Vice Minister of Health, Jiang Zuojun, said that, according to
data collected since the establishment of the occupational diseases
report in the 1950s, pneumoconiosis has killed 140,000 laborers on
the Chinese mainland. Jiang was speaking at a national TV and
telephone conference on the prevention and cure of occupational
diseases on March 16.
There are currently 580,000 pneumoconiosis sufferers in the
country. Numbers are reportedly growing by 10,000 new cases
annually. According to a national yearly report, some 30,000 of
these cases were caused by the inhalation of industrial poisons and
pesticides during their production, and some 1,500 people died as a
result.
Jiang acknowledged that the negative impact of occupational
diseases is serious. For example, certain parts of the country have
been nicknamed "Pneumoconiosis Village" and "Poison Village". More
important, many of the laborers afflicted by the disease can no
longer support themselves. Compensation for sufferers is hotly
contested and often results in demonstrations, strikes and mass
appeals to higher authorities to intervene, affecting social
harmony and stability. Therefore, industrial diseases have become a
grave social and public health problem.
Jiang said that the Chinese government has taken certain steps
to tackle the problem. It has: implemented an Occupational Health
Examining System on Constructing Program; rigidly enforced the
approval system and supervision of technical service institutes
working on occupational health; and standardized the diagnosis and
identification of occupational diseases processes to support
development in the areas of prevention and cure.
The Ministry of Health has also decided to launch weeklong
activities focused on the theme, "Preventing Occupational Diseases,
Protecting Laborers' Health", and will provide free consultations
to laborers on industrial health and occupational diseases
prevention.
(China.org.cn by Li Shen, March 25, 2005)