[Epidemiology of pleural mesothelioma in Japan]

We describe the trend in pleural mesothelioma mortality rates since 1995, when the International Statistical Classification of Disease and Related Health Problems came into effect in Japan, and outline the risk factors for the disease. The number of pleural mesothelioma cases has been increasing in both genders, although male deaths predominated over female ones every year. In 2007, the latest year for which data are available, 652 deaths occurred among men and 130 among women, which was only one-fifth of that among men. The annual death rates were 0.88 and 0.20 per 10(5), respectively. The distribution of 5-year age-specific deaths was skewed toward younger age, with a single peak at 70-74 years in men but at 75-79 years in women. Birth cohort analysis showed that age-specific death rates from the disease became higher with younger birth year in men. Asbestos exposure causes pleural mesothelioma. Some cohort studies clarified the high mortality rate from the disease, which was reported to reach 0.5 x 10(3)/year among those with occupational asbestos exposure. Depending on the amount and variety of asbestos used in industrial plants, the range at which neighborhood asbestos exposure can increase the risk of residents developing pleural mesothelioma can be as much as 2,000 meters from an emission point.