Dirty Laundry: New Documentary Unravels Asbestos, Mesothelioma

In the new 75-minute documentary “Dirty Laundry,” filmmakers and cousins Conor B. Lewis and Zack Johnson embark on a 4,200-mile cycling journey from Astoria, Oregon, to New York City. The reason: To better understand mesothelioma, the asbestos-related cancer that took the life of their grandmother, Iva Lewis. “Dirty Laundry” tells Iva’s story through a series of interviews with family members, doctors and researchers. On the 78-day bike ride, the cousins make stops in Libby, Montana, and Ambler, Pennsylvania — two of the most notorious EPA Superfund sites for asbestos cleanup. Conor and Johnson also stop in their grandmother’s hometown of Roxana, Illinois. Originally beginning as a personal tale of Iva’s life and sudden death, it turned into an in-depth documentary about asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. “We learned that there’s this network of people in the mesothelioma community that all seem to know each other,” producer Bryan Lemon told Asbestos.com “Conor and Zack were able to get in touch with a lot of other people that have been affected by this cancer and get a better picture of what this disease is.” Lemon, a college friend of Conor, didn’t join the cousins for the cycling trip. But he talked to them nearly every day and later combed through hours upon hours of footage. As someone with very little prior knowledge of the asbestos-related cancer, the editing process was an eye-opening experience for Lemon. “We’ve been really hum...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news