Minnesota mining study funding approved

March 13, 2008, Minnesota â€" Last week, a Minnesota House Committee approved legislation that would allow the University of Minnesota to begin a study investigating the deaths of taconite miners in northeastern Minnesota’s Iron Range. The funding was first passed by the House Higher Education and Work Force Development Policy Committee. This week, the bill to approve funding for the study has been moving further through the Minnesota State House. The $4.9 million worth of funding for the Minnesota Iron Range study has now been approved by the house. The study will be funded by the Workers’ Compensation Special Fund, and will attempt to answer the following basic questions: • Why are the Iron Range taconite miners developing mesothelioma? • Are there any other diseases the miners are developing in addition to mesothelioma? • Are there any secondary effects that could affect the families of Iron Range miners, or the larger community? The researchers will collect a variety of data, including the level of exposure to the dust, and incidence of health problems associated with the dust, in miners, their spouse, and their families. In addition, researchers will also be investigating the chemical and physical properties, and the chemical make-up, of the dust itself, to try and determine exactly what properties of the dust are causing cancer. The study has been initiated following the deaths of 58 Minnesota Iron Range workers from pleural mesothelioma, a rare and deadly form of cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs of affected individuals. The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose, highly treatment-resistant, and currently incurable. Professor John Finnegan, University of Minnesota School of Public Health Dean, says that the mesothelioma death toll of 58 is “clearly in excess” of the expected total for an average population. The School of Public Health is currently in the process of completing groundwork for the study. Local community groups, public officials, and researchers will provide support. A website (www.sph.umn.edu/lunghealth/home.html) and a toll-free helpline have been launched to provide information about taconite worker health issues. The Minnesota Department of Health has already completed a preliminary study on 58 mine workers diagnosed with mesothelioma. Around 25% of the workers had been employed in the mining industry for less than a year, while just over 25% had been employed for more than thirty years. Almost all were diagnosed with mesothelioma between thirty and sixty years after they had begun work at an Iron Range mine. These results confirm current medical knowledge about mesothelioma which point to a very long latency period for the cancer, and confirm the fact that a relatively small amount of exposure to inhalable fibers can cause mesothelioma. The preliminary results will provide a foundation for the in-depth study that will commence now that funding has been approved. (Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News)