On Sept. 26, we celebrate the 17th annual Mesothelioma Awareness Day, a day founded in 2004 by the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation. Mesothelioma Awareness Day's objective is to bring recognition to the perils of asbestos and to the danger of the disease itself. Mesothelioma is a devastating cancer with the single established known cause of asbestos. It has afflicted thousands over decades of asbestos use nationally. About 3,000 people are diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma each year in the United States. Due to the unfortunate fact that asbestos is not yet banned in our country, we expect to see a steady stream of diagnoses.