The government of Japan is expanding their biannual checks for the management of asbestos in buildings throughout the country, increasing the number of structures on their list from 260,000 to 2 million.

An article in The Japan Times states that “The Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry will examine with local officials the 2 million buildings to lessen public anxiety over health hazards caused by asbestos.” The inspections could start as early as March 2009 and will include almost all private-sector facilities nationwide, the report adds.

Buildings such as shops and hotels will be part of the inspection, but schools, private homes, and wooden buildings will not, as they fall under a different jurisdiction.

Prior to this addition of more than 1.75 million buildings, the ministry only did checks on large facilities, including factories that have a floor space of more than 1,000 sq. meters and were built between 1956 and 1989, the article points out. The ministry’s main concern has been whether asbestos is left uncovered and exposed to the air.

The increase in inspections was prompted by a study completed last December, which showed that 7 out of 42 of the inspected facilities – nearly 17 percent – left asbestos uncovered and exposed.

Mesothelioma, an asbestos-caused cancer, has become a growing problem in Japan, particularly in certain prefectures where asbestos products were manufactured and asbestos fibers were leaked into the community, sickening not only factory workers but also those who lived near the factories.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2008 at 7:50 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.