Monitoring and Simulating Environmental Asbestos Dispersion from a Textile Factory

Dongmug Kang, Yongsik Hwang, Yeyong Choi, Se-Yeong Kim and Young-Ki Kim
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Dongmug Kang: Preventive, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
Yongsik Hwang: Environmental Health Center, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea
Yeyong Choi: Ban Asbestos Network Korea, Seoul 03039, Korea
Se-Yeong Kim: Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan 50612, Korea
Young-Ki Kim: Preventive, Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Yangsan 50612, Korea

IJERPH, 2018, vol. 15, issue 7, 1-9

Abstract: Although workplace asbestos concentrations (AC) have been reported several times, the past environmental AC are relatively poorly studied. Due to the harmful effects of the asbestos industry, production has moved from early industrialized countries (Japan), to late industrialized countries (Korea), and finally to industrializing countries (Indonesia). The purpose of this study was to determine current occupational exposure levels and evaluate neighborhood environmental exposure levels in an Indonesian asbestos textile factory through collaboration among three generation of industrialized countries. Asbestos concentrations were measured inside and outside of the factory and compared with simulated data. ACs in the factory were similar to those of 1980s and 1990s levels in the Korean factory that transferred the machines. Environmental ACs were dispersed according to wind direction. There were no significant differences between monitored and simulated data, and correlation coefficients between downwind, upwind, and middle wind directions were high, with some statistical significance. This study can be used to estimate past environmental ACs to understand the causality of asbestos related diseases. Because of the small sample size and specific weather conditions, a large-scale study of various asbestos exposure sources, including asbestos cement factories, shipyards, and mines, and various atmospheric conditions is required.

Keywords: asbestos monitoring; simulation; export; Indonesia; estimation; exposure; AERMOD; weather conditions; epidemiology (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2018
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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