Researchers at the University of Minnesota found that industrial workers processing of taconite (iron ore) are subject to a high risk of lung mesothelioma, a risk that increases in proportion to the time spent working in this area. However, the same researchers added that he could not say with certainty that the occurrence of cancer is due to the dust produced during extraction or processing of that ore.
The researchers conducted a study in the industrial area of northeastern Minnesota, for a period of five years, in order to investigate possible links between the taconite dust and mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer, usually caused by 'exposure to asbestos fibers in the air, which led to the death of 82 workers taconite over the years.
John Finnegan, dean of the School of Public Health at the University of Minnesota, said that the study has begun to provide some answers about the impact that the production of taconite can have on the health of the inhabitants of northeastern Minnesota.
The is a taconite iron ore that can also contain asbestos, but the dust originating from the machining of taconite had never been connected to the risk of mesothelioma, since the disease often appears after 30-40 years from initial exposure to asbestos fibers .
This study has therefore shown a potential link between this form of cancer and the prolonged stay in a saturated business environment of taconite dust, but has not been able to establish that the two are certainly related.
Jeff Mandel, a principal investigator, explained that although it is clear that the risk of mesothelioma is much higher among people who have long worked in the mining industry of taconite, you need to make further investigations on other possible sources of asbestos to which the same people may have been exposed to outside the working environment. Mandel, however, has reiterated that the workers and employers of the taconite industry should still take responsibility to protect themselves and their health.
The "Minnesota Taconite Workers Health Study" also points out that the industry Processing of taconite are also very high incidence rates of heart disease and the most common forms of cancer lung mesothelioma.
These results seem to indicate that the general lifestyle of workers may be an additional determining factor in the onset of these diseases.
This hypothesis is supported by the fact that, in the industrial area of Minnesota, air quality, in terms of particulates, would seem to be even better than in many other parts of the state. Beyond that, the exposure of workers to taconite dust generally is within safe limits.
A final factor to consider is that although the work in the taconite increases the risk of contracting mesothelioma, this increase corresponds to a fortunately small chance of actually developing the disease.Mesothelioma, in fact, still remains a very rare disease.
Comments
Post a Comment