A $4.9 million mesothelioma study will be conducted in the Iron Range region of Minnesota.

The area has a population of over 320,000 and has seen an increase in the number of mesothelioma cases in recent years.  The University of Minnesota will be conducting the study and will try to find out why the cancer has become so common in the region.

The Iron Range area is the nation’s largest taconite production area.  Asbestos, which causes mesothelioma, was common in the taconite mining and processing industry.  So, researchers are picking people who have worked in the taconite mines to conduct the study.

The Jungle Book 2 movie Dr. David Perlman is a researcher at the University.  He will be working on the study and hopes to have a total of 2,000 participants.  1,200 will be active or retired taconite workers and 800 will be their spouses.  The study will look at the respiratory health of the workers.

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Two Tickets to Paradise movie In the last few years, 58 Iron Range residents have died from mesothelioma.  The rate of the cancer is twice as high in the area compared to other parts of Minnesota.

Mesothelioma is a rare but very aggressive form of cancer that afflicts the lining of the thoracic cavity. It is very difficult to diagnose and symptoms often take decades to appear.

Dr. Perlman stated, “This is really the first comprehensive attempt to look at the exposures of the dust from taconite mining and to try to get a real sense of what the health effects of exposure to that dust are.”

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Many misconceptions exist about asbestos fibers.  For example, many people believe that asbestos has been banned from the manufacture of all products in this country.  But in fact, some products still use asbestos.

Some materials that use asbestos still today include roofing mastics and flooring materials.  Also, some brake linings in vehicles still use asbestos.

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Another misconception about asbestos fibers is the belief that asbestos in ceiling textures was banned during the 1970s.  Although a ban was put into affect in 1978, instillation of the asbestos textures remained legal since banning it would have meant major financial losses for manufacturers.  So, the installation of the ceilings continued into the 1980s until the supply ran out.

If you or someone you know is trying to remove older ceilings such as “popcorn” ceilings, you should have the ceilings inspected for asbestos.  If you remove the ceilings and there was asbestos present, then the asbestos is released into the air where anyone can inhale it.  There is no way of knowing whether you inhaled asbestos fibers or not.  In fact, many people inhale small amounts of asbestos fibers without knowing it.  Since the amount is small, the chances of forming mesothelioma are slim.

However, there is no “safe” level of asbestos exposure. Any exposure could lead to asbestosis or mesothelioma and that diagnosis might not come for decades.

Asbestos fibers are microscopic and cannot be seen by the human eye.  It should never be assumed that a ceiling does not have asbestos fibers until tests are run.  The cost to have lab tests done is very reasonable and should be conducted by anyone who is removing older ceilings.

A recent test has been conducted to find a more accurate way to diagnose mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos fibers, which have been used in construction, mining and other industries. It is extremely difficult to diagnose and, often, is undiagnosed until it is too late for effective treatment.

Mesothelioma is usually found by looking for cancerous cells in the fluid around the lungs.  This method is called cytology.  But cytology is not very sensitive and doctors have a hard time telling mesothelioma apart from other cancers.  Now, researchers in Britain are trying out a new test.  The new test measures the amount of the protein mesothelin in the fluid surrounding the lungs.

To date, the new method has been tested on 167 patients. Of those, 24 patients had mesothelioma, 67 had metastatic cancer, and 75 had benign effusions.  The mesothelin levels were measured in each patient.  The patients with mesothelioma had an average level of 40.3 nM compared to 6.1 nM for patients with metastatic cancer and 3.7 nM for patients with benign conditions.

The researchers say that this new test should be given along with cytology to get the best results.  The new test uses the same fluid samples that are used in cytology.  The test could easily be added to current testing programs and would greatly benefit the patients since they would be diagnosed earlier and more accurately.