In the Minnesota Iron Range, the 59th case of mesothelioma among miners has been identified.  The high incidence of mesothelioma in the region prompted Minnesota lawmakers to enact a research bill alotting $4.9 million to asbestos studies.  The 59th diagnosis serves as further confirmation that their concerns are substantiated.

Politicians and researchers convened yesterday afternooon to discuss preliminary studies. Currently, the Natural Resources Research Institute is analyzing iron ore samples and dust in the air in Iron Range communities, to see how closely they match asbestos dust.

Next summer, research teams will randomly screen the respiratory health of 1,200 former and current miners and spouses in the Iron Range area.  This summer, past research is being gathered, synthesized, and analyzed.

At a conference a few months ago, Donella Wilson of the American Cancer Society encouraged Hawaiians to apply for grants in asbestos research.  Dr. Michele Carbone had echoed her sentiments, and once again he is showing Hawaiians the importance of mesothelioma research.

Carbone and a team of researchers have won the inaugural Landon Foundation-AACR Innovator Award for International Collaboration in Cancer Research.  According to the Honolulu Advertiser, "the team discovered a unique mesothelioma epidemic in three Turkish villages was caused by a genetic predisposition to mineral fiber carcinogenesis."  Now, the researchers will apply for a $100,000 grant to identify the predisposing gene(s) for mesothelioma among the Turkish villages and map the genetic risk factors by conducting genetic linkage studies.