Press Release
- Health & Chemicals
Result of the Medical Data Examination for Acknowledgment of Designated Diseases under the Act on Asbestos Health Damage Relief
On June 25, the Minister of the Environment conducted a medical data examination for patients suffering from asbestos-related diseases in response to the requests filed by the Environmental Restoration and Conservation Agency of Japan (ERCA) based on the Act on Asbestos Health Damage Relief.
Based on the examination, 45 patients were determined to have contracted a designated disease (38 as mesothelioma and 7 as lung cancer caused by asbestos)*, and 7 persons who died before the enforcement of this act were determined to have contracted lung cancer caused by asbestos*.
The Minister of the Environment notified ERCA of the result.
* A cumulative total of those determined to have contracted designated diseases as defined by the act is 959 (760 as mesothelioma and 199 as lung cancer caused by asbestos), and a cumulative total of those determined to have contracted designate diseases by asbestos but have died before the enforcement of this act is 68 (1 as mesothelioma and 67 as lung cancer caused by asbestos).