Busan City Offers Free Health Checkups... Rapid Identification of Asbestos Victims

Free On-Site Health Checkups for Residents Suspected of Asbestos Exposure

Targeting Over 1,000 Residents Near Former Asbestos Factories and Vulnerable Areas

Free Checkups Available Upon Appointment at Asbestos Environment Health Center

Busan City will conduct a "visiting free health checkup" for about 1,000 Busan citizens living in asbestos-vulnerable areas such as neighborhoods near former asbestos factories, slate-dense areas, and Suri shipyards.

Busan City Hall.

Asbestos is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO). Inhalation can cause serious diseases such as lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma, and asbestosis 10 to 50 years later.

The period of intensive asbestos use was from the 1970s to the 1990s, and considering the latency period, environmental diseases caused by asbestos are expected to surge from 2010 and continue through 2020 to 2035.

Since 2008, the city has been conducting annual health impact surveys targeting residents suspected of asbestos exposure through the Asbestos Environmental Health Center at Yangsan Busan National University Hospital, the first of its kind nationwide. To date, more than 22,800 people have been examined, and 785 have been recognized as asbestos victims, receiving treatment and living allowances.

Additionally, to identify asbestos victims, from December 2017 for six months, the city conducted the nation’s first survey of residents who lived for more than six months within a 2 km radius of former asbestos factories, confirming 178,020 eligible individuals and guiding them to screenings according to radius zones.

This year, the budget for the visiting free health checkup project is 160 million KRW. It is scheduled to be conducted 12 times by November, targeting specific areas including ▲ Yeonsan-dong, Yeonje-gu ▲ Yongho-dong, Munhyeon-dong, Uam-dong in Nam-gu ▲ Cheonghak-dong, Yeongseon-dong, Bongnae-dong in Yeongdo-gu ▲ Hakjang-dong in Sasang-gu ▲ Dadae-dong, Gamcheon-dong in Saha-gu ▲ Nambumin-dong, Amnam-dong in Seo-gu.

Areas subject to the Resident Health Impact Survey (75 locations).

The health checkup includes a basic examination with a questionnaire, chest X-ray, and medical consultation. If there is a suspicion of asbestos-related disease, a secondary detailed examination will be provided.

Citizens wishing to undergo the checkup can confirm the schedule through their district or county environmental department (Environmental Hygiene Division) or the Asbestos Environmental Health Center, then visit the screening location with their ID for a free examination.

Lee Geun-hee, Director of the Environmental Policy Office of the city, stated, “To promptly provide relief for health damage caused by asbestos, we will actively expand health impact surveys targeting residents in areas at risk of environmental asbestos exposure.” He added, “The city will continue to do its best to prevent asbestos damage and support victims.”

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