Minnesota Miners May Soon Know the Cause of Their Mesothelioma

Posted by

November 26, 2007

Northeastern Minnesota is a mining town where many residents have recently begun being diagnosed with mesothelioma. Now, at least two different groups of researchers have decided to study the health impacts of the recent outbreak of the disease.

Area government researchers, such as the Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Pollution Control, have declined to participate in these research studies. The study will focus on former and current employees of the Silver Bay taconite facility.

It has been known for decades that mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos particles. In the last ten years, more than 50 miners at the Silver Bay taconite facility have been diagnosed with mesothelioma, leading scientists and medical professionals wondering if these cases of mesothelioma cancer are caused by taconite dust rather than asbestos exposure.

The Minnesota Department of Health and Minnesota Pollution Control have said that they plan to perform their own studies, along with the University of Michigan, with a control group of many miners across the state from different facilities.

If it is discovered that taconite powder is the cause of mesothelioma in some cases, it could change everything we know about the disease. It could make it that much more difficult for persons with mesothelioma to receive settlements for their pain and suffering and medical bills, and it could give miners something else to worry about in an already-dangerous profession.

However, there is some evidence that the mines may contain asbestos. Back in 1970, the Reserve Mining Company, former owners of the mine, was put on trial for dumping its taconite tailings into Lake Superior. It was noted back then that the material contained fibers that were much alike those of asbestos.

Unfortunately, the lawyers in this case were more focused on how these taconite particles would affect the environment than how it could potentially affect the individuals that were working in the mines and being exposed to the fibers day after day. Currently, there is no evidence that taconite can cause mesothelioma. Researchers are hoping to use this study to prove one way or another if taconite particles are responsible for the cases that have come out of the Silver Bay taconite facility.

At the end of the 1970 trial, it was decided that the company could no longer dump their wastes into Lake Superior. When people were no longer worried that they were going to ingest the matter through their drinking water, the health concerns were no longer discussed until this recent look back into the problem.

The question of whether or not taconite powder can cause mesothelioma has raised further questions about the disease. If asbestos fibers aren’t the only cause of mesothelioma, then is it possible that some people have been awarded settlements based on an assumption? Are there other natural minerals with fibers that are similar to asbestos that are just as dangerous when inhaled? This interesting study may teach us a lot more than we currently know about mesothelioma cancer.

Original Article

News