Mesothelioma and the Health of Minnesota Iron Range Miners, New Study by the School of Public Health

Mesothelioma News

School of Public Health Heads Study on Iron Range Miners and Mesothelioma

Eveleth, Minnesota - August 17, 2007 – Until recently, the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) had been studying health issues related to asbestos fibers and taconite mining, but the study has now been taken over by the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota. Controversy surrounding the MDH’s efforts to study the health of Iron Range miners is due to MDH’s failure to provide information on the health risks associated with airborne mineral fragments from taconite ore. The study was marked by delays, and the MDH is being criticized for withholding data from the public about a dozen confirmed cases of mesothelioma among Iron Range miners for more than a year.

Public awareness about the numerous health problems of Minnesota Iron Range taconite miners is growing, as the number of cases of respiratory diseases, cancer and mesothelioma deaths continue to increase. Taconite is a hard rock that is melted down to make steel. It is found in the northeastern part of Minnesota, in the Iron Range Region. Iron miners are exposed to large amounts of taconite dust, which may be contaminated with asbestos and could be responsible for making the miners ill.

Officials from the University of Minnesota and representatives of workers’ unions, mining companies, and other public health agencies met on August 8, 2007 at the Iron Range Resources Agency in Eveleth, Minnesota. A presentation outlined a broad and comprehensive research partnership in an effort to greater understand the health issues associated with Iron Range Miners and increasing reported mesothelioma deaths.

The new health study of taconite miners will be made up of at least three main components and could take up to three years to complete, said Jeff Mandel, a researcher with the University's School of Public Health.

• » First, the Natural Resources Research Institute will take an in-depth look at the dust in the Iron Range, specifically in taconite mines, to determine what issues the long–term exposure to asbestos raises.
• » Second, researchers will medically evaluate and interview current and former miners to determine what types of lung problems they might have.
• » Third, researchers will study the recorded deaths of more than 70,000 former Iron Range miners to determine the exact cause of death, including deadly mesothelioma.

Is Mesothelioma Caused by Exposure to Taconite Dust?

The spike in mesothelioma cases, lung disease and respiratory disease in taconite workers raises a red flag. The Department of Health has confirmed 58 miners have died of mesothelioma since 2003. Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that causes tumors on the surface of the lung and is almost always fatal. According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, mesothelioma is almost always caused by exposure to asbestos.

Some scientists believe that exposure to asbestos might be from inhaling asbestos–like fibers in the production plants, or possibly from contaminated taconite rocks. If the rocks are contaminated with asbestos, then inhaling taconite dust could be the source of the problem. The study will try to determine if a link can be made between the miners and asbestos exposure.

“The fundamental question is, are mineral dust particles responsible for negative health effects,” said Larry Zanko, a geologist with the Natural Resources Research Institute (Timberjay Newspapers Online, Aug 14 2007).

With information from the study, researchers hope to get a better understanding of the causes of mesothelioma and other illnesses in the Minnesota Iron Range miners. “There are people that are dying of mesothelioma. There are people that are going to continue to contract mesothelioma and other lung related diseases,” said Bob Bratulich, a district director with the United Steelworkers of America. “But the fact of the matter is that we’ve got to get the study right. It’s got to be done correctly, so that at the end of the study, people are accepting of the fact that it is the right science and that it was done properly.”

Mesothelioma and Your Legal Case

Brayton Purcell is concerned about the health effects of occupational asbestos exposure. If you have been exposed to asbestos and developed mesothelioma, lung cancer or another asbestos–related cancer, please feel free to contact us. We have been helping asbestos victims for more than 24 years, and offer a free review of your case as well as information and resources.