South Korean Mesothelioma Rates Still Rising Decades After Asbestos Ban
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South Korean Mesothelioma Rates Still Rising Decades After Asbestos Ban

ByAlex Strauss

A new report out of South Korea is proof that it can take many years for mesothelioma rates to decline even after implementing an asbestos ban. Asbestos is the number one cause of malignant mesothelioma worldwide. South Korea banned asbestos in 2009. But a report in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health shows the country will likely be dealing with the after-effects well into the future.  A national asbestos ban is a vital step toward fighting occupational cancer. But the new study is a sobering reminder that it cannot eliminate mesothelioma overnight.  Occupational Risk for Malignant Mesothelioma Mesothelioma can be a health hazard for anyone who ever worked with or around asbestos.  Once a worker inhales or…

Korea: Mesothelioma to Rise for Another 30 Years
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Korea: Mesothelioma to Rise for Another 30 Years

ByAlex Strauss

While mesothelioma rates are expected to start declining in the U.S. within the next decade, Korea’s war on against this aggressive cancer may be just getting started. According to English language newspaper The Korea Herald, Korea’s Ministry of Environment is predicting that the number of mesothelioma cases will continue to rise in that country until the year 2045. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to asbestos. The Ministry of Environment report shows that the number of mesothelioma patients registered at Korean medical facilities jumped from 61 in 1996 to 152 in 2007. The number of deaths from asbestos exposure also rose from 24 in 2001 to 57 in 2006. Although Korea recently enacted a law regulating asbestos use which will take…