The President’s Cancer Panel and the National Cancer Institute recently issued a new report, “Reducing Environmental Cancer Risk: What We Can Do Now [PDF],” which examines the effect that environmental factors have on cancer risks. The report also contains recommendations from the Panel on lowering the risks posed by many cancer-causing substances, including bisphenol A (BPA), chromium and asbestos.

The panel found that despite efforts to reduce exposure to cancer-causing products, these substances continue to jeopardize the health of American workers and consumers:

With nearly 80,000 chemicals on the market in the United States, many of which are used by millions of Americans in their daily lives and are un- or understudied, exposure to potential environmental carcinogens is widespread.

As an attorney who represents workers and families who have suffered because of asbestos exposure, I am grateful for the Panel’s efforts to bring attention to the cancer risk that asbestos and other toxic substances pose to everyday Americans.

While many are aware of the health risks posed by workplace asbestos exposure, the report notes that one-third of mesothelioma and other asbestos-disease victims have no workplace history of asbestos exposure. Many of these individuals were exposed to asbestos fibers brought home on the hair or clothing of loved ones who worked around asbestos.

Although the World Health Organization and other international groups have called for a global ban on asbestos, federal regulators in this country have been unsuccessful in their attempts to fully shield the public from the health risks of asbestos. This new report is an important step in reducing the risk posed by asbestos and bringing attention to the terrible cost which asbestos has inflicted on millions of lives.