China urges checks for pneumoconiosis as cases grow

Chinese employers have been told to frequently check workers' health in pneumoconiosis-prone fields and ensure treatment for those diagnosed with the illness.

Official figures released in December revealed the country recorded 26,873 new cases in 2014, a 16-percent increase from the previous year.

A disease of the lungs caused by the inhalation of large amounts of dust or particulate matter, pneumoconiosis accounted for nearly 90 percent of all occupational disease cases reported last year.

In a Thursday statement, the National Health and Family Planning Commission noted that people have been diagnosed with the disease at an increasingly younger age in recent years, and industries in more central and western regions have become prone to the illness, mainly in jobs related to mining, construction materials and nonferrous metals.

"Employers should provide health checks for workers before, during and after jobs in which they are exposed to various kinds of dust," the statement said, stressing that funds should be allocated from medical or work insurance to support patients who have difficulty paying for treatment.

The commission also encouraged pneumoconiosis patients to apply for aid subsidies from local governments. Endi