News Release
Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd.
Hitachi Chemical Group's Asbestos Use and Related Health Damage
(As of September 30, 2005)
Hitachi Chemical Group has reviewed its past asbestos use and related health damage and announces the situation found today as follows.
1. Hitachi Chemical Group asbestos use
Asbestos use in Hitachi Chemical Group is summarized in the following table. All Hitachi Chemical Group products containing asbestos were produced prior to the ban of asbestos use by laws and regulations.
Hitachi Chemical Group no longer produces any products containing asbestos.
| Company name | Facilities (Location) | Products containing asbestos | Production period | Type of asbestos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. | Yamazaki Works (Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki) |
·Polyester resin (molding and other uses) |
1969 - 1984 | Chrysotile |
| ·Insulation cloth (coil insulation) |
1962 - 1985 | |||
| ·Epoxy resin (motor coil molding) |
1972 - 1986 | |||
| Yamazaki Works (Sakuragawa) (Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki) |
·Brake lining | 1969 - 2001 | Chrysotile | |
| ·Disk brake pad | 1969 - 2000 | |||
| ·Clutch facing | 1965 - 2001 | |||
| ·Industrial friction material | 1988 - 2001 | |||
| Shimodate Works (Chikusei-shi, Ibaraki) |
·Molding compound for phenol resin | 1963 - 2001 | Chrysotile | |
| ·Decorative laminate | 1970 - 1977 | |||
| ·Insulating plate for phenol resin | 1968 - 1989 | |||
| Goshomiya Works (Chikusei-shi, Ibaraki) |
·Molded phenolic resin | 1985 - 1992 | Chrysotile | |
| Shin-Kobe Electric Machinery Co., Ltd. | Hikone Works (Hikone-shi, Shiga) |
·Thermosetting resin laminate | 1965 - 1991 | Chrysotile |
| Hitachi Powdered Metals Co., Ltd. | Matsudo Works (Matsudo-shi, Chiba) |
·Torque limiter | 1990 - 1999 | Chrysotile |
| Japan Brake Industrial Co., Ltd. | Headquarters Works (Hachioji-shi, Tokyo) |
·Brake lining | 1958 - 1984 | Chrysotile |
| ·Disk brake pad | 1966 - 2003 | |||
| ·Industrial friction material | 1958 - 2003 | |||
| Chiba Works (Naruto-cho, Chiba) |
·Brake lining | 1965 - 2003 | Chrysotile | |
| Namie Japan Brake Industrial Co., Ltd. | Headquarters Works (Namie-cho, Fukushima) |
·Industrial friction material | 1996 - 1999 | Chrysotile |
| Hiroshima Japan Brake Industrial Co., Ltd. | Headquarters Works (Kure-shi, Hiroshima) |
·Brake lining | 1994 - 2003 | Chrysotile |
| Hitachi Kasei Polymer Co., Ltd. | Noda Works (Noda-shi, Chiba) |
·Adhesive | 1967 -1998 | Chrysotile |
| Namie Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. | Headquarters Works (Namie-cho, Fukushima) |
·Molding compound for phenol resin | 1977- 1991 | Chrysotile |
| Hitachi Chemical Industrial Materials Co., Ltd. | Namekawa Works (Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki) |
·Vibration and sound isolation sheet for vehicle use | 1966- 1986 | Chrysotile |
| ·Epoxy resin (motor coil molding) |
1986 | |||
| Katsuta Works (Hitachinaka-shi, Ibaraki) |
·Automobile molding | 1995- 2000 | Chrysotile | |
| Former Hitachi Chemical Mold (Hitachi-shi, Ibaraki) |
·Automobile molding | 1965 - 2000 | Chrysotile | |
| Hitachi Housetec Co., Ltd | Yuki Works (Chikusei-shi, Ibaraki) |
·Some adhesives for assembling FRP products | 1970 - 1988 | Chrysotile |
| ·Some bathroom units/water heater parts | 1984 - 1993 | |||
| ·Prefabbed house | 1974 - 1978 | |||
| Toyama Works (Toyama-shi, Toyama) |
·Some adhesives for assembling FRP products | 1977 - 1984 | Chrysotile | |
| ·Some bathroom units parts | 1977 - 2001 | |||
| Utsunomiya Works (Utsunomiya-shi, Tochigi) |
·Some kitchen appliances parts | 1976 - 1996 | Chrysotile |
2. Damage to the health of Hitachi Chemical Group employees and retirees
The following shows the damage to the health of Hitachi Chemical Group employees and retirees.
No damage to the health of employees’ or retirees’ family members has been confirmed as of today.
| Company name | Facilities (Location) | Person dead | Person diagnosed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mesothelioma | |||
| Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. | Shimodate Works (Chikusei-shi, Ibaraki) |
1*1 | 0 |
*Notes 1. Approval for workmen's accident compensation was obtained for the person who died.
3. Damage to the health of residents in local communities
As of today, no damage to the health of residents in local communities where Hitachi Chemical Co., Ltd. or its Group Companies operate has been reported.
4. Action to be taken
Hitachi Chemical Group will continue to take action on the asbestos issue in good faith, as well as to properly disclose the information, in close cooperation with the administration and concerned groups.
We have been asking retired employees who engaged in the manufacture of products that contained asbestos to have a health checkup. We also provide opportunities for health checkups at the request of employees and retirees who may have health problems due to the asbestos, even from engaging in works that do not involve direct exposure to the asbestos, such as the development, test manufacture and work to check product quality, and from families who had lived with our employees when they engaged in the manufacture of these products.