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7/28/2019 University of Minnesota Taconite Workers Health Study research team presents update on findings
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PRESSRELEASE:Embargoeduntil5:00p.m.,April12,2013
UofMTaconiteWorkersHealthStudyresearchteam
presentsupdateonfindings
Contact:JustinPaquette,AcademicHealthCenter,(612)718-6892,[email protected]
KrisStouffer,SchoolofPublicHealth,(612)306-7955,[email protected],AcademicHealthCenter,(218)341-7270,[email protected]
MINNEAPOLIS/ST.PAUL(April12,2013)UniversityofMinnesotaresearchershave confirmedanassociationbetweentimespentworkinginthetaconiteindustryandanincreasedriskof
contractingmesothelioma,anassociationevidentacrossMinnesotasIronRange.Researchersalsofoundthatairqualityincommunitiessurroundingtaconiteminesiscleanerintermsof particulatesthanairfoundinMinneapolis
.
Theyvealsofoundthat currentoccupationalexposuretodustfromtaconiteoperations isgenerally
withinsafeexposurelimits.
TheupdatedresultscomeastheTaconiteWorkersHealthStudy,amulti-prongedresearchinitiativefundedbythestateofMinnesota,windsdownlaterthisyear.TheMinnesotaLegislaturecommissionedthe$4.9millionprojectin2008,afterdatafromtheMinnesotaCancerRegistryrevealedanapparentexcessofcasesofmesotheliomainIronRangeworkers.Themesotheliomadeathsonlyoccurredinmenworkinginthetaconiteindustry.
TheUniversityofMinnesotaSchoolofPublicHealthpartneredwiththeMedicalSchoolandthe
NaturalResourcesResearchInstituteattheUniversityofMinnesota Duluthontheproject.
ThisisalandmarkstudyforMinnesotaandtheIronRange,saidJohnFinnegan,Ph.D.,deanofthe
SchoolofPublicHealth.Ourgoalwastobegintoanswerquestionsaroundhowminingand
taconiteprocessinghaveimpactedthehealthofMinnesotans.Thesestudieshavestartedtouncover
thoseanswers.
Anexaminationofincreasedratesofmesothelioma
Mesothelioma,a fatalcanceroftheliningofthelung,is mainlycausedbyprolongedexposuretoasbestosparticlesintheair,linkingthediseasetooccupationsthatusedthematerial inthepast.
TheMinnesotaDepartmentofHealth originallyestablishedarelationshipbetweenworkingintheironminingindustryandanincreasedriskformesothelioma inthe1990s/early2000s.PastUniversityofMinnesotaresearchhasalsoreportedtheriskformesotheliomainironmining
workerstobearoundthreetimeshigherthaninMinnesotansnotworkingintheindustry.
Asaresult,UniversityofMinnesotaresearchershavelookedforexplanations fortheincreaseandfoundthatforeveryyearworked,theriskformesotheliomawentuparound threepercent.Researchershavewantedtodeterminewhether ornotcumulativeexposuretofibertypeswithin
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7/28/2019 University of Minnesota Taconite Workers Health Study research team presents update on findings
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thefamilyofelongatedmineralparticles(EMPs)presentinthedus tfromtaconiteoperationscould
accountforthisincrease.ThetypesofEMPsinvolvedinironoremininghavenotbeenpreviouslylinkedtoincreasedmesotheliomarisk. Astheseexposureswereexamined,researchersdididentifyapotentiallinkbetweencumulativeexposuretoworkplaceEMPsandmesothelioma intaconiteworkers.However,thelinkisnotfelttobecertain.
Asaresult,theresearcherscannotsaywith assurednessthatdustfromtaconiteoperationscause smesothelioma.Furtherdataanalysisinthisareawillcontinueinthecomingmonths.
Oneimportantfindingoftheworktodateis thattheriskofcontractingmesotheliomaishigher
acrosstheentiretyoftheRangeamongpeoplewhoworkedlongerintheindustry,saidJeffMandel ,M.D.,M.P.H.,aSchoolofPublicHealthenvironmentalhealthexpertand principalinvestigatorofthestudy.Unfortunately,thereisminimalinformationonexposuretoothersourcesofasbestos ,aspecifictypeofEMPknowntocausemesothelioma,whichtheymayhaveexperiencedoutsideofironoreprocessing.Itissomethingthatwewanttocontinuetolookat,ifatallpossible .
