Mesothelioma Worries Miners

The 58 taconite miners who have been infected with a rare lung cancer known as Mesothelioma worked at mines in Minnesota's Iron Range - at least one for merely a month, but others for decades. The state Health Department presented a report on Friday, filling in some background on the workers affected by mesothelioma - an asbestos-related cancer that occurs at about twice the expected rate in north eastern Minnesota.

According to scientists, the data will help them prepare 3 large studies of the cancer and miners' health. Iron Rangers have long been worried by Mesothelioma, and went furious when state health authorities took a year to release information about 35 of the cases. Dianne Mandernach - the department's head, resigned in September following intense criticism. Commissioner Sanne Magnan, who succeeded her promised to share information quickly.

The latest report is not as detailed as researchers need in order to explain how the workers got the Mesothelioma, especially information on where each infected worker worked in the mine and what dust or fibres they might have been exposed to. The report doesnt provide much insight on if theres some link between these cases and working in the taconite industry.

In the taconite industry, low-grade iron ore is mined from several sites in northeastern Minnesota, processed, and thereafter the resulting pellets are shipped to steel mills. Researchers have almost prepared a detailed plan for three proposed studies, and their work will be completed within three to five years. These studies will have withstood every scrutiny. Northeastern Minnesota's increased mesothelioma rate is partially explained by cases involving former employees of Conwed Corp., where ceiling tiles were made from asbestos. Report shows that the surrounding county features a four times higher rate than the rest of the state.

However, the fact that only 3 of the 58 miners affected by the Mesothelioma also worked at Conwed, has left researchers puzzled as to how the other 55 got the disease. Over half of the men diagnosed labored in the mining industry for five or fewer years. The companies with the most workers affected are Picklands Mather and U.S. Steel. The report also investigated the work histories of 41 cases identified since 2006. Chron