April 17, 2008, Minnesota - Last week the Minnesota House of Representatives passed the bill that would give the green light to the mesothelioma study on taconite miners in Minnesota’s Iron Range. However, the bill was strenuously opposed by several members of the House. This week, a compromise on funding might help the bill escape the threat of veto.

The research, which will be planned and executed by the University of Minnesota School of Public Health, is intended to determine why Iron Range taconite miners are at a vastly increased risk of developing mesothelioma, a type of asbestos cancer that is caused by asbestos exposure.

The Minnesota Department of Health has determined that at least 58 Iron Range taconite miners have been diagnosed with mesothelioma. Nationally, the average incidence of the disease is one case in every 500,000 people.

The bill passed by the Minnesota House of Representatives won by a majority vote of 88-45. The bill that was passed would use state workers’ compensation special fund money to fund the research, which will cost almost $5 million.

However, Gov. Tim Pawlenty had threatened to veto the bill, on the basis that the workers’ compensation special fund isn’t an appropriate source of funds for the study and that use of special fund money would drive up costs for businesses.

Pawlenty believes that the study should be funded not from the special fund, but via the state’s taxpayers, using funds from a state agency called Iron Range Resources. Some opponents to the use of the workers’ compensation fund say that Iron Range Resources funds are a more appropriate source because mesothelioma cases have been reported only in that region.

Opponents of the Iron Range Resources fund, however, say that using money from that source would unfairly impact on taxpayers who live in that area.

The compromise that has been proposed involves using money taken from a separate “assigned risk” workers’ compensation fund. That fund has higher reserves and is less likely to impact businesses. The funding compromise has gained broader approval than the previous proposal.

The University of Minnesota has attempted to obtain funding for similar research in the past, but has never received enough funding to complete an extensive study. Once the new study begins it will attempt to determine why taconite miners are developing mesothelioma at such a high rate, including determining the source of the substance that is causing the cancer. The study will also attempt to evaluate the level of risk for miners’ families, and the general public.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 5:17 pm and is filed under Asbestos Exposure, Asbestos Legislation, Minnesota. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.