Chungnam, 6 out of 10 Schools Have 'Asbestos Buildings'

[Asia Economy (Hongseong) Reporter Jeong Il-woong] It has been confirmed that 6 out of 10 frontline schools in the Chungnam region have asbestos buildings.

Asbestos is a type of natural mineral that is non-flammable. For this reason, it was once mandatorily used in schools and government offices in the past, but since 2009, the World Health Organization has classified asbestos as a carcinogen that causes lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, leading to a complete ban on its use in South Korea.

On the 25th, the Chungnam Environmental Movement Federation, the Environmental Health Citizens' Center, and the National School Asbestos Parents Network conducted a survey on asbestos buildings in schools in the Chungnam region. The results showed that out of a total of 725 elementary, middle, and high schools, 415 schools (57.2%) still have asbestos buildings.

By school level, 89 out of 117 high schools (76.1%), 109 out of 186 middle schools (58.6%), and 217 out of 422 elementary schools (51.4%) maintained asbestos buildings.

This is a relatively higher rate compared to the national average of metropolitan local governments. The Environmental Movement Federation and others analyze that this is due to the lingering effects of numerous asbestos mines that were distributed in Chungnam in the past.

The problem is that exposure to asbestos can lead to diseases after a latency period of 10 to 40 years. There is concern that if students in frontline schools during childhood and adolescence are exposed to asbestos, the likelihood of developing diseases as adults increases in the long term.

In particular, Chungnam has had the highest number of asbestos victims nationwide due to the past presence of many asbestos mines, according to the Environmental Movement Federation and others. Based on this, they emphasize the need for special attention and measures for asbestos safety management and damage prevention.

Previously, the government aimed to remove all asbestos by 2027 and has been removing asbestos every summer and winter vacation. However, recently, due to the COVID-19 situation, face-to-face monitoring has been reduced, weakening the surveillance function.

Accordingly, the Environmental Movement Federation, together with the Environmental Health Citizens' Center, conducted a survey on the asbestos status in schools in the Chungnam region, released a report, and simultaneously urged the Office of Education, local governments, and the local community to take an interest in the school asbestos issue and strive to create safe schools.

The Environmental Movement Federation stated, “Apart from announcing the list of kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools in the region where asbestos buildings remain, we intend to disclose information such as the names of schools where asbestos was removed and the amount removed during the summer and winter vacations of 2021-2022 to guarantee the right to know of parents, students, faculty, and the local community and to raise awareness about asbestos safety.”

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