Result of the Medical Data Examination for Acknowledgment of the Designated Diseases under the Act on Asbestos Health Damage Relief

On January 26, 2010, 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, 60 patients were determined to have contracted the designated diseases (50 with mesothelioma and 10 with lung cancer caused by asbestos) and 13 patients were also determined but died before the application for relief based on the law (10 with mesothelioma and 3 with lung cancer caused by asbestos).

The Minister of the Environment will notify the ERCA of the results.

* The cumulative total of those determined to have contracted the designated diseases as defined by the Act is 2,641 (2,114 with mesothelioma and 527 with lung cancer caused by asbestos), and the cumulative total of those determined to have contracted the designated diseases but died before the application for relief based on the law is 131 (104 with mesothelioma and 27 with lung cancer caused by asbestos). The cumulative total of those determined to have contracted the designated diseases by asbestos but died before the enforcement of this Act is 134 (5 with mesothelioma and 129 with lung cancer caused by asbestos).

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