Toll-Free 1-888-377-8900

Defective Products

• CPSC Recalls
• Defective Product Recalls
• Toxic Substances
• Carbon Monoxide
• Diacetyl
• Asbestos
  • Minneapolis Asbestos
• News & Topics
• Yamaha Rhino Lawsuit

Northeast Minneapolis Asbestos: Lawyer for Asbestos Exposure and Mesothelioma

The following May 8, 2006, news release from the Minnesota Department of Health is provided here as a public service by Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, P.A, one of Minnesota’s premier personal injury law firms.  Our senior partner, Fred Pritzker, has over 29 years of experience and has gained a national reputation for excellence.  In recognition of his achievements, other lawyers have selected him for inclusion in the 2005-2006 edition of The Best Lawyers in America.  He has also been elected to be named a Minnesota Super Lawyer.

If you or a family member has been injured due to asbestos exposure and have mesothelioma, a lawyer at Pritzker | Ruohonen is available for a free consultation.  You may reach us by calling toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or by filling out our online consultation form.

---

Health department issues final report on Northeast Minneapolis residents’ exposure to vermiculite waste contaminated with asbestos
New study being undertaken to determine health effects from the exposures

(May 8, 2006) The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has released the final report for the Northeast Minneapolis Community Vermiculite Investigation. The report describes the ways in which people were exposed to asbestos-contaminated vermiculite waste from the Western Mineral Products/W.R. Grace plant in Northeast Minneapolis.

For the exposure study, interviews were conducted with 6,714 residents, former residents, plant workers, household contacts of workers or property owners. The survey identified eight exposure pathways during the years the plant operated from 1938-1989, several of which were most common.

• The study found 690 people reported playing in the contaminated piles of waste rock that were located on the plant property and offered as free “crush rock” to the community. Vermiculite ore mined in Libby, Montana was shipped to more than 250 locations in the U.S., but the Minneapolis site is the only location outside of Libby where children have been documented playing in the piles of waste.
  
• The survey found 820 people who had lived within one block of the plant while it was operating.  Air modeling done by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency found that this area had elevated concentrations of asbestos fibers from plant emissions prior to the installation of air pollution control equipment in 1972.
  
• More than 1,700 people were found who lived on 260 properties that were later discovered by the Environmental Protection Agency to be contaminated with vermiculite waste.
  
• Just over one-half of the people interviewed were found to have had no exposure.

“The cooperation of the people and neighborhood associations of Northeast Minneapolis is a key factor in the successful completion of our study,” said Dr. Rita Messing, a lead investigator in the study. “This study is unique in that it documents asbestos exposures not just to workers and their families, but also to residents of the community, including those who were young children at the time.”

The study was funded by the federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) from 2001 to 2004 and cost $1.1 million. Information from this study will be used as the basis to conduct a new study looking at possible health effects from the exposures.

Asbestos from the vermiculite in Libby has been related to lung diseases (Mesothelioma) among vermiculite miners who are exposed to large amounts of dust. But little is known about possible health effects that could result from short, intense exposures to asbestos during childhood or from long term, lower level exposures in the community. The University of Minnesota School of Public Health has obtained limited funding from ATSDR to do additional research into these questions. Using the Northeast Minneapolis exposure data, this new study will include lung health screenings of 400 to 600 selected participants (depending upon availability of funds) to determine if health effects can be linked with the different ways people were exposed. Dr. Bruce Alexander of the School of Public Health will be conducting this research with help from MDH.

From 1938-1989, the Western Mineral Products plant at 1720 Madison Street processed vermiculite ore from Libby, Montana into vermiculite insulation (Zonolite) and other products. The ore was heated and exfoliated, or “popped”, in two large furnaces. The waste material from the furnaces, known as “crush rock,” was offered as free fill to the neighborhood.

The “crush rock” or waste was later found to contain tremolite asbestos, in concentrations ranging from 2 to 10 percent. Tremolite asbestos, a contaminant in the Libby ore, is considered to be more toxic than the chrysotile form of asbestos used commercially. Tremolite has a needle like shape and resists the body’s normal clearing mechanisms when inhaled.

ATSDR scientists continue to research the health effects on residents in Libby, Montana from the vermiculite mining and ore processing.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has completed cleanup of the 260 residential properties in Northeast Minneapolis where vermiculite waste was found. In addition, waste was brought to Gluek Park in Northeast Minneapolis and the EPA will continue cleanup of the park this summer.

More information on the Northeast Minneapolis vermiculite investigation, including a link to the full report, can be found on the MDH Web site.

Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, P.A.
Plaza VII, Suite 2950
45 South Seventh Street
Minneapolis, MN 55402-1652

Telephone: 612-338-0202
Toll-Free: 1-888-377-8900
Fax: 612-338-0104
Email:info@pritzkerlaw.com

Pritzker | Ruohonen & Associates, P.A.: Minnesota personal injury lawyers with a national
reputation for excellence in the areas of personal injury and wrongful death.

Copyright 2007 | All Right Reserved
Disclaimer