title: Workers' compensation for occupational respiratory diseases.
abstract: The respiratory system is one of the most important body systems particularly from the viewpoint of occupational medicine because it is the major route of occupational exposure. In 2013, there were significant changes in the specific criteria for the recognition of occupational diseases, which were established by the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (IACIA). In this article, the authors deal with the former criteria, implications of the revision, and changes in the specific criteria in Korea by focusing on the 2013 amendment to the IACIA. Before the 2013 amendment to the IACIA, occupational respiratory disease was not a category because the previous criteria were based on specific hazardous agents and their health effects. Workers as well as clinicians were not familiar with the agent-based criteria. To improve these criteria, a system-based structure was added. Through these changes, in the current criteria, 33 types of agents and 11 types of respiratory diseases are listed under diseases of the respiratory system. In the current criteria, there are no concrete guidelines for evaluating work-relatedness, such as estimating the exposure level, latent period, and detailed examination methods. The results of further studies can support the formulation of detailed criteria.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Lung Diseases Institute, Korea Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service, Ansan, Korea.
authors.forename: So-young
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-8034-8098
authors.initials: SY
authors.lastname: Park
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, the Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Hyoung-Ryoul
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-7535-3140
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Hanyang University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Jaechul
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1265-0337
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Song
mesh_terms: D000542:Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology; D001195:Asbestosis / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology; D001249:Asthma / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000191:economics*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000191:economics*; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011009:Pneumoconiosis / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000191:economics / Q000473:pathology; D056910:Republic of Korea; D014942:Workers' Compensation / Q000191:economics*
keywords: Korea; Occupational Diseases; Respiratory Tract Diseases; Workers' Compensation