Funding Agreement Clears Way for Mesothelioma Study

The Minnesota Senate gave preliminary approval Thursday to plans for a study of mesothelioma in Iron Range taconite miners, after an agreement was reached between Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) and Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) senators who have been advocating the research effort.The Minnesota Health Department has reported 58 deaths in the northeastern area of the state are blamed on mesothelioma, which is usually caused by asbestos but which has turned up among dozens of taconite miners.Male residents of the region have come down with mesothelioma at unusually high rates since the late 1980s, the de...