In a recent letter to the editor of Timberjay newspapers, several Minnesota state representatives—Tom Rukavina, State Rep. District 5A, Tom Alzelc, State Rep. District 3A, Tony Sertich, State Rep. District 5B, Loren Solberg, State Rep. District 3B, David Tomassoni, State Sen. District 5—accuse mining company Cleveland-Cliffs of trying to confuse and mislead the public and its employees about its concern for employee health. Cleveland-Cliffs’ miners in Minnesota’s Iron Range have shown a high rate of mesothelioma, a rare cancer that attacks the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart and is closely associated with asbestos exposure. Lawmakers point out that Cleveland-Cliffs’ statement in an October newsletter that Minnesota state agencies would cooperate in the company’s study of lung ailments in its current and former employees was untrue. All state resources will go to support the University of Minnesota study of mesothelioma among Iron Range miners, which was initiated in June and is already well underway. The state will not support the Cleveland-Cliffs study. Lawmakers say that a parallel study funded by the mining company will have little credibility and will only serve to confuse the public. They urge Cleveland-Cliffs to put aside plans for a separate study and instead contribute funds to the University of Minnesota mesothelioma study. These lawmakers assert that the University of Minnesota study offers the best chance to get real answers about the cause of mesothelioma among miners in Minnesota’s Iron Range, and the best way for Cleveland-Cliffs to show real concern for employee health is to contribute funds to that study.
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