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Mesothelioma Deaths Among Iron Workers

A new study reveals what almost any mesothelioma attorney will tell you from experience - that the estimates of the number of people killed by mesothelioma after exposure to asbestos have been under reported.

Attorneys are able to file a mesothelioma lawsuit for those people diagnosed with the disease to help with treatment, lost wages, lost support and time with family. More than 3,000 people are diagnosed each year.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that affects the lining of the body’s organs like the heart, lungs, and abdominal organs. It has been shown to develop after exposure and inhalation of asbestos fibers. Unfortunately, theer is no known cure for mesothelioma.

Further complicating diagnosis of mesothelioma is the fact that the disease can take 20 – 50 years to surface from the period of exposure. Even then, symptoms can resemble those of less severe conditions like the flu, meaning many people will wait to be examined.

A recent study by the University of Minnesota which began in 2008 tracks workers from the state’s Taconite mines to measure the number who have later been diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Researchers had previously recorded 63 deaths of former mine workers when looking at records of those who stayed in-state. Now, after checking death reports for workers who relocated to other states after leaving the mines, the death toll has risen to 82.

The $4.9 million study was approved after concerns were raised that asbestos fibers in the state’s Taconite mining operations could be causing workers to develop mesothelioma. Researchers are examining records of people who worked at the various mines as far back as 1920.

It still is not known whether the mesothelioma cases were caused by exposure to asbestos in industrial settings like pipe insulation, furnaces and boilers; or whether the asbestos in the Taconite is being released into the air during mining and processing. The study, which will conclude in 2012, hopes to answer those questions.

Among the questions to be answered are whether Taconite workers suffered a greater rate of mesothelioma diagnosis than workers in other areas.

Aside from examining thousands of former workers and families associated with the mines, the study has also collected more than 2,000 air quality samples from over the mines. So far, researchers say, these have not shown any asbestos.