• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.139-145
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• 2011

Objectives: This investigation is purposed to evaluate the airborne asbestos concentrations in the public buildings having asbestos containing materials(ACMs) in Seoul. Methods: The Seoul Metropolitan Government carried out an asbestos survey to the city-owned public buildings to identify the level of risk exposure, classified into low, moderate and high risk. To evaluate the airborne concentration of asbestos, 11 sampling sites in ten buildings based on the survey were selected. The air samples from the eleven sites were analyzed by Phase Contrast Microscopy(PCM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), and compared the analytical results from the both. Results: 1. The airborne fiber concentrations by PCM were less than the detection limit($7f/mm^2$) in 9(82%) out of 11 sampling sites. The highest concentration was 0.0043 f/cc, but it was below the guideline value for indoor air quality(0.01 f/cc), proposed by the Ministry of Environment, Korea. 2. In two sampling sites, having moderate risk level, the chrysotile was identified and showed it's concentrations of 0.0102 s/cc and 0.0058 s/cc, less than $5{\mu}m$ lengths. 3. The ACMs identified in the two sampling sites were a packing material(65% of chrysotile) in mechanical area and a thermal system insulation(5% of chrysotile) in a boiler room. Having more possibility of asbestos emission in the mechanical area, it would be required to set up and carry out the asbestos management plan. Conclusions: Based on the result of this study, the airborne asbestos concentrations in the public buildings with ACMs were generally lower than the guideline value for indoor air quality. There are widespread concerns about the possible health risk resulting from the presence of airborne asbestos fibers in the public buildings. Most of the previous studies about airborne asbestos analysis in Korea were performed based on PCM method that asbestos and non-asbestos fibers are counted together. In the public and commercial buildings, having ACMs, it is suggested that the asbestos be analyzed by TEM method to identify asbestos due to concerns about asbestos exposure to workers and unspecified people.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.4
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• pp.457-473
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• 2023

Asbestos has been produced, imported and used in various industries in Korea over the past decades. Since asbestos causes fatal diseases such as malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer, the use of asbestos has been generally banned in Korea since 2009. However, there are still many asbestos-containing materials around us, and safe management is urgently needed. This study aims to examine asbestos-related trend changes using major asbestos-related keywords based on the asbestos trend analysis using big data for the past 32 years (1991 to 2022) in Korea. In addition, we reviewed both domestic trends related to the production, import, and use of asbestos before 1990 and asbestos-related policies from 2023 to 2027. From 1991 to 2000, main keywords related to asbestos were research, workers, carcinogens, and the environment because the carcinogenicity of asbestos was highlighted due to domestic production, import, and use of asbestos. From 2001 to 2010, the main keywords related to asbestos were lung cancer, litigation, carcinogens, exposure, and companies because lawsuits were initiated in the US and Japan in relation to carcinogenicity due to asbestos. From 2011 to 2020, the high ranking keywords related to asbestos were carcinogen, baseball field, school, slate, building, and abandoned asbestos mine due to the seriousness of the asbestos problem in Korea. From 2021 to present (2023), the main search keywords related to asbestos such as school, slate (asbestos cement), buildings, landscape stone, environmental impact assessment, apartment, and cement appeared.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.223-228
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• 2021

The final disposal method for asbestos building materials is to be landfilled at a designated waste landfill in accordance with the Waste Management Act. However, it is difficult to secure a domestic designated waste landfill site to landfill the entire amount of asbestos waste, which is expected to emit more than 400,000 ton/year by 2044. In this study, a detoxification treatment was performed on a ceiling tex with a density of 1.0 to 1.2g/cm³ containing 3 to 7% of chrysotile, and it was used as a reinforcing fiber for extruded panels. It was confirmed that asbestos components were detoxified through the reaction process using 30% oxalic acid and carbon dioxide, and it was recognized that these detoxifying properties were maintained even after extrusion molding. However, it was found that milling to a fiber size of less than 1mm for complete detoxification of asbestos resulted in a decrease in reinforcing performance. Therefore, in the case of using detoxified asbestos fibers in the extrusion molding process, it is considered desirable to add fibers with a length of 5mm or more to improve the reinforcing performance.

• Journal of the Korean Recycled Construction Resources Institute
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.431-438
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• 2016

Recently, Both rapid economic growth and high-quality native finishing materials demand in buildings such as local infrastructure facilities and cultural facilities have increased along with local quarries. So, increasing local quarries and environmental pollution occurred in quarries get the eyes to damaged area of the surroundings. As an example, carcinogen such as solid formed to fixing asbestos and dust have damaged to local resident. Especially, Radon gas released from asbestos can exist everywhere on earth, released soil and rock as radioactive substances, can be caused lung cancer followed by a smoking. When pollution source to indoor air quality that lacking ventilation rate of the residential building moved in a cycle, human responses such as headache, dizziness, etc. get appear, so on it threatened resident's physical condition. Thus, we need to urgent attention to reduction harmful substance. In the case of radon gas of the pollution source to indoor air quality in housing, it has characteristic that keep on going through half-life released from source, we need to control radon gas source than source removal. We set on vermiculite addition ratio to 10% which has harmful substances adsorption performance, proceed experiment to basalt waste rock addition ratio 50, 60, 70, 80(%). The result of an experiment, based on 'KS F 4035, precast terrazzo', we can be obtainable in the best terrazzo at basalt waste rock addition ratio 70%.