research and innovative new drug therapies have been shortchanged when compared to other cancers." The new legislation will certainly bring necessary political and scientific attention to lung cancer.

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Researchers at the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center say the standard treatment for pleural mesothelioma is currently surgery to remove the patient's lung -- a potentially debilitating consequence. "Current surgical and chemotherapy treatments of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma are unsatisfactory, and have not been shown to significantly prolong survival," Dr. Robert Taub, the study's principal investigator.

The new study, however, focuses on a combination of chemotherapy and radiation targeted directly at the lung's lining. Researchers anticipate that the radiation therapy will kill the cancer cells on the surface of the lung while sparing other parts of the lung and surrounding vital tissues.

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