Transfer of occupational health problems from a developed to a developing country: lessons from the Japan-South Korea experience

Our plain-English summary of Transfer of occupational health problems from a developed to a developing country: lessons from the Japan-South Korea experience, by J. Park, N. Hisanaga, Y. Kim (American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2009).

The study

• Authors: J. Park, N. Hisanaga, Y. Kim
• Journal: American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• Published: 2009;52(8):625-32
• Type of article: Historical article
• Cited by: 13 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Many corporations move their manufacturing facilities or technologies from developed to developing countries. Stringent regulations have made it costly for industries to operate in developed, industrialized countries. In addition, labor costs are high in these countries, and there is increasing awareness among the general public of the health risks associated with industry. The relocation of hazardous industries to developing countries is driven by economic considerations: high unemployment, a cheaper labor force, lack of regulation, and poor enforcement of any existing regulations make certain countries attractive to business. The transfer of certain industries from Japan to Korea has also brought both documented occupational diseases and a new occupational disease caused by chemicals without established toxicities. Typical examples of documented occupational diseases are carbon disulfide poisoning in the rayon manufacturing industry, bladder cancer in the benzidine industry, and mesothelioma in the asbestos industry. A new occupational disease due to a chemical without established toxicities is 2-bromopropane poisoning. These examples suggest that counter-measures are needed to prevent the transfer of occupational health problems from a developed to a developing country. Corporate social responsibility should be emphasized, close inter-governmental collaboration is necessary and cooperation among non-governmental organizations is helpful.

In plain English

This historical perspective article described occupational health problems that the authors said were transferred to South Korea when Japanese industries moved facilities or technologies there. It covered carbon disulfide poisoning in rayon manufacturing, bladder cancer in benzidine dye work, mesothelioma in the asbestos industry, and a new disease caused by the solvent 2-bromopropane. On asbestos, the article reported that Jeil Asbestos Co. exposed Korean workers to both chrysotile and crocidolite. At least nine former Jeil workers with mesothelioma had received compensation, and dozens of residents near the factory had claimed their mesothelioma came from it. In Japan, 354 workers with lung cancer and 502 with malignant mesothelioma had been compensated for occupational asbestos-related cancers up to the end of 2004. The authors reported no explosive, nationwide outbreaks of asbestos-related cancers in Korea, though localized outbreaks had occurred near Jeil and a sporadic pattern had been reported elsewhere. They suggested this might reflect differences in amounts used, timing of peak use, and fiber types: mainly chrysotile in Korea, and chrysotile with amosite and crocidolite in Japan. The authors concluded that corporate social responsibility, inter-governmental collaboration and cooperation among non-governmental organizations can help prevent such transfers.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: historical perspective (narrative review of cases of hazardous industries transferred from Japan to South Korea)
• Who was studied: Korean workers in industries or technologies transferred from Japan to South Korea, compared with experience in Japan; no single defined study sample
• Exposure: Carbon disulfide (rayon manufacturing), benzidine (dye industry), asbestos (chrysotile and crocidolite processing at Jeil Asbestos Co.), and 2-bromopropane (cleaning solvent in electronic parts manufacturing)
• Main results:
  • Korean workers at Jeil Asbestos Co. were exposed to both chrysotile and crocidolite after Nippon Asbestos Co. moved some of its processing there
  • Jeil Asbestos Co. produced 15 tons of crocidolite products a month, half of which was exported to Japan
  • At least nine former Korean workers of Jeil Asbestos Co. with mesothelioma had received compensation (as reported by the Ministry of Labor, 2008)
  • Dozens of residents near the Jeil factory had recently claimed their mesothelioma was due to environmental asbestos exposure from the factory
  • In Japan, 354 workers with lung cancer and 502 with malignant mesothelioma were compensated for occupational asbestos-related cancers up to the end of 2004
  • Korea had no explosive, nationwide outbreaks of asbestos-related cancers, although localized outbreaks had occurred, such as near Jeil Asbestos Co., and a sporadic pattern had been reported elsewhere
  • The authors suggested the difference from Japan may reflect differences in amounts, peak time and fiber type (chrysotile in Korea; chrysotile with amosite and crocidolite in Japan)
  • Jeil Asbestos Co. moved its asbestos processing facilities to Indonesia in 1992
  • Among 650 workers at workplaces making or handling benzidine-based dyes in Korea, the authors identified two with bladder cancer, with estimated latency periods of 30 and 36 years
  • In Korea, 910 workers had been compensated for carbon disulfide poisoning through the end of 2004
  • In 1995, 23 of 33 exposed workers in a Korean electronic parts factory developed reproductive and/or blood-forming disorders from 2-bromopropane
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, to prevent the transfer of occupational health problems from developed to developing countries, corporate social responsibility should be emphasized, close inter-governmental collaboration is necessary, and cooperation among non-governmental organizations is helpful.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Occupational Disease, Mesothelioma.

Related studies

• Trades of dangers: a study of asbestos industry transfer cases in Asia — Y. Choi, S. Lim, et al. (2013)
• Asbestos: old foe in 21st century developing countries — L.V. Harris, I.A. Kahwa (2003)
• Asbestos and mesothelioma: worldwide trends — L. Kazan-Allen (2005)
• Banding carcinogenic risks in developed countries: A procedural basis for qualitative assessment — B.W. Stewart (2008)
• The asbestos cancer epidemic — J. LaDou (2004)
• Occupational and environmental exposures and cancers in developing countries — D. Hashim, P. Boffetta (2014)

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