Homestake Gold Mine

The Homestake Gold Mine was a deep underground gold mine in Lead, South Dakota, operated from 1876 until its closure in 2002, making it one of the largest and longest-running gold mines in the Western Hemisphere. Of scientific interest in asbestos research, the host rocks at Homestake contain naturally occurring amphibole minerals, including cummingtonite-grunerite series fibers, that workers were exposed to as airborne dust during drilling, blasting, and ore processing.

Origin

The mine was named after the original "Homestake" claim staked by Moses and Fred Manuel in 1876 during the Black Hills gold rush. It was acquired by the Homestake Mining Company, controlled by George Hearst, and operated continuously for 126 years before reopening as the Sanford Underground Research Facility for physics experiments.

Significance in Asbestos Context

Homestake is a key site in the scientific study of non-commercial amphibole exposure and mesothelioma risk. The iron-rich amphiboles in the Homestake ore body (cummingtonite-grunerite, and at times fibers approaching the composition of amosite or actinolite) became airborne during mining, and epidemiological studies of Homestake miners have been cited both by plaintiffs and defendants in asbestos litigation to argue about whether non-asbestiform or "cleavage fragment" amphiboles cause disease. For a patient whose work history includes Homestake or similar hard-rock mining, fiber-type analysis and lung-tissue mineralogy can be critical in identifying which amphiboles are present and linking them to the disease, and in distinguishing this exposure from commercial asbestos exposures the person may also have had.

Example Sentence

The industrial hygienist's report noted that her father had worked underground at the Homestake Gold Mine for eighteen years and likely inhaled cummingtonite-grunerite fibers in addition to any commercial asbestos he encountered as a pipefitter.

Related Terms

Cummingtonite-Grunerite, Amphibole, Cleavage Fragment, Fiber Burden Analysis, Non-Occupational Exposure, Provenance Analysis

Notes

• If you or a family member worked at Homestake, preserve employment records, union records, and any industrial hygiene or dust-monitoring documents. These establish duration and nature of exposure.
• Ask treating pathologists whether lung tissue or lymph node fiber analysis (by SEM or TEM with EDS) was performed, and request that amphibole compositions be reported rather than just "asbestos/no asbestos."
• Note any secondary asbestos exposures. Many hard-rock miners also handled commercial asbestos products (insulation, gaskets, brake linings) underground, and these may be separately compensable.
• Family members who laundered miners' clothes should document that history; take-home exposure cases have arisen from Homestake and similar operations.