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Pleural abnormalities and exposure to elongate mineral particles in Minnesota iron ore (taconite) workers |
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| Authors: | David Perlman MD Jeffrey H. Mandel MD Nnaemeka Odo PhD Andy Ryan PhD Christine Lambert MD PhD Richard F. MacLehose PhD Gurumurthy Ramachandran PhD Bruce H. Alexander PhD |
| Affiliation: | 1. Department of Medicine, University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Minneapolis, Minnesota;2. Division of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota;3. Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, California;4. Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota;5. Department of Environmental Health and Engineering, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland |
| Abstract: | BackgroundIron ore (taconite) mining and processing are an important industry in northern Minnesota and western Michigan. Concerns around exposures have centered largely on exposure to non‐asbestiform amphibole elongate mineral particles (EMPs) found in the eastern portion of the Minnesota iron range.MethodsA cross sectional survey was undertaken of current and former taconite workers and spouses along with a detailed exposure assessment. Participants provided an occupational history and had a chest radiograph performed.ResultsA total of 1188 workers participated. Potential exposures to non‐amphibole EMPs were evident across multiple jobs in all active mines. Pleural abnormalities were found in 16.8% of workers. There was an association of pleural abnormalities with cumulative EMP exposure that was not specific to the eastern portion of the range.ConclusionThere was evidence of a mild to moderate increase in pleural abnormalities in this population of miners, associated with geographically non‐specific cumulative EMP exposure. |
| Keywords: | chest x‐ray elongate mineral particles pneumoconiosis taconite |