Japan's Environmental Ministry accused of not taking asbestos seriously

Tokyo, Japan – An important discovery has been made regarding a national health and safety announcement by the Environmental Ministry.

The ministry declared that it found no risk of airborne asbestos levels after conducting a nationwide examination. On Saturday, sources indicated that the examination only tested for one of six types of carcinogenic asbestos.

Crocidolite and amosite, two types of asbestos commonly used in Japan to manufacture partition walls in buildings and materials in vaulted ceilings, were left out. The ministry has been criticized by some experts who claim its investigation procedures are too careless.

The ministry has apologized, saying its announcement was inappropriate. It said that since chrysotile was the most widely used type for asbestos products, the ministry thought testing for it alone would be sufficient but has now realized its mistake.

The examination into asbestos levels began in 2005 after many residents living near a machinery factory in Amagasaki reported experiencing health issues. From 2005 to 2006, the ministry investigated asbestos levels in more than 500 locations nationwide and reported that none of the locations posed a health risk.

The ministry cleared a Yamaguchi demolition site for asbestos risks in November 2006, but a later study conducted by a different panel found that the site contained five times the acceptable level of crocidolite fibers, based on samples taken at the site.

The ministry states that accurate methods of examining all six types of asbestos have yet to be proven, but the United States and Britain have already begun to put such methods in place.

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