31 School Meal Workers Nationwide Diagnosed with Lung Cancer... 108 Suspected Cases

Announcement of Interim Results of Health Checkups for School Meal Workers Nationwide
Ministry of Education Promotes Improvement of Cooking Environment Including Ventilation Facilities in School Kitchens

Health screening results for school meal workers nationwide revealed that 31 individuals were diagnosed with lung cancer. The government plans to conduct expert analysis on these results and take follow-up measures for the meal workers.

The Ministry of Education disclosed the “Interim Results of Lung Cancer Health Screening for School Meal Workers” on the 14th to assess the lung cancer status of school meal workers and prepare necessary follow-up actions.

As school non-regular workers went on a general strike demanding the elimination of wage discrimination with regular workers, the cafeteria of a middle school in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, was empty on the 25th. Photo by Joint Press Corps

This health screening was conducted on school meal workers aged 55 or older or those with more than 10 years of experience, according to the Ministry of Employment and Labor’s “Lung Cancer Screening Plan for School Meal Workers.”

According to the screening results, among 24,065 eligible individuals from 14 metropolitan and provincial offices of education who completed the screening, 139 (0.58%) were classified as “suspected lung cancer” or “highly suspected.” Further examinations confirmed that 31 (0.13%) were diagnosed with lung cancer.

According to the Ministry of Health and Welfare, over the past five years, the number of cancer patients among meal workers totals 60, combining the 31 newly confirmed cases and 29 previously filed industrial accident claims. The prevalence rate reached 135.1 per 100,000, which is about 10% higher than the 122.3 per 100,000 prevalence rate for a similar age group included in cancer registration statistics.

The Ministry of Employment and Labor plans to conduct expert analyses, including age-based studies, on the lung cancer screening results after receiving the final screening outcomes from all 17 metropolitan and provincial offices of education.

The Ministry of Education also intends to support follow-up measures for the 31 confirmed lung cancer cases and workers requiring additional or follow-up examinations, such as those with borderline nodules, after discussions with related agencies’ dedicated teams. Additionally, it plans to establish common support standards for health screening criteria?such as target groups, methods, items, and scope of support?that currently vary by metropolitan and provincial offices of education.

In this regard, the Ministry of Education announced measures to improve the cooking environment in school meal kitchens, including enhancing ventilation facilities and improving cooking methods, to protect the health of school meal workers and create a safer kitchen environment.

First, to expedite improvements to school meal kitchen ventilation facilities, 100 million KRW per school requiring improvement will be reflected in the general grant funds according to each metropolitan and provincial office of education’s ventilation improvement plans. For this year, 179.9 billion KRW has been allocated.

Furthermore, to facilitate the field application of the “School Meal Kitchen Ventilation Facility Installation Guide,” a dedicated task force (TF) comprising related agencies will discuss and share improvement cases to supplement ventilation facility improvement standards for school meal kitchens by metropolitan and provincial offices of education. Currently, the guide is based on newly established schools with sufficient area and ceiling height, so new measures applicable to existing school meal kitchens will be developed.

Officials from the National School Irregular Workers' Union (Hakbi Nojo) held a rally on the 17th in front of the National Assembly in Yeouido, Seoul, urging the legalization of educational public service positions, the elimination of discrimination against school irregular workers, and the establishment of measures for school cafeterias. Photo by Kim Hyun-min kimhyun81@

Additionally, the Ministry of Education encourages switching to oven use for dishes that generate cooking fumes, minimizing fried foods to twice a week or less, and supports improvements in cooking methods and menus through the development and distribution of alternative menus and cooking methods, as well as training on oven utilization.

They will gradually replace outdated meal equipment with modernized ones, continuously improve meal facilities and equipment older than 10 years and underground cooking facilities, and actively cooperate with metropolitan and provincial offices of education to improve the meal kitchen workforce support system.

During the ventilation facility improvement period, to ensure workers’ safety, optimal protective gear will be reviewed considering the characteristics of the cooking environment (such as steam), and safety education for workers will be conducted by each metropolitan and provincial office of education with support for educational materials.

The Ministry of Education has been operating the “School Meal Workers Lung Cancer Prevention Interagency Task Force (TF)” since last month, in collaboration with the Ministry of Employment and Labor, the National Council of Superintendents of Metropolitan and Provincial Offices of Education, metropolitan and provincial offices of education, and the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, to discuss ventilation facility improvement plans and other measures.

Lee Ju-ho, Deputy Prime Minister for Social Affairs and Minister of Education, stated, “Since there are significant concerns about the health of meal workers responsible for children’s school meals, we will strive to create a pleasant kitchen environment through discussions by the interagency task force.” He added, “I hope metropolitan and provincial offices of education will also actively work to protect the health of meal workers, including improving kitchen ventilation facilities.”