Lung Cancer Awareness Month

WHEREAS, lung cancer kills a total of 159,000 Americans every year, more than any other form of cancer; and

WHEREAS, the lung cancer mortality rate in Alabama is 62.2 per 100,000, higher than the U.S. rate of 53.1 per 100,000; and

WHEREAS, smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer; secondhand smoke exposure, radon, asbestos, and genetic disorders have long been known to cause lung cancer; and

WHEREAS, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer recently added outdoor air pollution and particulate matter to the growing list of air pollutants known to cause lung cancer; and

WHEREAS, although avoiding exposure to these carcinogens is the best way to prevent lung cancer, people cannot always avoid them because they are so widespread; and

WHEREAS, the five-year survival rate for lung cancer is only 17 percent, and is the lowest of all types of cancer; and

WHEREAS, early diagnosis and treatment of lung cancer greatly improves survival rates; however, most cases are not diagnosed until later stages; and

WHEREAS, the lung cancer mortality rate for high-risk populations can be lowered by up to 14 percent through early detection, including low-dose CT screening; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that 72,000 American women will die of lung cancer in 2014, 26 percent of all female deaths due to cancer; and

WHEREAS, lung cancer is the leading cancer killer in the United States; and

WHEREAS, every two and a half minutes someone in the U.S. is told that he or she has lung cancer; and

WHEREAS, in the last 36 years, the lung cancer death rate has fallen 28 percent among men while increasing 98 percent among women:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim the month of November 2014, as

Lung Cancer Awareness Month

in the state of Alabama.