Abstract
Osteomalacia, softening of the bones as a result of renal tubular dysfunction, is now commonly known as Itai-Itai disease. Osteomalacia occurs in women who have borne several children. During the final stages of osteomalacia, when patients can neither stand, walk, nor talk, all they say is itai-itai (Japanese for “It hurts! It hurts!”), hence its common name. In one of the worst cases of the disease, a patient lost 30 cm in height as a result of pressure fractures of the vertebrae; and another patient suffered many fractures, 28 in the ribs alone.
Originally published in Environmental Economics and Policy Studies (Springer, Tokyo, 1999) 2:215–229. Originally co-authored with A. Hata and H. Tonegawa.
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© 2002 Springer Japan
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Yoshida, F. (2002). Itai-Itai Disease and Countermeasures Against Cadmium Pollution by the Kamioka Mine. In: The Economics of Waste and Pollution Management in Japan. Springer, Tokyo. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-67032-2_8
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-4-431-67032-2_8
Publisher Name: Springer, Tokyo
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