Minnesota Legislature Funds Mesothelioma Study

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April 5, 2008

The Minnesota state House of Representatives took a large step during the first week in March towards determining why there is a high incidence of mesothelioma among miners working in the Iron Range. Since WWII, a mineral known as taconite has been a major source of iron, much of it coming from the area of Minnesota that has long been noted for its iron deposits.

Taconite in its natural state contains only 30-35% iron so the ore is pulverized during the process of extracting the iron. Taconite contains fibers of a number of substances, and there have now been 58 cases of mesothelioma reported among the men working in those mines.

The state undertook but did not complete a study in 2003 on the question of whether asbestos in taconite was causing mesothelioma development – at that time, there were 17 reported cases. That number has tripled over five years, heightening the concern among miners and their families that taconite processing may release asbestos fibers. Researchers intend to look at records covering the 70,000 miners that worked in taconite mines from the 1950s to the 1980s.

This time, the Minnesota legislature is proposing a $4.9 million allocation to do a thorough study of the impact taconite mining may be having on workers in the Iron Range. The federal Mine Safety and Health Administration is also putting new requirements in place to protect miners who may be exposed to asbestos; these regulations are in part the result of the publicity generated by the mesothelioma cases reported among the Minnesota miners.

This story was also reported by Workday Minnesota as well as In-ForumNews.

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