Press Release
- Health & Chemicals
Result of the Medical Data Examination for Acknowledgment of Designated Diseases under the Act on Asbestos Health Damage Relief
On December 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, 47 patients were determined to have contracted a designated disease (24 as mesothelioma and 23 as lung cancer caused by asbestos)*, and 17 persons who died before the enforcement of this act were determined to have contracted lung cancer caused by asbestos.
The Minister of the Environment will notify ERCA of the result.
* A cumulative total of those determined to have contracted designated diseases as defined by the act is 547. (425 as mesothelioma and 122 as lung cancer caused by asbestos), and a cumulative total of those determined to have contracted lung cancer caused by asbestos but have died before the enforcement of this act is 28.