PRINTER'S NO. 1375
No. 203 Session of 2005
INTRODUCED BY STACK, BOSCOLA, ROBBINS, KASUNIC, PIPPY, KITCHEN,
FERLO, C. WILLIAMS, COSTA, TARTAGLIONE, BRIGHTBILL, O'PAKE,
ERICKSON, MUSTO, CONTI, WENGER, RAFFERTY, MELLOW, STOUT,
ORIE, REGOLA, FONTANA, PILEGGI, LAVALLE, SCARNATI AND
LEMMOND, NOVEMBER 16, 2005
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, NOVEMBER 16, 2005
A RESOLUTION
1 Observing the month of November 2005 as "Lung Cancer Awareness
2 Month" in Pennsylvania.
3 WHEREAS, Lung cancer is the leading cause of deaths from
4 cancer in the United States among both men and women; and
5 WHEREAS, More than 160,000 deaths from lung cancer occurred
6 in 2004; and
7 WHEREAS, Lung cancer incidence rates and death rates among
8 white men and African-American men are decreasing, but rates
9 among women are sharply increasing; and
10 WHEREAS, The leading causes of lung cancer, in order, are
11 smoking cigarettes, cigars and pipes; secondhand smoke; radon;
12 and on-the-job exposure to carcinogens such as asbestos,
13 uranium, arsenic and certain petroleum products; and
14 WHEREAS, The two major types of lung cancer are nonsmall cell
15 lung cancer, which is the more common type, and small cell, or
16 oat cell, lung cancer; and
1 WHEREAS, Small cell lung cancer is the more aggressive, fast-
2 spreading type of lung cancer and accounts for about 20% of all
3 lung cancers; and
4 WHEREAS, Symptoms of lung cancer are chronic cough,
5 hoarseness, coughing up blood, weight loss and loss of appetite,
6 shortness of breath, fever without a known reason, wheezing,
7 repeated bouts of bronchitis or pneumonia and chest pain; and
8 WHEREAS, Lung cancer can be prevented by stopping smoking,
9 living and working in a smoke-free environment, testing home
10 radon levels and installing treatment as necessary to reduce
11 radon to the level of four picocuries per liter of air; and
12 WHEREAS, Ongoing education about lung cancer causes and
13 prevention is necessary to reduce the incidence of this
14 devastating disease; therefore be it
15 RESOLVED, That the Senate observe the month of November 2005
16 as "Lung Cancer Awareness Month" in Pennsylvania.
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