Latency Period Among Asbestosis Cases in South Korea by Demographic and Asbestos Exposure Characteristics

Although asbestos use has been banned in many countries, including South Korea, the long latency period of asbestos-related diseases remains a serious public health concern. We conducted a nationwide, registry-based retrospective study to estimate the latency period of asbestosis and identify its determinants. We analyzed exposure history and demographics for 1110 asbestosis cases collected by the Ministry of Environment and the Environmental Health Center for Asbestos in Korea between 2009 and 2021. Mean latency was 45.3 years for asbestosis Grade 1 and 46.3 years for Grade 2. Patients with occupational exposure had shorter latency than those with environmental exposure: 44.4 vs. 46.0 years in Grade 1 (p = 0.010) and 45.0 vs. 47.0 years in Grade 2 (p < 0.001). Within occupations, production-type work showed the shortest latency; within environmental exposure, residence near asbestos-related industries showed the shortest latency, whereas residence near asbestos mines showed the longest. Longer exposure duration (occupational) was associated with shorter latency, and greater residential distance from the source (environmental) with longer latency. Priorities for further investigation include differences by asbestos fiber type and exposure intensity/modality, to inform strengthened occupational health monitoring and targeted surveillance for residents near industrial sources and legacy mines.