After years of ignoring the dangers of asbestos, and the resulting nationwide epidemic of asbestos disease, including mesothelioma, there is a renewed interest in studying this deadly material. This week, the Billings Gazette announced the federal government will fund an $8 million study to understand the health effects of low-level exposure to asbestos. The study will be based in Libby, Montana, where more than 200 people have died to date as a result of asbestos mining operations in the town, and hundreds more people suffer from asbestos related diseases.

The Libby program, dubbed the Libby Amphibole Health Risk Initiative, is funded by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry. The study is expected to span 5 years with a goal of expanding knowledge about the potential and real health issues of asbestos exposure.

Libby already has proved a tragically rich source of knowledge about long-term exposure to high levels of asbestos, as the EPA’s initial examination and cleanup of the town focused on miners with direct exposure to the substance in their jobs, as well as people who handled asbestos mineral and were exposed to asbestos dust secondarily on a daily basis.

But, the Gazette reports, too little is know about exposure to lower levels of asbestos. EPA officials hope that results of the study will benefit not only the residents of Libby, but people throughout the country.

In April, the Minnesota state legislature approved $4.9 million for its own five-year study, to be conducted under the direction of the University of Minnesota, in connection with unusually high levels of mesothelioma affecting Iron Range mine workers. A large question in the area is whether dust from the taconite mined there - a fibrous mineral similar to asbestos - could also cause mesothelioma.

A key part of the Minnesota research will be an examination of previous asbestos exposure among mine workers, which will expand the base of knowledge about the affect of asbestos on health, in addition to the new studies about the effect of taconite.

According to the Billings Gazette, among tests to be included in the Libby study are a comparison of film and digital chest X-rays to determine which is best for assessing the lungs, a comparison of the health of people exposed to Libby asbestos in childhood versus people who weren’t, an expanded evaluation of Libby residents who were exposed to asbestos, an assessment of whether the health problems related to asbestos exposure extend beyond lung disease.

Researchers in Libby also hope to make improvements to public health tracking systems and patient health record databases, to better link exposure information to health conditions, the Gazette reports.

Gayla Benefield, perhaps one of the best-known residents of Libby for her early outcry about the health effects of asbestos on the people in her town, says she is happy to see an emphasis on research.

She was a charter member of the board of directors of the Center for Asbestos Related Disease (CARD), a not-for-profit clinic governed by a volunteer community board and devoted to healthcare, outreach, and research to benefit all people impacted by exposure to Libby amphibole asbestos. She only recently retired from her position with that organization.

“This is something I’ve wanted from the onset - more study and more research,” she says. “I’ve been especially interested in how much or how little of the (asbestos) fiber can cause meso, and I’ve been really concerned about the schools having been contaminated.”

The key, Benefield says, is to detect mesothelioma at its earliest stage, when there is still time for treatment to prolong life. When people around her in Libby began being diagnosed, she says, their mesothelioma was so advanced that many died within days of the diagnosis.

“We all - everyone in Libby - live under the threat of developing mesothelioma,” she says. “They’re never going to get all that (asbestos) fiber out of Libby, or anywhere for that matter, homes with asbestos insulation, so the research is the big thing. Any and all research having to do with mesothelioma is fantastic. A dream come true.”

The Minnesota Department of Health reported this week that a 59th case of mesothelioma was identified in an Iron Range mine worker. This is the latest bad news in an ongoing examination of unusually high rates of mesothelioma among the miners. The state government recently approved $4.9 million to study the situation.

According to the Duluth News Tribune, the news of the latest mesothelioma diagnosis was discovered as the result of a comparison study done by the Minnesota Department of Health, comparing 72,000 Iron Range miners against the Minnesota Cancer Surveillance System, which is the state’s cancer registry. The paper reports Health Department spokesperson Buddy Ferguson was unable to provide details about the 59th miner diagnosed, including whether or not this case of mesothelioma had resulted in an additional death.

A focus of the five-year study, which is under the direction of the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health, is to determine if there is a relationship between mesothelioma and the dust from taconite mining that is a central part of the Iron Range mine operation. Currently, mesothelioma is known only to be linked to asbestos. Because of the long latency period of the disease, usually between 20 and 50 years, it is uncertain whether the mesothelioma cases could be caused by previous asbestos exposure on the part of affected individuals, or taconite dust, or both.

