This Dec. 2, 2021, file photo, unrelated to this article, shows a student receiving a lunch box at a high school in the southwestern city of Gwangju. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, March 15 (Korea Bizwire) — Workers at school cafeterias are being exposed to the risk of lung cancer due to the carcinogens emitted during cooking.
14 local education offices conducted health examinations on 24,065 cafeteria workers with more than 10 years of experience, among whom 139 people were suspected of having lung cancer.
Among them, 31 people were diagnosed with lung cancer.
Education offices in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province, and North Chungcheong Province have yet to complete their health examinations. The number of lung cancer patients, therefore, is expected to rise.
The average age of lung cancer patients was 54.9 years, with an average working experience of 14.3 years.
Combining the number of people recognized as victims of industrial disasters between 2018 and 2022 and the school cafeteria employees diagnosed with lung cancer, there were a total of 60 people working in school cafeterias contracting lung cancer over the last five years.
The incidence of lung cancer among cafeteria workers was 135.1 per 100,000 people, which was 10.5 percent higher than the five-year cancer prevalence rates for a similar age group measured by national statistical records.
Cafeteria workers argue that direct exposure to hazardous substances during cooking and a heavy workload caused by a labor shortage are the primary causes of lung cancer.
Lina Jang (linajang@koreabizwire.com)
