TOXIC ASBESTOS IN SCHOOLS

[Anchor Lead]

Asbestos, a highly carcinogenic material, is still in use in schools despite the decision made ten years ago to stop its use. A survey conducted on schools nationwide has revealed nearly half of them have yet to remove asbestos from their facilities. Kindergartens and schools for children with special needs were no exception, either.

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A high school in Seoul. There are large crevices in asbestos tiles on the ceiling of this classroom. In another classroom there is a broken piece of asbestos tile dangling on the ceiling. The dangerous material is still being used in this school because there are no plans for its removal.

[Soundbite] Kim Sook-young(Parent) : "As a parent, it's frustrating to learn that asbestos still remains in so many schools."

The WHO classifies asbestos as class 1 carcinogenic material. Prolonged exposure to it can lead to diseases like lung cancer. It was used in the past as a finishing material. Some 5400 schools nationwide have yet to remove it from their classrooms. Their number accounts for almost 45 percent of all schools nationwide, with elementary schools taking up the largest share. About 20 percent of kindergartens and schools for children with special needs also have asbestos in their classrooms. The dangerous material will not be completely removed from classrooms until 2027.

[Soundbite] Choi Ye-yong(Asian Citizens' Center for Environment and Health) : "Asbestos in school buildings must be removed all at once, but it's being done in stages. They claim it's due to lack of funding. It's harmful to children."

Schools where asbestos removal has begun are also facing problems. In some cases the removal is being done during class. In others the removed asbestos is not discarded properly. That's because managing the removal process in person is difficult due to the pandemic.

[Soundbite] Yoon Ye-sung(Parents' Network for School Asbestos) : "We need to find out if schools where asbestos was removed in the winter of 2021 still have remnants of this material."

According to the Education Ministry there is not enough time to remove asbestos during school breaks. The ministry promised to take appropriate measures after discussing the matter with relevant authorities.