Kathleen Mullen Turns Personal Film about Asbestos, Mesothelioma into 'Breathtaking' Experience

Kathleen Mullen started making a documentary as a personal tribute to her father, as a way to honor and remember his life. She finished the film as an indictment of the industry that killed him -- and a government that allowed it to happen. The transformation -- the bridge between the two -- is what makes "Breathtaking," so powerful. Richard Mullen, her father, died in 2003 of mesothelioma, the cancer caused by an exposure to asbestos. He spent 40 years as a project engineer, often inspecting oil pipes where he unknowingly was inhaling asbestos fibers. "I wanted to do something from a personal standpoint, something from the heart," she told the Mesothelioma Center. "But the more research I did, the more I understood: this wasn't a family issue, this was a global problem effecting people around the world. It really motivated me to tell the whole story." The 43-minute film is a love-hate interaction, filled with touching,  father/daughter memories alongside stark, cold realities about the hurtful  business of asbestos and the deadly path that it still takes. The film can be seen for free Sept 26 at 6:30 p.m. EST through live streaming at asbestosdiseaseawareness.org. Mullen Witnessed Asbestos Mining "I'm proud of this film, very proud that it's getting out there for people to see," said Mullen, who is the director of programing at Planet in Focus, a Toronto-based annual film festival that focuses on environmental issues. "It was uncanny, really shocking in fact, at how many...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Asbestos Exposure & Bans Source Type: news