While health checkups are underway for school meal workers across the country, 580 people and 20% of meal service workers in Gyeongnam have been diagnosed with lung abnormalities, including lung cancer. ‘Cooking fume’, a harmful substance that comes out when cooking fried foods, is the biggest cause, and the first discussion was held to create a safe food service environment. Reporter Choi Jin-seok reports.
[report]
A school cafeteria that makes hundreds of meals a day.
Due to various harmful substances from the cooking process, workers are exposed to the risk of lung disease.
[Lung Cancer Industrial Accident Recognized Food Service Worker/Voice Modified : “When I first went there, the place where I cooked rice was blocked and the ventilation wasn’t good. I keep frying for about 3 to 4 hours.”]
There are about 580 school meal workers in Gyeongnam who are suspected of having abnormal lung diseases, including lung cancer, or 20% of the interim survey subjects.
In the first discussion held by the Gyeongnam Office of Education to create a safer meal service environment, experts cite ‘cooking fume’, a harmful substance that comes out when cooking fried foods, as the biggest cause of lung disease.
[Soundbite] Park Jung-rae(Chief of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Changwon Hospital) : “These two things, oil and high-heat cooking, must be controlled to reduce the generation of ‘cooking fumes.’ Fundamentally.”
It was pointed out that the ventilation structure should be changed.
[Soundbite] Lee Jun-ho(Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Gyeongsangnam-do Headquarters) : “The process that generates cooking fume should be installed on the wall of the workplace (install an air exhaust device). Do not do it near a window.”]
However, it is evaluated that most of the discussion was theory-oriented, and it was not enough to resolve the anxiety and curiosity of food service workers.
It is pointed out that discussions on improving working conditions, such as the introduction of replacement personnel, were also omitted from the discussion.
[Soundbite] Lee Myeong-suk(National Non-regular Workers’ Union, Gyeongnam Branch, Secretary General) : “It is a condition that you cannot use paid sick leave or sick leave even if you know that cooking fumes affect lung cancer.”]
The Gyeongnam Office of Education plans to come up with long-term measures along with improving the cafeteria environment, which is currently being promoted.
This is Choi Jin-seok from KBS News.
Cinematography: Park Min-jae / Graphic: Park Jae-hee
▣ View the original KBS article: http://news.kbs.co.kr/news/view.do?ncd=7614817
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#food workers# lung cancer #lung abnormalities