Impact of Naturally Occurring Asbestos on Asbestos Ban: Regulations and Experience of the Republic of Korea

Abstract

This review examined the main issues debated in Korea regarding the production and use of materials containing naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) as impurities, and investigated the impacts of these debates on the asbestos ban, as well as the future implications. In Korea, incidents associated with the production and use of NOA-contaminated talc powders, construction rocks, serpentinites, and dolomite rocks raised public concern and led to accelerating the ban on asbestos. The main controversies concern policies on appropriate asbestos content limits, whether materials containing a trace amount of NOA should be banned, and the control of materials with high human exposure risk. To address recurring controversies, the implementation of preventive measures to manage elongated mineral particles and the use of transmission electron microscopy for more sensitive analysis need to be discussed, along with reaching social agreement on the controversial policies. To minimize the potential exposure to asbestos that may occur during the production and use of industrial minerals in the future, it is necessary to apply occupational exposure control measures and monitor the health effects of the relevant population groups. These national policies on NOA should be prepared based on close collaboration and discussion with policymakers, industry stakeholders, and related academic experts.