The Linden City Council presented a resolution declaring Sept. 26, 2025, Mesothelioma Awareness Day in the city and recognized community members working to raise awareness of the disease. The proclamation notes mesothelioma’s links to asbestos exposure, its long latency, and a low five-year survival rate.
John Anderson, identified in the meeting as a former longtime city resident who lost his wife, Bonnie Anderson, to mesothelioma, spoke after the council presentation. “My wife Bonnie Anderson … passed away two years ago,” Anderson said, adding that he and his family have worked with the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation and local medical advisors on outreach and patient support.
The resolution—signed by Council President Michelle Yamakaitis and attested by City Clerk Joseph Vodek—says asbestos was widely used before 1980 in military, shipbuilding and building construction and that “there is no safe level of asbestos exposure.” The proclamation encourages public awareness and support for research into treatments.
Council members and the mayor thanked Anderson for his advocacy and the council placed the proclamation into the meeting record. The proclamation will be available with the meeting minutes at city hall and on the city’s website.
The council did not take further legislative action tied to the proclamation during the meeting; the item was presented as a ceremonial resolution and recorded in the minutes.