[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 59 (Monday, May 3, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S4764]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN LUNG ASSOCIATION

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, I congratulate the American Lung Association 
as it celebrates its centennial year.
  The American Lung Association, established in 1904 as the National 
Association for the Study and Prevention of Tuberculosis, was the first 
nationwide, voluntary health organization aimed at conquering a 
specific disease.
  While still committed to its initial cause, the Lung Association has 
expanded its research, education, and advocacy to combat other 
challenges to the respiratory health of the American people.
  In the 1950s, the ALA realized that it was becoming increasingly 
difficult to concentrate on the eradication of tuberculosis without 
paying attention to other related illnesses. So it expanded its program 
goals to include the elimination of all forms of lung disease and their 
causes.
  In 1960, long before the dangers of smoking were understood, the ALA 
established a link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. It 
subsequently began an aggressive campaign to educate the public--
especially young people and those with chronic respiratory disease--
about the hazards of cigarette smoking.
  In the 1970s, the ALA sought to reduce the harmful effects of air 
pollution and played a major role in the adoption of the landmark Clean 
Air Act.
  More recently, the ALA has partnered with schools to provide 
education programs for children with asthma and public information 
campaigns to prevent smoking among America's youth.
  Today, more than 35 million Americans are living with chronic lung 
disease, and every year, close to 344,000 Americans die of lung 
disease, making it the Nation's No. 3 killer.
  In Nevada, which has one of the highest rates of lung cancer in the 
Nation, nearly 1,300 people died of the disease last year, and another 
1,500 new cases were diagnosed. These numbers underscore the importance 
of the ALA's goal of a world free of lung disease.
  I salute the thousands of volunteers and staff of the American Lung 
Association for their tireless work in fighting lung disease over the 
last century, and extend my best wishes for a successful future.

                          ____________________