In March, bereaved families of workers who used to work at an offset printing company in Osaka applied for workers' accident compensation. The application revealed that more than a few workers at the company had suffered bile duct cancer. So far, it has been found that 12 workers of the company have suffered the cancer and that six of them have died.

There have been other cases reported. Two printing workers in Miyagi Prefecture were found to have the cancer. They also applied for workers' accident compensation. Three more printing workers suffered the cancer, one each in Tokyo and Ishikawa and Shizuoka prefectures. The Tokyo and Ishikawa workers are already dead.

The possibility has been raised that organic solvents used in large quantities to remove ink from printing machines may have caused the cancer. It has been pointed out that at the Osaka and Miyagi companies, ventilation of the indoor work areas was not sufficient. Printing company executives should closely examine the conditions of their work areas and immediately take necessary measures to minimize harm to workers.