• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 1992.10a
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• pp.214-217
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• 1992

The asbestos has many advantages in engineering aspect. The objective of this report is to investigate and analyze the influence of the asbestos in secondary cement-product. For this purpose, several asbestos -ratio are examined and the relationship between asbestos-ratios and strength is studied. From the present tests, it ti found that the strength of the press-out cement-product was the maximum value at the asbestos-tratio of 11%

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.36-41
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• 1989

Concentrations of atmospheric asbestos at 5 sites in the central Seoul area, were determined by phase contrast microscopy. The observed numbers of asbestos per liter of air were: maximum 4.51, minimum 0.72 and average 2.20. The direct relationship between asbestos concentration at each sampling site and automobile traffics was not demonstrated. But the more there are automobile traffics, the higher asbestos concentratiof of total fibers is.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.8-14
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• 2003

Asbestos is composed of long thin fibers approximately diameter $0.02\mu\textrm{m}$ and flexibility, strength, electrical, thermal conditions. The most common asbestos are : Chrysotile(white), Crocidolite(Blue), Amosite(Brown). Asbestos was first introduced in the Korea in 1960 and installation of these products continue through the late 1970's and even the early 1980's. Bu-pyung basement stores in Korea were surveyed from September 25 to October 26, 2001. The purpose of this research was to evaluate worker-exposure to asbestos, comparing to the standards and to research notice of inhabitants about asbestos. Fifteen personal samples and six areas were collected using Gillian Air Sampler. Result of this research were as follows. 1. The most of asbestos exposure concentrations keeps to the criterion(OSHA(Occupational Safety and Health Adminisoation), NIOSH) but forty three percent of the Six samples exceeded the EPA (Environmental protection Agency) of 0.01 fibers/cc. 2. All of places compliced to the standards but there is no "Safe level" of asbestos exposure to the people. Especially people who are expose more frequently over a long time are more at risk.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.111-120
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• 2021

Asbestos products had been widely used until 2007 in Korea since the 1930s. A total ban on their production and applications has been imposed because of the toxic effect of asbestos fibers on the human health. The inhaled asbestos fibers increase reactive oxygen species and inflammatory reactions in the respiratory airway including the alveolar sac, resulting in DNA damages and secretion of several inflammatory cytokines or chemokines. These paracrine communications promote the proliferation of fibroblasts and the synthesis of collagen fibers, thereby depositing them into the extracellular matrix at the interstitial space of alveoli. The fibrotic tissue hindered the gas exchange in the alveolus. This reviews describes not only the cytotoxic effects of asbestos fibers with different physical or chemical characteristics but also the interaction of cells that make up the respiratory airway to understand the molecular or cellular mechanisms of asbestos fiber-induced toxicity. In addition, we propose a pulmonary toxicity research technique based on the mini-lung that can mimic human respiratory system as an alternative to overcome the limitations of the conventional risk assessment of asbestos fibers.

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

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.242-253
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• 1998

South Korea has been producing asbestos over 60 years. The use of asbestos was over 50 years for production of asbestos slate and 27 years for asbestos friction materials including asbestos textile and brake-lining. Thus, it can be supposed that asbestos related diseases such as asbestosis, lung cancer and mesothelioma could be found in the vulnerable workers exposed to asbestos in 1955-1975, given the average latency period of 10-30 years. Asbestos was produced primarily by Japanese during World War II In Korea. The production of chrysotile peaked to 4,815 tons in 1944. From 1978 to 1984, 10,000 tons of asbestos were produced annually. However, the production was interrupted by raising labor costs and extinction of mine reserves, and finally they had to depend on import for the need of asbestos. In 1945, there were 16 asbestos mines, in total, with the addition of new asbestos mines in South Korea. Imports of asbestos was increased from 74,000 tons to 95,000 tons during the period of 1976 - 1992. But the imports was reduced to 88,000 tons in 1995. Since, in addition to the import of asbestos itself, the imports of asbestos products were increased as well and the accumulation of asbestos reached to 30,000 tons during the period of 1964 to 1993. In 1965, there was only one asbestos company with 207 employees. But the size of asbestos industry has been expanded so much that 118 asbestos companies could be found in 1993 with 1,476 workers. However, there was no record on the survey of asbestos concentration to which workers were exposed in any companies in 1983. The record of the air-borne concentration of the asbestos in textile working places in 1984 showed 6.7 fibers/cc by geometric mean(GM), but it was reduced to 1.2 fibers/cc in 1993. GMs of asbestos in working places for construction materials and asbestos textiles were also decreased from 1.7 fibers/cc to 0.55 fibers/cc during the period of 1984 - 1996.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.457-473
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• 2023

