환경부에서 최근에 석면 함유 사문석이 깔린 학교 운동장이나 체육시설등에 대한 대응 계획을 수립하였다는 한겨레 영자판 신문의 내용입니다.
Government assistance for students exposed to asbestos
Plan announced to monitor students’ health and cover costs from related ailments
By Nam Jong-young
The Ministry of Environment plans to offer special lifetime health care for students at schools with gymnasiums where serpentine surfacing containing asbestos was discovered.
An official with the ministry said Wednesday that plans were established to have X-rays of the students taken during yearly examinations, with the images to be examined by an asbestos expert for signs of related ailments.
The official also said it plans to open a long-term database for the students’ health information.
Last year, the Asian Citizens' Center for Environment and Health claimed that serpentine from an abandoned asbestos mine in Andong was used in the construction of gymnasiums at ten schools, including Hadong Elementary School in South Gyeongsang Province. The presence of asbestos was subsequently confirmed in a government survey.
In response, three hundred Hadong Elementary School students have been boycotting classes since Monday. The students and their parents are calling on the government to take steps including the issuance of asbestos logs and the purchase of long-term cancer insurance.
A Ministry of Environment official said, "Since the asbestos logs are a system for managing people who have been exposed to high concentrations, we opted for a method of searching for asbestos-related ailments early through the existing health checkup system."
"If any asbestos-related ailments are discovered, [the patient] will receive national assistance in accordance with the Asbestos Injury Relief Act," the official added.
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Posted on : Jan.12,2012 09:54 KST
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