• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.17 no.3
• /
• pp.579-588
• /
• 2021

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to analyze how the participating companies related to asbestos dismantling affect the safety of residents near asbestos dismantling worksites, and to present important criteria for selecting asbestos dismantling related companies based on the analysis results. Method: In this study, based on the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Asbestos Safety Management Act, important items about participating companies related to asbestos dismantling and the safety of residents near the asbestos dismantling workshop were derived, and then questionnaire items were determined through FGI. Multiple regression analysis was performed to analyze the influence relationship. Result: In order to secure the safety around the asbestos dismantling site, it was confirmed that the ability of asbestos dismantling supervisors among the participating companies (dismantling companies, investigation agencies, and supervisors) had the greatest influence. Conclusion: It showed that it is essential to select an excellent asbestos dismantling supervisor and an excellent asbestos dismantling and removal company in order to ensure the safety of residents near the asbestos dismantling site.

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
• /
• v.18 no.1
• /
• pp.129-175
• /
• 2018

This paper examines asbestos activism in South Korea by focusing on the politics of knowledge between the asbestos activist group and regulatory agency on the risk of asbestos exposure. Asbestos activism has contributed to establishing asbestos pollution an important safety and public health agenda in South Korea. Asbestos pollution investigation is key to core argument of the activism that asbestos pollution is pervasive especially in urban environment and a serious environmental health problem with its worst consequences has not yet seen. A distinctive characteristic of such asbestos investigation is the use of "settled dust analysis," non-standard, non-legislated analysis method. In this paper, literary technologies used in asbestos investigation report written by activists and controversies over asbestos pollution measurement in Samsung's head office building. Asbestos activists successfully concentrated media's attention on their argument and mobilize resources needed to make policy decisions, by using settled dust analysis data. Regulatory agency and expert group, however, neither saw settled dust analysis nor activists argument persuasive enough to make policy changes, base on their evaluation on the use of standards and evidentiary context for analyzing measured data. While its explanatory power is partially acquired, through the dispute between asbestos activists and regulatory agencies unspoken assumptions of regulatory science was revealed and became the matter of social debate. Settled dust analysis captures the characteristic of asbestos analysis which combined social movement and science to challenge the regulatory agency and expert group.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.41 no.6
• /
• pp.651-657
• /
• 1994

Asbestos is widely used in the textile, asbestos cement, construction products, friction material, paper products, insulation products, chemical and plastic products because of its heat resistance, flexibility, tensile strength, and texturability. It is now generally recognized that longterm and excessive inhalation of asbestos dust causes asbestosis, lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma and malignancies in other organs such as cancer of gastrointestinal tract, leukemia, lymphoma. Although eighty thousand tons of asbestos has been annually consumed since 1979 in korea, it has not been reported asbestos and lung cancer by asbestos dust so far, while a case of mesothelioma was officially diagnosis as a occupational disease at 1993. We experienced firstly a case of asbestosis and lung cancer caused simultanously by occupational asbestos exposure 11 years, which was confirmed by chest x-ray, pulmonary function test, chest CT and HRCT, bronchoalveolar lavage, and gallium scan. And so We present a case of asbestosis, pleural effusion and lung cancer with a review literature.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.29 no.2
• /
• pp.217-225
• /
• 2019

