Some Residents Near Cement Plant Experience Lung Issues, Unrelated to Cement

Significant Error Found in Gangwon National University Hospital Research Verification
Cement Association: "Gangwon and Chungbuk Provinces Use Incorrect Research Results as Basis for Local Resource Facility Tax"

Hanil Cement Danyang Plant.
[Photo by Asia Economy DB]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Jong-hwa] A study has been published showing that the cause of lung deformation in some residents near cement factories is unrelated to cement.

According to the Korea Cement Association on the 3rd, Kim Dong-il, Vice President of the Korea Special Health Diagnosis Association (Occupational and Environmental Medicine Specialist), an authority on health impact assessment research of respiratory diseases such as cement dust and asbestos dust, recently published a detailed verification of research results from Kangwon National University Hospital in a U.S. respiratory research journal.

Vice President Kim stated from the verification results, "It cannot be concluded that respiratory tract deformation in nearby residents was caused by cement dust." An error was found in the Kangwon National University Hospital research where the exposed group (residents near the cement factory) and the control group were compared with average ages of 70s and 50s, respectively. This means that the hospital’s interpretation, which claimed no age difference between the two experimental groups based on statistical expert review, was incorrect, and it overlooked that differences in lung structure and function were due to age differences.

He also pointed out that even if structural changes appear on lung CT scans, they may not affect lung function. Structural and functional changes seen on CT scans do not significantly impact lung function, and even when lung function is normal, CT results can vary depending on gender, age, and smoking status, so it cannot be said that the risk of lung disease is high.

Vice President Kim explained that after re-requesting the research results from Kangwon National University Hospital to multiple medical statistics experts, "Although statistical techniques were applied to reduce confounding variables such as age and smoking rate differences between the exposed and control groups, the claim that cement exposure caused lung disease is not very convincing." He added, "A clear causal relationship can only be concluded after long-term related research and comprehensive review by experts from various fields."

The cement industry expressed regret, saying, "It is unfortunate that similar cases that hinder coexistence with local communities have occurred," and appealed, "Prevention of recurrence is absolutely necessary."

In 2011, a local hospital in Chungbuk hastily identified cement as the cause without clear evidence of causality through a health impact survey of residents near a cement factory, and was ultimately ruled by the Supreme Court that it was "unrelated to cement." As a result, the Environmental Dispute Mediation Committee under the Ministry of Environment had to dismiss damage compensation claims, and the cement industry was cleared of misunderstandings and suspicions.

The Respiratory Disease Environmental Health Center at Kangwon National University Hospital presented research results claiming "cement harms residents’ health" at the "Cement Production Area Development Symposium" held last year by Gangwon and Chungbuk provinces to justify the establishment of a local resource facility tax, and also published a paper with the same content in an international academic journal in February.

A representative of the Cement Association said, "Gangwon and Chungbuk provinces are ignoring the Supreme Court’s final ruling and are insisting that the local resource facility tax should be imposed based on the Environmental Dispute Committee’s erroneous compensation decision before the ruling," adding, "They are also using the Kangwon National University Hospital research results as grounds for imposing the tax. Such actions that hinder coexistence and development with local residents must be corrected."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.