Asbestos Found At Plant -- MesoLink.org -- 08-19-05

High levels of asbestos have been found at the Northshore Mining Co. taconite plant by federal officials. Although the asbestos levels did not exceed those allowed for mining, reports stated that they were higher than in other industries. It has been revealed that the U.S. Mine Safety and Health Administration has written at least a couple of letters to Northshore over the past three years in relation to the levels of asbestos that have been found there.

The owners of the company have stated that the tests carried out found the presence of another material, but company officials have denied that the substance found was asbestos. Unannounced testing and checking has been increased at Northshore over the past few years, following reports of high asbestos levels in 2001.

Newspapers reported that the owners of Northshore have made no comments with regards to whether they will be making any changes or taking action about the alleged asbestos levels. However, it was noted that the company does provide staff with a range of safety equipment for protection against exposure to such hazards.