A federal judge's ruling will delay the release of a lung cancer study involving 12,000 miners exposed to diesel fumes on the job, according to a watchdog organization.

The judge affirmed a lower court ruling that gave an industry group and a U.S House committee the right to review the report before it is made public.

The study, which was conducted by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, cost $11.5 million and took 20 years to conduct.  The report is expected to reveal whether occupational exposure to diesel fumes causes lung cancer.

A representative for the Center for Public Integrity said Monday, "It's alarming that special interests appear to be trying to derail independent, peer-reviewed science."