On March 5, 2008, the Minnesota state legislature approved $4.9 million for a study to investigate the cause of an inordinate amount of miner deaths linked to mesothelioma. The goal of the study is to determine how the miners contracted mesothelioma and how future cases of the rare lung cancer can be prevented.

The Minnesota state Department of Health announced that 35 miners died from mesothelioma. This is in addition to 17 other cases of mesothelioma. Since this announcement in 2006, the number of mesothelioma deaths has risen to 58.

The only known cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos. Many have suspected that asbestos was being released during the ore mining process in Iron Range.

The Minnesota state legislature has determined the study should be conducted by the University of Minnesota. The study would begin this year and should be completed by 2013.

In order for the study to begin, it must be approved by a second House committee and the Senate.

If you or a loved one has suffered a serious or fatal illness due to exposure to asbestos, please contact the asbestos attorneys of Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP at 1-888-MESO-FIRM (1-888-637-6347). An experienced asbestos lawyer will be able to evaluate if you are eligible to seek compensation.

The University of Michigan’s School of Public Health will join forces with the National Resources Research Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth to execute four studies of mesothelioma and the heightened rate of cancer in miners and other industrial workers. The research will look at the cause of death for approximately 70,000 people, with focus on local miners. The studies call for a total of $4.9 million, and there is a lot of pressure on legislators to make it happen. Lawmakers hope to finally get to the bottom of the health effects of mining and asbestos.