The Department of Health Minnesota has undertaken a study of what causes Taconite miners to get mesothelioma at significantly higher rates than the general population. First, a word on Taconite. It is a sedimentary rock that occurs in large areas in Minnesota that contains iron ore. It didn’t come into use as a source or iron until most of the more concentrated iron ore deposits had been mined out. The Taconite rock is crushed into powder and then the iron ore is separated out with magnets. The iron powder (just imagine rust) is then mixed with clay and cooked in kilns to produce pellets that can then be shipped by train and by ship (across Lake Superior) to where the pellets can be melted down and turned into iron, steel, etc. It has been a question for some time whether the cause of the mesothelioma is in the Taconite itself or in asbestos containing products used in the processing (e.g., kilns). The findings will be significant because Taconite itself has other uses in that area of the country, most notabley as a road bed material.
Tags: asbestos, mesothelioma, taconite
