With the stroke of his pen on April 28, Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty made history, signing into law landmark legislation to fund a first-of-its-kind comprehensive research project to find answers to lingering questions about taconite worker health. The bill was authored by Rep. Tom Rukavina and enjoyed near-unanimous support in the legislature.
SPH associate professor Jeffrey Mandel (at right) will serve as principal investigator on the $4.9 million project, which includes geologic research and community air sampling, in addition to wide-ranging occupational health research. The SPH is partnering with the Medical School and the University of Minnesota-Duluth-based Natural Resources Research Institute on the project.
