It all started about 10 years ago, when Dr. Michele Carbone, director of the Thoracic Oncology Program at the University of Hawaii and an accomplished chef, visited Turkey as a keynote speaker. He discovered that in several villages, 50 percent of the residents died of mesothelioma. Houses in these villages were constructed from soft volcanic rock containing erionite, a naturally occurring fibrous mineral similar to asbestos. Furthermore, “houses of death” were usually destroyed, sending the contaminated dust into the air for all to breathe. Carbone discovered that in some houses, everyone died, yet in other houses, made from the same material a few yards away, everyone remained healthy. This led to Carbone researching why some people remained harmless from the deadly toxin. Years of research resulting in a study Carbone published in the prestigious journal Nature revealed a genetic predisposition for mesothelioma.

Scientists call it a "gene-environment interaction." Carbone says he and his team are close to isolating that gene, which means more hope for early detection, treatment and a cure. They also identified the exposure to erionite as the likely trigger for developing the disease. Carbone became determined to reduce residents' contact with the mineral fiber and persuaded officials in Cappadocia, Turkey to construct a new village to prevent more illnesses and deaths. They wasted no time and eventually more than 2,000 people had new brick and mortar houses.

Carbone decided to take things a step further. He invited the Turkish surgeon general to attend the National Cancer Institute meeting last August at the John A. Burns School of Medicine in which he hosted. Of course, the visit included a multi-course gourmet dinner that Carbone prepared himself. During the visit, he convinced the surgeon general and members of the cancer institute that he needed to study early detection of mesothelioma in Cappadocia, where the high incidence allowed him to “get an answer in a short time at a fraction of the cost.” Unfortunately, no infrastructure existed, but the surgeon general agreed that the research called for a new hospital, and by April, the structure was completed.

Carbone has taken his research to the states and is currently studying three families with a high incidence of mesothelioma. For this work, the American Association for Cancer Research presented the prestigious Landon Innovator Award for the best international collaboration related to the advancement of cancer prevention research - a $100,000 grant over two years - to Carbone and his team of researchers in April. Carbone says, “This is a big issue and it’s my passion.”

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When Lexi Miletto's grandfather died three years ago, she found an outlet for her grief in writing letters -- to medical foundations, congressmen, and even Oprah Winfrey and the president. Lexi wrote these letters to call attention to the disease that killed him, mesothelioma.

Although she never heard back from Oprah or the president, she did get a call back in May from June Breit of the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation (MARF). Breit invited Lexi to give the keynote address Friday, June 27, at the International Symposium on Malignant Mesothelioma held in Washington, D.C. Lexi enthusiastically accepted the invitation. ''I was very excited about it,'' she said. ''It means a lot to me because I want to raise awareness for others so they won't have to suffer like my grandfather did.''

Lexi’s grandfather, Joe Miletto, worked a string of hard-labor jobs, including demolition and brick-making, where he could have been exposed to asbestos. His widow, Diane, thinks he inhaled the asbestos that would kill him when he served in the Navy, building ships.

Lexi’s goals are to increase mesothelioma research and raise money for it through fundraisers. She also wants to push a strong Capitol Hill lobby for a national asbestos ban.

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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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