[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 52 (Wednesday, April 21, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E575]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION TURNS 100

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 21, 2004

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, as a second generation doctor, who 
practiced medicine for 21 years, I am proud to congratulate the 
American Lung Association on this their centennial anniversary. The 
American Lung Association operates as the oldest voluntary health 
organization in the United States. The organization was founded in 1904 
with the purpose of trying to combat tuberculosis. Today the 
Association fights all lung diseases with special emphasis on tobacco-
related diseases and asthma.
  One of the main focuses of the American Lung Association is the 
reduction of tobacco use in order to combat lung disease. The act of 
smoking itself makes it difficult for a person's lung to function 
properly which makes the lung itself vulnerable to carcinogens from the 
smoke inhalation. Cigarettes and tobacco contain many cancer-causing 
chemicals. Along with disabling the immune response and destroying the 
lung tissue, chemicals can wreak cancerous havoc within the lung, 
esophagus, throat, and mouth. Chemicals found in tobacco smoke also 
destroy the cellular mechanisms which remove particles from the 
bronchial passages and results in ``smoker's cough''. Helping America 
to stop smoking is a difficult, but worthy pursuit.
  The second mission the association has been focusing on for one 
hundred years is that of asthma. Asthma is a lung disease that can be 
life-threatening and is chronic. In other words, you live with it every 
day. Asthma can develop quickly and it can range from being a mild 
discomfort to a life-threatening attack if breathing stops completely. 
This is a deadly, often overlooked threat that the American Lung 
Association is fighting.
  Today, lung cancer is the leading cause of death from cancer in men 
and women. Therefore, it is vital that both public and professional 
efforts be directed at effectively controlling this epidemic. The 
American Lung Association is doing its part in helping us to fight this 
deadly disease. They now operate by means of contributions and grants 
from corporations, foundations, and government agencies. Major medical 
and educational institutions help the association to provide 
information and programs to schools, communities, and different health 
agencies completely free or at a nominal fee.
  Thank you for serving our nation for one hundred years in combating 
lung disease.

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