Mesothelioma and Asbestos

Omaha Nebraska Senator Bob Krist is proposing the state spend approximately $650,000 to research a test that analyzes sputum to inexpensively screen for lung cancer. Krist’s bill, LB987, would primarily take funds from a tobacco settlement for the study. Krist became more actively interested in beginning lung cancer detection when his father was diagnosed with lung cancer. His father died from the asbestos related lung cancer less than two years after the initial diagnosis.

The Nebraska Department of Veterans Affairs supports the bill as well as would assist researchers in locating volunteers. Approximately 500 U.S. Navy veteran volunteers would be needed for the study, which is to be conducted by Eppley Cancer Center. Veterans were chosen for the study because they are at a higher risk for developing lung cancer either from smoking or from environmental risks, such as exposure to asbestos. The volunteer demographic would include veterans over the age of 50 with a history of smoking a pack a day for at least 20 years.

For the filled story, go to Lincoln Journal Star.