Chungnam, Health Impact Survey on Residents in Areas Concerned with Asbestos Exposure

[Asia Economy (Naepo) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] Chungnam Province announced on the 16th that it will conduct an "Asbestos Health Impact Survey" targeting residents affected by asbestos in the region from this month until the end of the year.

The health impact survey will be conducted jointly with Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital and aims to minimize residents' damage by analyzing the current status of asbestos damage and providing relief benefits according to the asbestos damage relief law.

The target group consists of approximately 1,000 residents aged 40 or older who have lived for more than 10 years within a 2 km radius of asbestos mines located in four cities/counties: Boryeong, Cheongyang, Hongseong, and Yesan.

The province will have these residents undergo a first-round survey at Soonchunhyang University Cheonan Hospital, followed by chest X-rays and specialist examinations.

Additionally, residents classified as suspected cases from the first examination will receive further detailed tests, including a second-round high-resolution HRCT and a third-round pulmonary function and diffusion capacity tests.

A provincial official stated, "We plan to investigate the list and current addresses of environmentally asbestos-exposed residents who lived near former asbestos factories and abandoned asbestos mines," adding, "We will continue to expand health impact surveys in asbestos-exposed areas and do our best to protect the health of affected residents."

Meanwhile, asbestos is classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a Group 1 carcinogen, causing diseases such as primary malignant mesothelioma, primary lung cancer, asbestosis, and diffuse pleural thickening.

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