Employees sue chemical maker for failure to prevent cancer

February 28, 2018

Fukui- Three employees and a former employee of Mitsuboshi Chemical Co. filed a damages suit against the company on Wednesday for its alleged failure to take steps to prevent them from developing bladder cancer.

The four men, in their 40s to 60s, worked at the Tokyo-based chemical firm's plant in the central Japan city of Fukui. They demanded a total of 36.3 million yen in damages in the lawsuit, filed with Fukui District Court.

In the complaint, the four said that they had engaged in work that involved exposure to ortho-toluidine, a cancer-causing chemical substance, at the plant for 15-27 years and developed bladder cancer.

The plaintiffs claimed that Mitsuboshi Chemical made them work in conditions susceptible to ortho-toluidine without taking steps to improve the environment at the plant although the company knew that the substance is toxic and carcinogenic.

Nine people who have worked at the plant developed bladder cancer. For seven of them, including three of the four plaintiffs, labor authorities certified that their illnesses were caused by their work at the plant. The other two have applied for the certification.

Mitsuboshi Chemical President Takehiko Izumiya said, "I'd like to refrain from commenting on the damages suit, because we've yet to receive documents on the petition." He said that the company will continue to work sincerely on the employees' health problems. Jiji Press