USW welcomes release of mining studies

CONTACT: Michael Wright (412) 562-2580 (o), or (412) 370-0105 (c) – mwright@usw.org

(Pittsburgh) – The United Steelworkers (USW) welcomed the release today of two studies in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute showing that exposure to heavy diesel exhaust in underground mining facilities increases the risk of dying from lung cancer.

The release of the studies brings to an end a campaign by mining and diesel industry leaders to delay the research and its publication.

“The release of these studies is a major victory for mine workers, and for anyone who has been exposed to harmful diesel exhaust,” said USW International President Leo W. Gerard. “It’s unfortunate that the industry tried to suppress this information, but now we know how dangerous conditions have been for these workers over the years, and we hope the data will result in even better safety controls. We thank the studies’ authors for this  important research.”
 
In January of 2001, the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) adopted regulations limiting exposure to diesel particulates for underground mine workers. Those rules were the subject of legal challenges and negotiations between MSHA, industry and labor organizations including the USW, resulting in several amendments that ultimately improved standards for workers.

Publication of the study, which focused on more than 12,000 miners, was repeatedly delayed by litigation from the mining industry, which first challenged the research effort in 1996.

The studies and editorial will be posted on the JNCI website at 4 p.m. EST on Monday, March 5th. Links to the studies can also be found below.

The USW represents about 850,000 working men and women in the United States and Canada in a wide variety of industries, ranging from glass making to mining, paper, steel, tire and rubber and other manufacturing environments, to the public sector, service and health care industries.

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Studies: www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jnci/press_releases/silvermandjs034.pdf
             www.oxfordjournals.org/our_journals/jnci/press_releases/attfielddjs035.pdf