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Mesothelioma and Asbestos News - July 2005


Government Officials Looking into Asbestos Reports at Northshore Mining


Monday, July 25, 2005

Federal investigators have come to a conclusion that asbestos levels at the Northshore Mining Co., a Minnesota based taconite plant, were higher than allowed in other industries, however, they did not exceed the Federal limit established for mining companies. Over the past several years, the U.S Mine Safety and Health Administration has issued two asbestos level warnings to Northshore Mining. One of the letters was publicly released after it was requested by members of the media under the Freedom of Information Act.

Northshore owners denied the allegations stating that the particles found during the investigation are of a nonfibrous material and are not asbestos. They also did not state whether changes will be made following the investigation.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration has tested Minnesota mines for many years and this is the first occurrence of asbestos being reported in one of them. The discovery of increased asbestos levels at Northshore in 2001 provoked government officials to set up unannounced checks at the plant. Asbestos has not been detected in every test and the levels that were detected were reported to be minor.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration allows for 2 asbestos fibers in cubic centimeter when performing their air quality tests. However, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration set the limit much lower at 0.1 fibers per cubic centimeter, which is 20 times lower than MSHA. In a test performed in 2004, the level of asbestos found on a worker’s shirt was 12 times higher than allowed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Additionally, federal investigators reported that workers were not equipped with safety respirators during their visits in 2003 and 2004.

The majority of Northshore employees began working there after the mine was reopened in 1989. Although no cases of health problems were reported among workers it is unlikely that the effects of exposure will be seen in the near future since most cases of mesothelioma (an asbestos-related cancer) do not develop for decades after initial contact with asbestos fibers. Two mesothelioma-related deaths and several other cases of asbestos-related lung illness were reported when the mine was owned by Reserve Mining.
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