Occupational illnesses on rise in China
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Updated: 2002-04-02 09:25

Health damages and illnesses associated with poor working conditions are plaguing an increasing number of Chinese workers, as necessary protective measures are often ignored, according to China's health authorities.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) received reports of 13,218 cases of occupational diseases nationwide last year, a rise of 13 percent over the figure in 2000, when 2,352 people died.

And this is only a tip of huge iceberg of health hazards at workplace in China, because the MOH statistics were far less than actual numbers due to incomplete reports, said Su Zhi, a MOH official in charge of law implementation and supervision.

Fewer than 30 percent of workers who are exposed to dusty environments have received health checks for pneumoconiosis, Su said.

Pneumoconiosis is a chronic but deadly lung disease that is caused by inhaling dust or small particles. Together with chemical poisoning and leukemia, it has become one of the leading causes of early loss of working ability in China, which has a working population of 700 million, or more than half of the country's total population.

Rapid industrialization over the past two decades has produced more than 20 million township businesses, 60 percent of which, however, have minimal industrial safety measures, according to an MOH survey of half of the 31 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities.

Workers in the industries of coal production, metallurgy, building materials, nonferrous metals, machinery and chemicals run especially high risks of suffering occupational illnesses.

Su Zhi said the situation should improve after a national law on prevention of occupational illnesses becomes effective in May this year.

Under the new law, workers will be able to seek legal aid if their right to work under protection from a dangerous environment is violated by employers.

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