Comment from Kathy Wiedeman

The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation appreciates the opportunity to submit comments on the proposed rule titled “World Trade Center Health Program; Addition of Certain Types of Cancer to the List of WTC-Related Health Conditions” published in the Federal Register on June 13, 2012. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is the nonprofit collaboration of patients and families, physicians, advocates, and researchers dedicated to eradicating the life-ending and vicious effects of mesothelioma. The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation supports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) efforts to assure that all suffering from conditions as a result of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks receive the care they deserve. I am pleased to see mesothelioma included in the list of conditions eligible for coverage in the World Trade Center Health Program. Mesothelioma is known to be caused by exposure to asbestos, and the National Cancer Institute has confirmed that survivors and first responders were exposed to asbestos in New York City on September 11, 2001. In September 2011, The Lancet published an article demonstrating an elevated risk of cancer in firefighters exposed to toxins at the World Trade Center (WTC) site. Further, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) confirms that hundreds of tons of asbestos containing materials were released into atmosphere on September 11, 2001. The inclusion of mesothelioma as a disease eligible for coverage is essential, and we support the proposed rule. We applaud your efforts to best provide medical monitoring and treatment to future mesothelioma patients. We look forward to working with the CDC to finalize this rule. Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments. If you have further questions, please contact Jessica Barker, our Director of Government Affairs, who is reachable by phone 703-879-3819 or email: jbarker@curemeso.org. Sincerely, Kathy Wiedemer, Executive Director