Examination of McIntyre Powder database ensues: database shows even higher incidence of ALS amongst miners.

• Author: Kelly, Lindsay
• Position: MINING

The number of miners recorded as having amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in a database compiled by the Occupational Health Clinics for Ontario Workers (OHCOW) has increased to 11 from the original five reported last fall.

It's a significant shift, since the database includes just 325 people. By comparison, the national average of ALS diagnoses, according to the patient and research advocacy group ALS Canada, is two in 100,000.

ALS--also known as Lou Gehrig's disease --is a rapidly progressing neuromuscular disease that paralyzes muscles in the body, eventually leading to death. There is neither a cure nor an effective treatment for the disease, which affects about 2,500 to 3,000 Canadians.

"The ALS number was jumping out at us, even though it was only five, but now we have 11 people who've come forward," said Dave Wilkin, OHCOW's chief operating officer, during a presentation on McIntyre Powder research at the Workplace Safety North mining conference, held in Sudbury in April.

"It's either the case that we have already located every person who was exposed to that powder in an Ontario mine who ever got ALS--and even then it's too high, but maybe a coincidence--or there's something happening here with that."

The OHCOW database has recorded the health impacts of miners who inhaled the finely ground aluminum, known as McIntyre Powder, as a protective measure against silicosis during their tenure as underground miners in gold and aluminum mines in Northern Ontario between 1943 and 1980.

The science behind the measure was later debunked, and worker advocates believe there is a link between the aluminum powder and the deteriorating health of the miners.

In addition to ALS, there are significant incidences of cardiovascular, respiratory and additional neurological disease amongst miners in the database.

Among the neurological findings are 63 miners with some form of movement disorder, 31 with Parkinson's disease, 24 with dementia overall, 17 with Alzheimer's disease, and four with Parkinsonism.

OHCOW is still working to complete the database and subjecting it to "rigorous biostatistics analysis," Wilkin said. He conceded it will be difficult to prove causality between aluminum and neurological issues, because of the many other variables --such as other toxins in the mine--that were present at the time the powder was administered.

But there is existing science that shows aluminum, one of the most reactive metals in nature, to be toxic to plants...