Journal List > Korean J Occup Environ Med > v.24(1) > 1125576

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Lee, Park, Kim, Jang, Kim, Shin, and Kim: The Prevalence of Asbestos Related Pleural Plaque among Residents Living Near Asbestos Mines in Korea
Original Article
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2012; 24(1): 1-10.

Published online: 31 March 2012

DOI: https://doi.org/10.0000/kjoem.2012.24.1.1

The Prevalence of Asbestos Related Pleural Plaque among Residents Living Near Asbestos Mines in Korea

Yong-Jin Lee, Chan-Ho Park, Yong-Bae Kim1, Eun-Chul Jang2, Seung-Hwan Kim2, Young-Sik Shin2, Jeung-Sook Kim3

The Environmental Health Center for Asbestos Related Disease, Chunan Hospital, Soonchunhyang University, Korea.

1The Department of Preventive Medicine and the Institute of Industrial Medicine, Soonchunhyang University, Korea.

2The Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Soonchunhyang University Hospital, Cheonan, Korea.

3The Department of Radiology, Ilsan Hospital, Dongguk University, Korea.

Corresponding author (regina94@schmc.ac.kr)

Received 29 August 2011       Revised 3 November 2011       Accepted 3 November 2011

Copyright © 2012 The Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Abstract

Objectives

The investigation of the prevalence of pleural diseases in regards to those living within 1 km of 14 asbestos mines in Chungnam province.

Methods

We enrolled 4,057 residents (male: 1,887, female: 2,170) living within 1km of asbestos mines in Chungcheong province. They received checkups from Soonchunhyang Environmental Health Center for asbestos related diseases between March 2009 and December 2009. Chest X-rays were taken from all subjects and read by two experts according to International Labor Organization guidelines. Those subjects suspected of asbestos related lesions were further checked with HRCT(high-resolution computed tomography). The determination was done by two experts after reviewing the resulting data.

Results

The 4,057 exposed residents underwent the checkup, 859 of whom further underwent the HRCT(high-resolution computed tomography) check. The prevalence of pleural plaque was found to be 11.3% (29.2% non-occupational, 8.0% occupational) from the chest X-rays. The HRCT(high-resolution computed tomography) results revealed that 227 subjects (26.4%) out of the 859 positive subjects (110 (18.8%) non-occupational, 117 (42.9%) occupational) showed evidence of pleural plaque. The statistical analysis showed that the prevalence of pleural plaque increased with increases in age, residence time, and occupational family exposure to asbestos (p<0.05).

Conclusions

We recommend better control of asbestos in the soil and mines. We also recommend that all affected residents living near asbestos mines receive medical checkups as mandated by the asbestos health damage relief policy.

Keywords: Asbestos, Environmental exposure, Pleural plaque

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