Survey of One-time Asbestos Workers in Southern Part of Akita Prefecture --Health Status after Exposures and Fear of Lung Cancer--

DOI Web Site 10 References
  • NANBU Hirohito
    Health and Welfare Services, Hiraka General Hospital Akita-ken Institute of Rural Medicine University of Akita Graduate School of Medicine
  • KIRIHARA Yuko
    Health and Welfare Services, Hiraka General Hospital Akita-ken Institute of Rural Medicine
  • TSUKISAWA Keiko
    Health and Welfare Services, Hiraka General Hospital Akita-ken Institute of Rural Medicine
  • IMANOYA Minako
    Health and Welfare Services, Hiraka General Hospital Akita-ken Institute of Rural Medicine
  • KIMURA Keiji
    Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hiraka General Hospital Akita-ken Institute of Rural Medicine
  • HAYASHI Masato
    Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hiraka General Hospital Akita-ken Institute of Rural Medicine

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Other Title
  • 秋田県南部の一地域に暮らす石綿関連業務経験者の実態調査　　――暴露後の経過と健康不安――
  • アキタケン ナンブ ノ イチ チイキ ニ クラス イシワタ カンレン ギョウム ケイケンシャ ノ ジッタイ チョウサ バクロ ゴ ノ ケイカ ト ケンコウ フアン
  • Survey of One-time Asbestos Workers in Southern Part of Akita Prefecture
  • ——Health Status after Exposures and Fear of Lung Cancer——
  • ——暴露後の経過と健康不安——

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Abstract

  An inquiry was made into the health of 10 one-time asbestos workers now living in the southern part of Akita Prefecture who had taken screening tests for asbestosis on a regular basis. The purpose of this study was to provide pertinent information and better health support to these people at high risk of developing asbestos-related diseases. The average number of years they served as asbestos workers was 11.1±2.12 years and 29.8±4.64 years had passed since first exposure. All the subjects were found to have had no idea about guarding against exposure to asbestos while at work. Neither had they been told to protect themselves from this fibrous mineral by their employers. What motivated them to take examinations for asbestosis was news reports provided by newspapers and other mass media about pulmonary disorders caused by earlier contact with asbestos fibers. Half of the subjects did not know anything about qualifications for receiving the health card for retired asbestos workers. They expressed apprehensions about their health. One subject said, “I may be taken ill anytime,” another said, “The psychological burden of always taking meticulous care of my health is overwhelming,” and still another said, “There is no way of knowing whether I am suffering from asbestosis because there is no symptom.” The latest statistics showed that the number of officially acknowledged victims of asbestos-related pulmonary diseases is increasing across the nation together with the incidence of mesothelioma. To allay the anxiety of former asbestos workers about their health, this study suggested that as the responsibilities of the medical profession, we should (1) get acquainted with the relief system and related laws, (2) help the patients maintain their quality of life by following up the their problems over a long period of time, and (3) continue research activities and make the results public so as to contribute to the relief of the patients.

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