Objectives: The aim of this study is to evaluate the quality management systems of domestic asbestos survey and monitoring service providers and the relationships with the number of licenses or designations and sales performances. Methods: Data on quality management systems were collected by assessors who were assigned by the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency(KOSHA) during a pilot evaluation program for designated asbestos survey and monitoring service providers in 2016 using evaluation criteria developed by KOSHA. Basic characteristics, evaluated scores, and sales performance were gathered and statistically analyzed. Results: The median and arithmetic mean of the total scores were 0.64 and 0.66. Evaluation fields that scored highly with the highest percentages were sales performance, installation and availability of equipment, compliance with the mandatory minimum number of airborne samples, laboratory independence, and results of proficiency analytical testing, in that order. Evaluation fields that received low marks with the highest percentages were the training of personnel, blank field samples, calibration of flow rates, preliminary check and visual inspection of the work area prior to the clearance test, and review and approval of final reports, in that order. Comparison of normalized scores between service providers registered for asbestos and other tasks and those designated for only asbestos showed significant differences in their evaluated scores. Sales performance did not show a positive correlation with evaluated scores. Conclusions: The quality management systems of domestic asbestos survey and monitoring service providers were poor. High scores were recorded mostly in evaluation fields related to regulatory requirements. Low scores were recorded mostly in evaluation fields related to documentation and recordkeeping. Considering the low influence of quality on sales performance, the government needs to evaluate the quality management of asbestos survey and monitoring service providers and provide the results to public in order to address their low levels of quality management.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
• /
• v.32 no.11
• /
• pp.1001-1010
• /
• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate the concentration levels of particle materials ($PM_{10}$, asbestos), gas materials ($CO_2$, CO, $NO_2$, HCHO, Rn, VOCs) and total suspended colony (TSC), and the correlations among these materials in indoor air quality of 54 multiple-use facilities and 15 public-use facilities of Gwangju. The highest mean concentration of $PM_{10}$ was $69.2\;{\mu}g/m^3$ at indoor parking place, followed by childcare facilities, large commercial building and subway station building. The highest mean concentration of CO was 2.7 ppm at indoor parking place and that of $CO_2$ was 604.1 ppm at medical service facilities. The highest mean concentration of $NO_2$ was 0.036 ppm at indoor parking place. The geomean concentration of HCHO was $3.6\;{\mu}g/m^3$ in all facilities and the highest was $631.8\;{\mu}g/m^3$ at art gallery. The geomean concentration of VOCs (5 species) was $24.14\;{\mu}g/m^3$ in all facilities and toluene was the highest material of $15.30\;{\mu}g/m^3$, followed by xylene, ethylbenzene, benzene and styrene. The highest mean concentration of TSC was $625.3\;CFU/m^3$ at jjimjilbang, followed by childcare facilities, medical service facilities and large commercial building. The highest of asbestos was 0.0072 each/cc at childcare facilities and that of radon was 1.41 pCi/L at art gallery. PM10 showed positive correlations to TSC with $R^2\0.5332$ by lognormal equation at childcare facilities. CO2 showed positive correlations to CO at childcare facilities and indoor parking place. Lognormal equation fitted to the VOCs data more than normal equation in all facilities.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.24 no.4
• /
• pp.501-508
• /
• 2014

Objectives: This study identified the general characteristics of asbestos inspection/analysis laboratories in Korea and confirmed the actual situations in terms of technical aspects from these characteristics. In addition, given the background of the current problem, it offers preliminary data for determining future plans for improvement. Methods: A questionnaire was developed and distributed to the asbestos inspection/analysis laboratories that used the ISO/IEC 17025 for asbestos sampling and testing by UKAS(United Kingdom Accreditation Service) and the Korea Laboratory Accreditation Scheme(KOLAS). A total of 202 institutions in Korea were selected for the study and 145(71.8%) questionnaires were returned. Results: The number of personnel of the surveyed institutions averaged $4.2{\pm}2$ and 79.3% operated with less than five persons. In terms of education, the capital and other densely populated areas showed a high level of education(p<0.05). The level of education and facilities were determined by the magnitude of the institution(p<0.05). Institutions managed by highly educated directors were well-stocked with education and facilities(p<0.05). Institutions which had directors with considerable experiences received high scores overall and in particular higher scores in terms of education and facilities(p<0.05). At the level of the bottom five percent, the factor of education was 40.4% while the factor of measurement 49%, the factor of analysis 59%, the factor of facilities 61%, and the factor of survey 81%, respectively. Conclusions: To improve the quality of the institutions, in the short term, the problems identified in this study can be used to revise the related regulations. In the long term, a grading system of survey institutions needs to be established through the introduction of an accreditation system. However, the ongoing support of a government agency is required, including holding seminars and open education, suggesting guidelines for operation of asbestos inspection/analysis labs, and other means.