Based on interviews with miners, union and company archives, newspapers, and reports by mine inspectors, this study looks at the tragic link between the dust and radiation of St. Lawrence`s government mines and approximately 200 fatal cases of lung disease and silicosis among former miners. By chronicling the many forces that created this particular disaster and shaped the response to it, this investigation tackles the larger problem of workplace health and safety, addressing the company disregard and government neglect that allow industrial tragedies such as this to happen and the community efforts to gain recognition of health hazards in the mines and obtain adequate compensation for victims and their families.