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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

6,000 deaths from asbestos-related skin disease

The number of deaths from mesothelioma, a kind of skin cancer related to asbestos, was 6,060 in 9 years since 1995, according to a Health, Labor, and Welfare Ministry demographic survey.

Out of the total, only 284 cases are recognized as work-related and caused by asbestos used for insulating construction materials, while an overwhelming number of asbestos deaths are not recognized by the government or corporations as work-related.

It is estimated that 10 million workers, including retirees, have handled construction materials containing asbestos.

The government in 1995 began to take a record of mesothelioma as a cause of death, and the death rate has been rapidly increasing ever since.

An expert said, "By 1964 asbestos were known to be causing cancer, particularly mesothelioma. The government is to blame for neglecting to ban asbestos till 1995, and partly till 2004."

Mesothelioma has an extremely long latent period of 30-40 years, causing difficulty in diagnosis. No effective cure has yet been established.

Miyake Kazuya, a leader of the Tokyo Construction Workers Union, said, "The government must be held responsible for not banning the material, while knowing its harm. It must give relief not only to workers but also to their family members and residents near the plants through special legislative measures."

A team of the Japanese Communist Party Dietmembers Group in a meeting on July 11 decided to make representations to the government, call for parliamentary discussions, and carry out surveys of the health damage.

Akahata of July 12 reported that deaths from mesothelioma are not restricted to workers in the construction industry but are also evident at Sumitomo Heavy Industries Ltd. and Hitachi Zosen (shipbuilding) Corporation. - Akahata July 12, 2005