Clinical study on mesothelioma in Japan: relevance to occupational asbestos exposure
Kishimoto, Takuma ; Gemba, Kenichi ; Fujimoto, Nobukazu ; Aoe, Keisuke ; Kato, Katsuya ; Takeshima, Yukio ; Inai, Kohki
American Journal of Industrial Medicine
2010
53
11
1081-1087
asbestos ; compensation of occupational diseases ; exposure ; health service records ; mesothelioma ; pleural mesothelioma ; registers of occupational diseases
Asbestos
English
Bibliogr.
"Background: In 2003, the number of deaths due to malignant mesothelioma in Japan was 878; however, only 85 cases of mesothelioma due to asbestos exposure were authorized for compensation. The reasons for this discrepancy require evaluation.
Method: We examined medical records, X-rays, and pathology results to evaluate mesothelioma cases in Japan between 2003 and 2005; used a questionnaire to identify occupational and environmental histories, and determined the concentration of asbestos fibers in pathology specimens.
Results: We identified 442 definite cases of malignant mesothelioma with a median age of 68 years. There were 316 malignant mesothelioma cases with occupational asbestos exposure, 12 cases with neighborhood exposure and 5 cases with likely domestic exposure. Most (78%) of the 87 cases exceeded 1,000 asbestos particles per gram of dry lung tissue.
Conclusion: We conclude that 79.2% of cases of mesothelioma in Japan in recent years were caused by asbestos exposure."
Digital
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