Minnesota Public Radio reported in June 2007 that the Department of Health had conducted a study in 2003 when it found 17 cases of mesothelioma among Iron Range workers, and determined that 14 of the 17 cases had previous exposure to asbestos as well as taconite dust. Between 2003 and 2007, an additional 35 miners were diagnosed with mesothelioma.

According to WDIO-DT and WIRT-DT, ABC affiliates channels 10 and 13 serving the Northland area, approximately 1,200 current and former Iron Range miners will undergo random respiratory and health screenings, beginning next summer, as part of the study. The station reports that this summer researchers will begin analyzing old health studies, and doctors will examine current asbestos exposure controls.

The research study group has been named the Taconite Workers Lung Health Partnership. Read more about the project at its web site.

In its last legislative session, Minnesota approved $4.9 million for research into the mesothelioma epidemic among its Iron Range workers. To date, 58 people have died of mesothelioma. Governor Tim Pawlenty signed the bill, which funds a five-year study of the taconite mining industry and the mineral’s asbestos-like properties as a likely cause for the extremely high rate of mesothelioma among workers.

Minnesota Public Radio reports that researchers and politicians will meet today to discuss progress in establishing the study. According to the report, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health is assessing the health of active and retired miners, reviewing death certificates, and delving into the 58 deaths from mesothelioma. The Natural Resources Research Institute is analyzing iron ore samples and dust in the air in Iron Range communities, to see how closely they match asbestos dust, says MPR.

According to the Iron Mining Association of Minnesota web site, the industry’s six iron mining and processing operations produce two-thirds of the iron ore used to make steel in the United States. Combined, they represent a $4 billion capital investment and employ nearly 4,000 men and women. These companies contribute over $1.5 billion each year to the state’s economy in the form of purchases, wages and benefits, royalties and taxes.These companies contribute over $1.5 billion each year to the state’s economy in the form of purchases, wages and benefits, royalties and taxes.

Taconite is an extremely hard rock that contains about 25 percent iron, according to an IMA fact sheet. It is found on the Mesabi Range in northeastern Minnesota, which extends 110 miles in a southwesterly direction. After World War II, when natural high-quality iron ore deposits were beginning to be depleted, two companies began making major investments in taconite, and began producing pellets in 1956 and 1957, and a decade later taconite was in production in all of the area’s six mines.

To date, Minnesota mines have produced more than 1.2 billion tons of taconite pellets, IMA reports.

Information about taconite on the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources web site says “taconite saved Minnesota’s iron ore mining industry.”

How heartbreaking that Minnesotans are only now finding out the cost.

Monday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the bill that will provide $4.9 million for a mesothelioma research study. The bill unanimously passed the Senate, and passed by a vote of 121-1 in the House.
The 5-year study, which will be conducted under the direction of the University of Minnesota, will analyze death records and conduct screenings of current and former Iron Range mine workers and their families. The study will determine if there is a link between mesothelioma and the taconite fibers produced by the mine. To date, 58 Iron Range workers have died of mesothelioma.

The study also will include environmental research.

Funding for the program will come from a special insurance fund overseen by the Department of Commerce.

The Minnesota Senate voted unanimously Monday to pass a bill that would provide $4.9 million for mesothelioma research. More than 58 Iron Range miners have died from mesothelioma or other asbestos-related diseases. The money will fund a 5-year research study of the taconite miners and their families, to be directed by the University of Minnesota.

The bill now goes to the House, where a vote is expected Wednesday. If the bill passes the House, it will go to Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is expected to approve it.

Originally, there was some dispute about the bill due to its funding source, but an amendment in the Senate resolved that issue. The money will come from a Department of Commerce fund that is reported to be operating with a surplus.

A compromise has been reached in the Minnesota legislature over funding for a mesothelioma research study. MyMeso has been following the progress of a bill in the Minnesota House that would provide $4.9 million to fund a study of mesothelioma and asbestos disease in the state’s Iron Range miners. More than 58 taconite miners have died from mesothelioma or other asbestos disease.

