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Jun 19, 2007 7:02 pm US/Central
Probe Sought In Delayed Range Cancer Disclosures
Minneapolis (AP) ―
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A state researcher discovered the additional cancer cases in March 2006, but they weren't released until March of this year.
AP
A state senator and the United Steelworkers called Tuesday for investigations into a state Health Department delay in releasing information about findings about deadly cancers in Iron Range miners.
Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, said the Senate Health Committee will take up the issue during a hearing next week.
Bob Bratulich, director of District 11 of the United Steelworkers, said the Legislature and attorney general must determine whether there was a cover-up.
"It is unconscionable, unethical, and probably criminal for a public agency to withhold information about a potential health risk to workers," he said.
The Star Tribune reported Sunday that state officials waited a year before releasing research findings that 35 additional miners had developed an asbestos-related cancer known as mesothelioma, in addition to the 17 cases previously known.
A state researcher discovered the additional cancer cases in March 2006, but they weren't released until March of this year. Public health experts have criticized the delay, saying the state's 4,000 current miners had a right to know the new information.
Health Commissioner Dianne Mandernach has said the department needed time to plan more studies of the Iron Range cancer cases.
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