Shipbuilders admit workers died of asbestos-related ills

OSAKA–Hitachi Zosen Corp. and two other shipbuilding-related firms announced Monday that a total of 24 of their former employees have died of mesothelioma, a type of cancer, and other asbestos-related diseases. Although experts knew of mesothelioma cases occuring in the shipbuilding industry in the past, the announcement marked the first time such firms had admitted that their employees developed the symptoms.