ABIH Encourages Awareness of Respirable Hazards during Lung Cancer Awareness Month

LANSING, Mich. - Nov. 18, 2013 - PRLog -- Across the United States, November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month.  In the U.S., more people die from lung cancer than any other type of cancer.  It is also the second most commonly diagnosed form of cancer.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as recently as 2010, over 201,000 people were diagnosed with the condition and over 158,000 died due to lung cancer.  Tragically, many people do not know they have developed lung cancer until the late stages of the condition.

Although smoking remains the number one cause of lung cancer, there are also a number of indoor air quality and industrial contaminants that can expose people and workers to known causes of lung cancer.  Radon is a leading cause of lung cancer that is believed to result in an estimated 20,000 lung cancer deaths each year.  Exposure to asbestos can also result in lung cancer, asbestosis and mesothelioma.  In additional, workers in some professions are potentially exposed to a variety of respirable dusts and aerosols that can cause lung cancer or other respiratory diseases.

The industrial hygiene community and Certified Industrial Hygienists in particular, are well versed in health risk analysis, hazard communication, community exposure, chemical hazards, engineering controls and ventilation, and air sampling and instrumentational analysis to identify, prevent and respond to many respirable pollutants that are known to cause lung cancer.  This is due to their ability to anticipate, recognize, evaluate and control a wide range of chemical and biological stressors.

“ABIH supports efforts to educate people about lung cancer and respirable carcinogens during Lung Cancer Awareness Month,” said Tracy Parsons, CIH, Administrative Program Manager at ABIH.  “CIHs can make a real difference in identifying potential airborne pollutants that can result in elevated exposure risks for lung cancer and other diseases.”

To learn more about the American Board of Industrial Hygiene, CIH program, or to locate a CIH near you, please email abih@ABIH.org, visit www.ABIH.org or call (517) 321-2638.

About the American Board of Industrial Hygiene

Since 1960, ABIH, a not-for-profit corporation, has been the world's largest, premier organization for certifying professionals in the practice of industrial hygiene. ABIH is responsible for ensuring high-quality certification including education, experience, examination, certification maintenance and ethics enforcement.  Currently, more than 6700 people are certified to use the CIH designation.