Onsan illness
Onsan Illness (온산병) is the name for a pollution disease in Korea that occurred in Onsan-eup,
It caused a variety of symptoms in the general public and gave rise to an environmental movement in the mid-1980s.Onsan illness | |
Hangul | 온산병 |
---|---|
Hanja | 溫山病 |
Revised Romanization | Onsanbyeong |
McCune–Reischauer | Onsanbyŏng |
Background
In the 1970s South Korea’s dictator
The environmental impact gained initial visibility with gas leaks in 1982 and 1984 which required hospitalisation of over 100 residents.[3] In 1983, the local government suspended the fishing rights of the largely rural population over concerns of pollution.[4] In 1985, media began reporting of an illness that may have affected over 500 residents which was believed to be environmental. After the government ran blood and urine tests, an official statement pushed back on the theory of poisoning.[4] However, environmental action groups questioned those results.[5]
Onsan illness
In 1985 the environmental organisations KRIPP and KAPMA – predecessors of the
The collective group of symptoms was termed Onsan illness as a root cause was initially unknown and later thought to be cadmium poisoning. It is believed that over 500 cases of cadmium poisoning have occurred in Onsan.[4]
Comparisons have been drawn with the Itai-itai disease, which caused similar symptoms and was caused by cadmium poisoning from the mining industry in the Toyama prefecture in Japan.[3]
Impact
The health impact combined with the risk to their livelihoods sparked a grass roots movement supported by the media. While the government maintained their position that poisoning is not the cause of this illness, it did admit to high pollution in the area. As a result, from 1991 between 30,000 and 40,000 residents were re-housed away from the affected area as part of a Collective Emigration Plan.[1] It is thought that over time some of those may have returned.[3]
References
- ^ ISBN 9781563249082.
- ISBN 9780313307256.
- ^ ISBN 9784431683803.
- ^ ISBN 9780387096261.
- ISBN 9780415691390.