Taconiteworkermortality
Inadditiontomesothelioma,w ithintheTaconiteWorkersHealthStudyresearchersresearchersassessedcausesofdeathamongpeoplebornafter1920whospenttimeintheironminingindustry
inMinnesota.Thisstudyincludespeopleworkinginthetaconiteindustryandtheformerhematite
industry.
Thecausesofdeathintaconiteworkers(whencomparedtoMinnesotaaverages)werehigherthanexpectedforthreeimportantdiseases:mesothelioma,lungcancerandheartdisease. Causesof
deathsfromallthreewerehigherthanexpectedacrosstheIronRangeandnotinoneparticular
location.
Althoughworkinginthetaconiteindustryincreasesapersonslifetimeriskofmesothelioma ,theincrease
equatestoasmallrisk
ofactuallydevelopingthedisease.Mesotheliomaisstillaveryraredisease.
Becausetaconiteworkershavehigherratesofdeaththantheircounterpartsforalltypesofca ncercombinedandheartdisease ,italsoappearsthereareotherhealthconsiderationsimpactingpeoplelivingontheIronRangeandlifestyleappearstobeanimportantfactor.
Airqualityassessment
Universityresearcherscanalsoconfirm thatairqualityincommunitiessurroundingtheminesisbetterthanmostpartsofMinnesotaintermsofparticulatesintheair.Also,researchersfoundthat
occupationalexposurestodustfromtaconiteoperationsare,generally,withinsafelimits.In
addition,spousesoftaconiteindustryworkersarealsoatnohigherriskofcontractingdust-related
lungdiseasesthanMinnesotasbroadergeneralpublic.
Werehopefulthattheresultsto datewillallayfearsthattaconitedusthasgeneratedbroadharmtothegeneralpublic,saidMandel.Whenemployersandemployeesbothtaketheappropriatesafetyprecautionstocurtaildustexposures,potentiallyharmfuleffectsfromthedustscanbeeliminated.
Tomeasureairqualityandpotentialexposuretocommunityresidentstodust generatedinthe
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7/28/2019 University of Minnesota Taconite Workers Health Study research team presents update on findings
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miningprocessing,researchersfromtheNationalResourcesResearch InstituteattheUniversityof
MinnesotaDuluthcollectedandlookedatairsamplesfromacrosstheIronRange.Thisworkconfirmed,eventhoughtheEastandWestsidesoftherangehavedifferentgeologiccharacteristics,
thatthereareverylowconcentrationsofEMPsintheairamongthesecommunities.
ChallengesandstudyobstaclesProjectresearchersdidencounterobstaclesinthiswork ,asgatheringexposuredatafromwithintheTaconiteindustrywasdifficulttosecurethefurtherbacktheytriedtogo. Theywerealsounabletofullydocumentpotentialexposureto asbestosproductsthatwereusedintheindustry.Many
processingfacilitieswereconstructedandmaintainedinatimeperiodwhenasbestoswasa
commonbuildingandconstructionmaterial,butexposurestoworkerswerenotregulatedor
recorded.
AspartoftheirannuallegislativereportontheTaconiteWorkersHealthStudy,University
researcherswillrecommendadditionalconsiderationsshouldfutureinvestigationsbeundertaken.
AbouttheTaconiteWorkersHealthStudyTheoverallobjectiveoftheMinnesotaTaconiteWorkerHealthStudywastodeterminewhether
dust-relatedlungdisease,includingmesothelioma,lungcancerandnon-malignantrespiratory
disease,mightberelatedtoworkinginthetaconiteindustry.
Thestudyhadfivemaincomponents,including1)anoccupationalexposureassessment,2)a
mortality(causeofdeath)study,3)cancerincidencestudiesofmesotheliomaandlungcancer,4)a
respiratoryhealthsurveyoftaconiteworkersandspouses,assessingnon -cancerousrespiratory
diseaseand5)anenvironmentalstudyofairborneparticulates.
Eachstudycomponenthasutilizedanexternalpeer -reviewprocesswithscienceadvisoryboards
thathavebeeninvolvedintheprojectssincethebeginningandeachofthestudy'sfivecomponentsprovideaperspectivethatsimportanttotheinterpretationoftheoverallhealthassessment
process.
