Iron Range and Cancer such as Mesothelioma

Iron Range miners show higher than expected rates of cardiovascular disease, lung cancer and a rare cancer known as mesothelioma. For all the hard work in the mines, taconite work and flying dust the unfortunate risk is a miner’s health. The University of Minnesota studied the affect of illness and working in the mining industry a few years ago. Among other things the study found that every year spent working in the mining taconite industry increased the risk of contracting mesothelioma by 3 percent and that Iron Range mine workers suffered the disease at three times the rate of Minnesota's general population. It also linked exposure to the tiny fiber-like particles to mesothelioma. A substantial amount of early workers in the taconite industry frequently handled asbestos, a known cause of mesothelioma, and researchers were unable to distinguish between exposure to those fibers from commercial asbestos and exposure to fibers in taconite dust. There was asbestos in much of the equipment as well. The Iron Range has been home to this risk for years. In 1973, mineral fibers were found in the Duluth water supply and traced to taconite waste rock dumped into Lake Superior in Silver Bay. An Iron Range radiologist reported unusual numbers of lung abnormalities in his patients' X-rays in the 1980s.

The Minnesota Department of Health in 1999 confirmed a much higher rate of mesothelioma among men in northeast Minnesota than men in the rest of the state. Four years later a Health Department study concluded the most likely cause was the commercial asbestos mine workers handled in various parts of the taconite production process.

In addition to mesothelioma, the study also found taconite workers had higher than expected death rates from lung cancer and heart disease when compared to the general population in Minnesota.

As well, workers with above-average exposure to dust containing the particles were twice as likely to develop mesothelioma as workers with below-average exposures. Even the below average exposures could lead to cancer and diseases. Exposure is exposure. Workers who worked for a longer time in the industry had a higher risk of contracting mesothelioma. The study found mine workers on the Iron Range had a 30 percent greater chance than expected to die from heart disease. Recent medical literature suggests a relationship between exposure to tiny dust particulates and heart disease are common in dusty mining operations and other industrial facilities.

At Schmidt-Salita Law Team we discuss your employment history and have significant records with known asbestos-containing materials and job sites such as the Iron Range. We have handled many cases on behalf of “rangers” and their families. We pursue claims and lawsuits against those employers, mining companies, manufacturers and third parties for medical care, lost earnings, the victim’s pain and suffering, or the survivors’ losses. There are benefits to recover for losing one’s health and life. They are meant to help the individual and their surviving family. Please contact us at

Phone: 952-473-4530

Toll Free: 1-800-656-8450

Fax: 952-544-1308

Email: info@mnlawteam.com