Asbestos Disease a Serious Health Issue in Japan

A Japanese labor ministry survey showed earlier this week that 1,063 Japanese citizens are now eligible for worker’s compensation. The people are now considered eligible because their illnesses have been linked to exposure to asbestos on the job. The patients suffer from a variety of diseases linked to asbestos exposure, including mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Mesothelioma is very aggressive, and many patients who are diagnosed with the disease are often told that they may only have a few months to live.

Asbestos was once a common component of thousands of products. Some common uses for asbestos included insulation, fireproofing, brake pads, floor tiles, and “popcorn” ceilings. Asbestos was prized for these and many other applications because the substance possesses a natural resistance to damage caused by fire or chemicals.

The newly recognized sufferers were exposed to asbestos during the fiscal year 2008. The number of Japanese citizens collecting asbestos-related worker’s compensation was up 6.1 percent from the previous fiscal year. However, this number did not break the record set during the 2006 fiscal year, which was 1,784 people, according to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare.

For the reporting fiscal year, 1,268 Japanese citizens applied for workers’ compensation due to health problems caused by asbestos. Out of those 1,268, 560 were diagnosed with mesothelioma, and 503 were diagnosed with lung cancer, according to Japanese government officials. Most Japanese citizens claiming asbestos-related health problems had worked in the construction and manufacturing industries.