Four New Mesothelioma Cases Found
Posted at: 03/30/2010 11:38 AM
| Updated at: 03/30/2010 6:54 PM
By: Laura Kennedy
lkennedy@wdio.com
Minnesota Department of Health officials announced Tuesday they found another four Iron Range miners diagnosed with mesothelioma, a rare cancer usually found in people exposed to asbestos. That brings the total number of diagnosed workers to 63.
The state health department is working with University of Minnesota researchers on multiple studies looking at the lung health of iron miners and the effects of taconite dust. They've held public meetings to inform miners about the study and ask them to participate in screenings for respiratory problems.
Health officials actually found these four cases in the state's cancer registry, and realized they were in men who likely worked in the mines sometime during the 1960s and 70s.
"We certainly had expected to see some additional cases as we've gone along," said Dr. John Finnegan, dean of the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. "This is really important for us to keep on top of."
Health officials do not know if the men are still alive.
Meanwhile, researchers continue to screen retired and active miners for lung problems. Many spouses of miners are also being tested. So far, Finnegan says about 1,100 people have been screened.
"We've really seen an uptick in the number of people taking part in the screening when invited to do so," said Finnegan. "So we're going to make a big push in the summer to get as many people screened as we can."
Finnegan says researchers hope to finish the screenings by the end of the summer or early fall. At that point they will begin analyzing the data, which could take about eighteen months.
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