Abstract
This review examined the main issues debated in Korea regarding the production and use of materials containing naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) as impurities, and investigated the impacts of these debates on the asbestos ban, as well as the future implications. In Korea, incidents associated with the production and use of NOA-contaminated talc powders, construction rocks, serpentinites, and dolomite rocks raised public concern and led to accelerating the ban on asbestos. The main controversies concern policies on appropriate asbestos content limits, whether materials containing a trace amount of NOA should be banned, and the control of materials with high human exposure risk. To address recurring controversies, the implementation of preventive measures to manage elongated mineral particles and the use of transmission electron microscopy for more sensitive analysis need to be discussed, along with reaching social agreement on the controversial policies. To minimize the potential exposure to asbestos that may occur during the production and use of industrial minerals in the future, it is necessary to apply occupational exposure control measures and monitor the health effects of the relevant population groups. These national policies on NOA should be prepared based on close collaboration and discussion with policymakers, industry stakeholders, and related academic experts.
Highlights
Asbestos is a term that refers to six types of hydrous magnesium silicate minerals that exhibit asbestiform, a fiber type with long and thin fibers and fiber bundles [1]
In Korea, the first regulation on the use of asbestos can be found in the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) of the Ministry of Employment and Labor (MOEL; the Ministry of Labor) (Table 1)
Korea’s experiences regarding naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) demonstrate that when implementing asbestos bans, the production, import, and use of rocks unintentionally containing NOA as well as the intentional use of asbestos must be considered in order to reduce unnecessary controversies and public concern regarding asbestos
Summary
Asbestos is a term that refers to six types of hydrous magnesium silicate minerals that exhibit asbestiform, a fiber type with long and thin fibers and fiber bundles [1]. The MOE has extensively investigated the asbestos contamination of soil and rocks in areas around abandoned asbestos mines, along with the health effects on residents. An activity-based risk assessment revealed non-negligible health risk to residents living in NOA-contaminated areas near abandoned asbestos mines in Korea [9]. The fact that materials containing NOA as impurities have been used for various industrial purposes since the 2000s has attracted public interest and concern in Korea, and asbestos-related incidents affected the policy regarding its ban. The main incidents related to the production and use of NOA-containing materials in Korea were examined, and their influence on changes in the regulations implemented for asbestos bans and future tasks were investigated
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