09:50 - 12:30, International Conference Hall
Plenary Session 1
Global Health Impact of Asbestos: Urgent Action is needed
Chairs: Kogi Kazutaka and Laurie Kazan-Allen
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Domyung Paek
Occupational Health Program, Seoul National University, Korea
ABSTRACT:
Asbestos consumption per capita per annum had peaked in Korea to 2.2 kg/person/year in 1992. It came down to 0.5 kg/person/year in 2001, but is still higher than most other developing countries. After 30 years of widespread use of asbestos since late 1960's, the first case of asbestos related health effects was recognized in 1993 when an asbestos textile worker was diagnosed with mesothelioma after 19 years of work. Lung cancers were reported thereafter for the compensation of asbestos exposures. One of the notable findings of these cases is that most of them had been exposed to asbestos by using, not manufacturing, asbestos products. Very few of them had worked in the workplace where asbestos exposure was ever measured, and we have no ideas about the future potential of asbestos disease developments.
Here in dealing with persistent asbestos problems in Korea in a strategic way, three potential intervention points are proposed, technical, managerial, and socio-cultural intervention points. In this strategy, the most important underlying principle is to enable the empowerment of subjects or interested parties by giving voice and chance of participation in the collection and evaluation of data and decision making processes. Few of these strategies have ever been implemented in Korea. Most of the ever implemented strategies involved the use of official workplace measurement and health check-up program at the workplace often without any meaningful results. Only when the program was used by the demand of the involved parties, problems could be identified.
Still asbestos is used, and discussion about the ban of asbestos is not being made in Korea. One of the major huddles to the final ban of asbestos in Korea will be how to give the inaudible victims their voices back to enable them to say about their stories.