Asbestos has been produced, imported and used in various industries in Korea over the past decades. Since asbestos causes fatal diseases such as malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer, the use of asbestos has been generally banned in Korea since 2009. However, there are still many asbestos-containing materials around us, and safe management is urgently needed. This study aims to examine asbestos-related trend changes using major asbestos-related keywords based on the asbestos trend analysis using big data for the past 32 years (1991 to 2022) in Korea. In addition, we reviewed both domestic trends related to the production, import, and use of asbestos before 1990 and asbestos-related policies from 2023 to 2027. From 1991 to 2000, main keywords related to asbestos were research, workers, carcinogens, and the environment because the carcinogenicity of asbestos was highlighted due to domestic production, import, and use of asbestos. From 2001 to 2010, the main keywords related to asbestos were lung cancer, litigation, carcinogens, exposure, and companies because lawsuits were initiated in the US and Japan in relation to carcinogenicity due to asbestos. From 2011 to 2020, the high ranking keywords related to asbestos were carcinogen, baseball field, school, slate, building, and abandoned asbestos mine due to the seriousness of the asbestos problem in Korea. From 2021 to present (2023), the main search keywords related to asbestos such as school, slate (asbestos cement), buildings, landscape stone, environmental impact assessment, apartment, and cement appeared.

• Korean Architects
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• s.505
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• pp.79-85
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• 2011

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.454-465
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• 2016

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate trends in asbestos exposure among asbestos-handling industries from 2000 to 2005. Methods: The data included the number of industries and workers exposed, concentrations of asbestos and the amount exceeded, and the type and size of industry by year. These data were collected by 46 regional employment and labor offices in Korea using work environment monitoring reports. A total of 1,481 samples from 284 industries were extracted from the reports and were analyzed with no data modification. Results: The means of asbestos concentration decreased from $0.84f/cm^3$ to $0.03f/cm^3$ during the period 2000-2005. Among the total of 1,481 samples, 11 samples(0.7%) exceeded the KOEL, and 178 samples(12.0%) were ACGIH TLV. The insulating paper product manufacturing industry was found to have the highest level of asbestos, followed by the fireproofing manufacturing industry, brake lining products manufacturing industry, commutator products manufacturing industries, and construction materials manufacturing industry. The number of asbestos handling industries decreased from 48 industries with 1,155 employees to 37 industries during the period of 2000 to 2005, but the number of asbestos workers expanded to the point that 1,182 employees could be found in 2005. Conclusion: Based on these results, the strengthening of the KOEL and new regulations turned out to help reduce asbestos exposure levels. This study recommends that retrospective exposure to asbestos based on various industry types should be assessed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.35-40
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• 2013

Objectives: Asbestos contents of crushed serpentine rocks and airborne fiber concentrations of workers were determined at two serpentine quarries and a steel mill. Methods: Bulk samples of uncrushed and crushed serpentine rocks were collected and analyzed by PLM and TEM. Airborne asbestos samples were collected from the breathing zone of workers and the vicinity of working area and analyzed by PCM and TEM. Results: Chrysotile was identified with antigorite, lizardite and non-asbestiform actinolite in bulk samples. The arithmetic means of chrysotile contents in crushed serpentines were 0.11, 0.01, 0.42%(W/W) by quarry A, quarry B and a steel mill, respectively. The asbestos concentrations of all personal samples were less than 0.1 f/cc which is the permissible exposure limit of workers in Korea. The arithmetic means of airborne asbestos concentrations were 0.017 f/cc and 0.009 f/cc in personal samples collected from two serpentine quarries. The asbestos concentrations of all personal samples collected from a steel mill were less than LODs by PCM analysis but asbestos was detected in area samples by TEM. By the job tasks of serpentine quarries, crusher/separator operation generated the highest exposure to airborne asbestos. Conclusions: Although chrysotile contents in crushed serpentines of quarries were less the permissible level, the highest exposure of workers in serpentine quarries reached up to 76% of the permissible level of airborne asbestos. There were also possibilities of occupational exposure to airborne asbestos in a steel mill. The present exposure study should encourage further survey and occupational control of quarries producing serpentine or other types of asbestos-bearing rocks.