Maljasalmi mine, Finland

Maljasalmi, in Northern Karelia in the middle of Finland, was one of two anthophyllite mines of Finska Mineral Aktiebolaget; the other was Paakkila, in Northern Savolax.^1,2 In July 1948 Asbestos, the industry's trade journal, reported that the company's mines were "running full speed, being mostly worked by the surface quarrying method," but that the company was "preparing to switch part of their production to underground mining."¹ The trade journal said the company "produces about 6,000 tons a year" from both mines, "the greater part being used by their own factories," and the U.S. Bureau of Mines' Minerals Yearbook for 1948 gave the same "about 6,000 tons of anthophyllite annually from surface mines at Paakkila ... and at Maljasalmi."^1,2 The yearbook for 1955 names the owner as Suomen Mineraali Oy and says "anthophyllite asbestos was mined at Paakkila and Maljasalmi by underground and open-pit methods."³ The company, the yearbook says, "used the output to produce asbestos board, insulation compounds, some yarn and packings, and asbestos-cement board."³

The documents report this mine producing asbestos fiber for sale.²

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Location

Output the documents report

Figures as printed, in the units each document uses (short tons before about 1990, metric tons after, in most U.S. chapters). Some are a year's output, some a daily rate or a capacity, some a company's total rather than this mine's alone; the statement for that year below says which.

Year by year

Every statement about this mine in the documents, in each document's own words, by the year it is about.

1948

• Worked: “their asbestos mines are running full speed, being mostly worked by the surface quarrying method” (Finska Mineral Aktiebolaget), p. 16¹
• Output: “The company produces about 6,000 tons a year” (Finska Mineral Aktiebolaget), p. 16¹
• Worked: “surface mines ... at Maljasalmi in Northern Karelia” (Finska Mineral Aktiebolaget), as reported by Asbestos (magazine), p. 12²

1955

• Description: “by underground and open-pit methods” (Suomen Mineraali Oy), p. 12³
• Fiber: “Anthophyllite asbestos” (Suomen Mineraali Oy), p. 12³
• Ownership: “The Suomen Mineraali Oy (company) owned the mines” (Suomen Mineraali Oy), p. 12³
• Worked: “Anthophyllite asbestos was mined” (Suomen Mineraali Oy), p. 12³

In medical studies

Medical studies in our research library that name this mine, by how they concern it. A search found every one that names the mine and an AI reader sorted them; the quotation, checked word for word against the text, shows where. Those that name the mine only in passing or in a reference list are left out.

Studies of the mine’s workers (1)

• Nynäs P 2017: Cancer Incidence in Asbestos-Exposed Workers: An Update on Four Finnish Cohorts: “The Maljasalmi mine was closed in 1953, and the Paakkila mine in 1975. It is possible that these workers were also exposed to asbestos after- wards”

References

1. Asbestos Magazine, 1948, July 1948 (July 1, 1948), p. 16.
2. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1948 (January 1, 1949), p. 12.
3. Minerals Yearbook: Asbestos Chapters, 1955 (January 1, 1956), p. 12.