There was some controversy over the source of the funding when the bill was introduced in the House. Gov. Tim Pawlenty objected to the proposed funding source, a special state worker’s compensation fund, fearing it would raise premium costs for businesses that use the fund. The governor had threatened to veto the bill unless an alternate funding source was established.

An amendment proposed by the Minnesota Senate yesterday afternoon would fund the bill from a Department of Commerce fund, which is an “assigned risk” worker’s compensation fund.

The money will fund a five-year research project headed up by the University of Minnesota, which will review the health of miners and spouses, study the health records and occupations of miners who died and analyze the air quality in and around the mining communities.

The Senate has indicated support of the revised bill, with a final vote expected early next week. It will then move back to the House, where it also is expected to be met favorably.

According to TwinCities.com, a Pawlenty spokesman said the governor supports the amended bill and “believes it’s very important that this study moves forward.”

The Worthington Daily Globe in Worthington, Minn., reported yesterday that a Minnesota Senate committee is backing the proposed $4.7 million to be designated for mesothelioma research. The rare cancer has been reported in an unusually high number of cases in northeastern Minnesota, in association with a taconite mine.

The state Health Department in Minnesota has documented close to 60 deaths from mesothelioma in the Iron Range mining area.

According to the story published by The Globe, “The dean of the University of Minnesota’s School of Public Health [Professor John Finnegan, Jr.] is calling it ‘the best shot we’ve had in 25 years’ to find answers about a lung cancer that might be connected to mining taconite.”

If approved by the Minnesota legislature, the money would fund a combined study led by the University of Minnesota and including state health, natural resources and pollution control officials. The study would take about five years to conclude.

The Globe reports that the Senate bill has at least one more committee stop, and a House plan is also progressing. It says the plan faces some opposition from the business lobby, which is taking issue with the reliance on a workers compensation fund to pay for the research.

Last week I talked about an area in northeastern Minnesota called the Iron Range, where health officials have identified unusually high numbers of mesothelioma cases. The Iron Range is a mining area.

The report, which was published by WorkDay Minnesota, noted that 58 people in that area have died from mesothelioma. As a result, the Minnesota legislature is proposing a special meso study in cooperation with the University of Minnesota.

On March 6, the Duluth News Tribune published an article about a related air-quality issue in Silver Bay, Minn. The Tribune reports the Sierra Club and Save Lake Superior Association are pursuing a lawsuit upholding the air standard that compares asbestos fiber levels near Silver Bay to the air in St. Paul, Minn.

The report notes that asbestos-like fibers have been found in the ore mined on the eastern Iron Range, which is processed into taconite by Northshore Mining Co. in Silver Bay.

The Tribune says the environmental groups report violations of the control city air standard, with Silver Bay air showing higher asbestos levels than St. Paul air.

I mentioned in my last post that a research partnership in Minnesota is using part of a $6 million grant for mesothelioma research. That was announced yesterday.

This morning, WorkDay Minnesota published a series of stories about another quest for mesothelioma research in the state. Unrelated to the first grant, a Minnesota House of Representatives committee has approved legislation to allocate $4.9 million – to come from the state’s worker’s compensation special fund in fiscal year 2008 – for a special study of Iron Range mine workers’ deaths due to mesothelioma.

Inforum News writer Scott Wente reported today that the Minnesota Health Department in 2007 linked the deaths of 58 mining industry workers to mesothelioma. The University of Minnesota plans four studies related to the mesothelioma cases and other health issues for taconite industry employees and communities, according to the Inforum News story. Data points to an abnormally high rate of the cancer among the mine workers.

WorkDay Minnesota reports that in 2007, the state Department of Health announced that 35 miners, in addition to 17 previously identified, had died from mesothelioma. The number currently stands at 58 mesothelioma deaths.

The legislation for the funding must go through another House committee before getting to the floor, and the Senate has not yet held a hearing on the bill. If approved, the funding would direct the University of Minnesota to initiate a study this year and complete work by 2013.

The university’s School of Public Health will spearhead the project and already has set up a toll-free nurse helpline for questions on taconite worker lung health (1-888-840-7590) and launched a special website.

In the meantime, WorkDay Minnesota says that Friday the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration issued new rules that increase protections for miners who may be exposed to asbestos.