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“There are very few occupational cancer patients in Korea.” Lee Yun-geun, Director of the Institute for Research in Health and Work Environment (Doctor of Health Sciences). Many studies estimate that about 4% of all cancer patients are occupational cancer. Applying this, the number of occupational cancer patients in Korea is approximately 9,600 per year. In 2019, 205 cancer patients were recognized as occupational accidents.
It is not because no one gets cancer while working. Because there is practically no system to detect occupational cancer. The company does not inform us well about dangerous substances and does not ask what they are doing at the hospital. This is the reason why the Institute for Research in Health and Work Environment started the campaign ‘Search 119 for occupational and environmental cancer’.
The beginning is POSCO. Recently, 11 former POSCO workers filed for a collective work accident. POSCO is also a place where there is a ‘link’ to this collection. In 1990, when the POSCO carcinogen controversy arose, he, who was in charge of POSCO’s industrial hygiene management, held a press conference criticizing the company. Subsequently, he was excluded from the assignment and left the company when the incident subsided.
Regarding the request for collective industrial accidents, Director Lee said: “It will be easier than fighting Samsung Semiconductor leukemia.” Since the raw materials handled by the steel mill contain carcinogens, the causal relationship is relatively clear. On December 28 last year, I met Director Lee at the Green Hospital Work Environment Research Institute in Jungnang-gu, Seoul.
-Why is the movement to find patients with occupational cancer now?
“According to the 2018 report by the International Labor Organization (ILO), 86% of the global average of deaths and accidents at work was 14%. Death from illness is overwhelmingly high. In Europe alone, more than 95% of deaths from diseases are. Occupational cancer, a disease of advanced countries, is a worldwide phenomenon. However, in Korea, 64% are deaths from disease and 36% are accidental deaths. “
-It is surprising that the rate of occupational accidents and deaths from diseases exceeds that of accidents in Korea.
“The proportion has been reversed for two years. However, Korea has very few occupational cancer approvals. From 2015 to 2018, the average number of people approved for occupational cancer over the four years was 143. In 2019, 205 people were recognized. Italy, whose population is similar to that of Korea, has an occupational cancer death toll of 1,610 (2014). There are 13,336 in Great Britain and 17,700 in Germany. Finland, which has a smaller population than Korea, also had 2,100 inhabitants, 10 times more than Korea. If we start looking for people with occupational cancer, it will increase at least 10 times the current number. “
-What do you think is the reason for this numerical difference?
“Once the medical system is not filtered for occupational cancer. If so, the interested party must study it and know it or the company must report it, but this possibility is also very low. Now, it’s about civil society and some experts looking for occupational cancer patients. A representative example is Ban Ollim (protector of health and human rights of semiconductor workers) who raised the Samsung Semiconductor leukemia problem ”.
-We recently started activities with the POSCO branch of the metals union.
“10 years ago, I campaigned to find occupational cancer patients. Then it failed. So this time I will try to focus on the workplace. It is the selection and concentration of substances handled by the workplace and cancer-related sites. If POSCO begins to be recognized for industrial accidents, it will expand to the entire iron ore industry, as well as other steel mills. In addition, it is trying to expand into the construction industry. There are many occupational diseases in the construction industry. “
-I am curious about the link between the substances that the steel mill handles and the appearance of cancer.
“To produce molten metal, we need a furnace fuel called ‘coke.’ Coke is burning coal for a long time. Coal contains crystalline free silicic acid. Free silicic acid is a first class carcinogen. Cutting oil and lubricant are used in the iron press rolling process. Contains formaldehyde and benzene, which can cause blood cancer (leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma). It is also a first-class carcinogen. Depending on the process, exposure can vary, but all processes are exposed to these carcinogens. “
-There was a controversy about carcinogens 30 years ago. However, in the last 10 years, there have only been 4 applications for occupational cancer.
“At that time, the background to POSCO’s work environment that became known to the outside world was democratic union. For the first time since the union was established, the measurement of the working environment was entrusted to the outside. Since then, when the union collapsed, the problem of the bad working environment in the steel mills also entered. POSCO’s power is enormous in the area where POSCO’s plant is located. One of the reasons is that it is not easy for the holder to bear it. Even so, 3 out of 4 were recognized as occupational diseases ”.
-Many of the applicants for this industrial accident are lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis.
“There is no doubt that free silicic acid is a carcinogen that can cause lung cancer. Lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis are unlikely to be recognized. There are already many approved cases of leukemia caused by benzene. Lou Gehrig’s disease is a disease whose cause is still unknown. Although the Labor Welfare Corporation may not approve industrial accidents, there is the possibility that occupational diseases will be recognized by going to a subsequent administrative litigation. The Corporation must demonstrate that the outbreak occurred for reasons other than the work environment, but it is not easy ”.
-It seems to overlap with Samsung Semiconductor’s leukemia problem.
“It will be easier than Samsung Semiconductor’s fight against leukemia. It is evident that it is a substance handled by steel mills, and there are many studies and cases on the causal relationship of the incidence of cancer caused by this substance. Even if the company finds out, there is a small hole to escape. The scale of industrial accident applications is also expected to be larger than Samsung Semiconductor. However, much of the work that regular workers did previously went to subcontractors. Moving forward, we must pay attention to the occupational cancer of steel mill subcontractors and non-regular workers. “
-What is the immediate need to act?
“The safety and health diagnosis comes first. Now we do not know what kind of environment the POSCO workplace is. The government should create an objective organization like the Kim Yong-gyun Special Assistance Committee (Coal Power Plant Special Work Pre-Labor Investigation Committee) so that POSCO’s work environment can be diagnosed with health. “
