[Editorial] Care for Workers At Risk of Getting Cancer

There are holes in the system of protections for workers who run a high risk of getting cancer years after handling cancer-causing materials in their places of work. Furthermore it has been confirmed that someone who recently committed suicide did so after finding he had cancer even though he had been on a list of individuals requiring long-term observation because of the risk of cancer that came with his job. The system of long-term observation is almost nonexistent, since only 20 to 30 percent of those who quit risky jobs but were supposed to receive regular examinations actually did so.

In 1992 the government adopted a program under which people who work with materials such as asbestos and benzidine are given medical examinations well after well after quitting. Starting in 2000, the program makes examinations available to people still employed in such jobs. Last year, 3,500 workers on the long-term observation list were given guidebooks to help them stay on top of their health.

The thing is, only 20 to 30 percent of the people who have received those guidebooks were actually examined. Whatever the reason, it means that many workers at risk of getting cancer are not being cared for and the problem is particularly serious because of what it means to have the disease discovered early on.

There are also problems with the way the currently employed are watched out for. The experts say that a considerable number of workers do not receive long-term observation because they are not registered. The main reason for that is company indifference, and the Ministry of Labor's negligence in oversight and publicity. They say that some workers chose not to register because they fear being penalized by their employers.

Cancer-causing material like asbestos is a time bomb. You see no symptoms at all, then suddenly you have the disease. Some day another worker will discover he has cancer and take his own life unless the government does more to protect workers who are at risk. The Ministry of Labor needs to do an accurate count of the number of workers in need of care and improve the program.

The Hankyoreh, 4 January 2006.

[Translations by Seoul Selection]