The Duluth News Tribune is reporting that a 59th case of mesothelioma has been identified in the population of Iron Range workers whose extremely high incidence rate of the disease has sparked national attention on Minnesota’s Iron Range. The case was identified when data from the Minnesota Health Department study on the Iron Range workers was recently compared to the data contained in the Minnesota Cancer Surveillance System, which is the State’s cancer registry. The precise nature of this case is still unclear though, as a comparison conducted last year only showed the same 58 cases which sparked the news attention in the first place. No further information on this newly-identified case has been released.

The high number of mesothelioma cases among Iron Range workers has prompted the State to allocate funding to investigate if there is a relationship between the taconite ore that is the region’s major mining product and mesothelioma. Taconite is not an asbestos-form mineral and has not previously been implicated in mesothelioma genesis, but the high number of cases has caused concern among workers and families in the area. Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty approved nearly $5 million to cover the studies at the end of April.

Labels: mesothelioma