A spike in asbestos-related cancer among Iron Range workers in Minnesota has prompted a regional and national call for better data collection on work-related illnesses.

Testimony before the Minnesota House of Representatives last week outlined a 25-year history of attempts to address questions about mining occupations and respiratory diseases - questions that concerned mine workers say still exist today.

Minnesota is proposing two new studies that will help better answer questions concerning asbestos-related diseases and how they link to workers who have been employed in Minnesota’s taconite mines for decades.

The mining industry is not the only one that has seen an increase in cases of malignant mesothelioma. Tens of thousands of veterans who worked aboard ships between World War II and the mid 1970s have been exposed, and the shipbuilding industry has experienced a huge increase in cases of mesothelioma and other asbestos-related diseases, such as asbestosis, in the last several years.

Some experts believe that these diseases will peak between 2010 and 2017 because they remain silent in the body for decades, with symptoms finally surfacing between 20 and 50 years after exposure. Currently, approximately 2,000 new cases are reported in the United States each year. Other countries, like England and Australia, report a higher number of annual cases.

Information and education is key when it comes to dealing with these diseases, especially as more and more research is conducted and chances for early detection arise. Sites like Asbestos.com help asbestos-related disease victims and their family members gather particulars about the disease while answering questions about doctors, treatments, support groups, and available resources for patients. Sites like this one have become invaluable sources of information for workers in high risk jobs who may or may not have been informed as to their potential for developing such diseases.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 16th, 2007 at 2:03 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.