Shining a Headlamp on Miners’ Health
Monday, October 5th, 2009Former mine workers in the Iron Range of Minnesota have begun undergoing health screenings to help researchers unravel a medical mystery. They’re trying to understand why taconite miners have a high incidence of lung disease including mesothelioma, a cancer associated with asbestos exposure.
In recent weeks, the first wave of an expected 1,200 miners and 800 spouses received chest x-rays, had blood drawn and underwent tests to assess their lung function at the Virginia Regional Medical Center in Minnesota, according to The Duluth News Tribune. The University of Minnesota is conducting a comprehensive three- to five-year, $4.8 million study of the respiratory health of taconite workers as a follow-up to a 2003 study that linked taconite miners who had developed mesothelioma to commercial asbestos exposure in the mines.
The aim on the current study is to analyze cancer and mortality rates among taconite workers, to examine airborne particles collected from the Iron and to evaluate miners’ exposure to taconite dust on the job.
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