North Dakota officials gather to discuss how to handle the state's erionite problemBismarck, North Dakota - North Dakota state and county officials met in Bismarck last week to discuss ways to minimize the risks posed by the erionite mineral used in road material in the western part of the state. Erionite has been linked to mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the protective lining of the lungs, heart, chest and abdomen. The group of stakeholders addressed possible safe levels of erionite and what counties should do with the substance in the future.
Health problems due to erionite exposure have yet to surface in North Dakota, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t in the future. Mesothelioma takes an average of 40 years to develop. Breathing erionite dust over the past decade or two that it’s been used in road gravel suggests that within a decade or two more North Dakota could see an epidemic of pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma, which affect the lining of the lungs and chest respectively.
Officials don’t want to alarm people, but they do want them to be aware of the potential risk. They’ve decided to look at three other states with naturally occurring asbestos for ideas on how to deal with erionite.
“The idea is that the North Dakota Health Department has is to give us some guidelines as to what the acceptable levels would be and if there is an acceptable level,” explained Scott Ouradnik, a Slope County commissioner.
North Dakota’s roads require a lot of maintenance due to the heavy truck traffic from oil and gas drilling, and officials still have to figure out how to reduce worker and driver erionite exposure.
