Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C.

The Minnesota Health Department released its report Friday detailing a study of 58 miners who contracted mesothelioma, a rare type of cancer affecting the lining of the lungs, which is usually associated with asbestos exposure. According to Minnesota Public Radio, the report shows that the men worked in mines scattered across the entire Iron Range and reveals that nearly a quarter of the workers were employed in the mining industry for less than a year.

MPR says previous Health Department studies had suggested commercial asbestos, which is found in some of the mining operations, could be the cause of the increased mesothelioma incidences. Other researchers, they say, suspect fibers in the dust from the mined material, taconite.

As a result of the study, MPR reports that the Health Department has partnered with the University of Minnesota to launch future studies of the miners. The two organizations have prepared a proposal for government funding for a series of studies focusing on the mining industry, respiratory health among mine workers, and their overall health and causes of death in comparison to the general population.

The estimated cost of the studies is between $5.5 and $6 million.

Related posts:

1. $4.9 for meso research in Minnesota
2. BBC report estimates 100,000 mesothelioma deaths possible
3. Clinical trial for pleural mesothelioma
4. Libby meso epidemic predicted
5. Supreme Court rejects Grace appeal

Tags: asbestos, Iron Range, mesothelioma, miners, Minnesota Health Department, taconite, University of Minnesota

This entry was posted on Friday, December 7th, 2007 at 11:14 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.