Cancer Incidence Among Residents Near Coal-Fired Power Plants Based on the Korean National Health Insurance System Data

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Liam

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and exposure to pollutants from coal-fired power plants has raised ongoing public health concerns. This study evaluated cancer incidence among residents in Chungcheongnam-do, South Korea, comparing individuals living within a 2-km radius of coal-fired power plants with controls lacking prior residency within that radius or elsewhere in the province. Standardized incidence ratios were calculated using national health insurance data from 2007 to 2017, revealing elevated risks near power plants for multiple cancer types by sex.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusion

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Funding

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Author Contributions

J Korean Med Sci. 2024 Aug 5;39(30):e227 [https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e227](https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e227)[ ](https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2024.39.e227)eISSN 1598-6357·pISSN 1011-8934 Original Article Public Health & Preventive Medicine Received: Feb 27, 2024 Accepted: Jun 12, 2024 Published online: Jul 12, 2024 Address for Correspondence: Ho-Jang Kwon, MD, PhD Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Dankook University, 119 Dandae-ro, Dongnam-gu, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea. Email: [hojangkwon@gmail.com](hojangkwon@gmail.com) © 2024 The Korean Academy of Medical Sciences. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/)) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. ORCID iDs Xue Han [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4362-8717](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4362-8717)[ ](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4362-8717)[Kyung-Hwa Choi](Kyung-Hwa Choi) [https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8206-4574](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8206-4574)[ ](https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8206-4574)Hyungryul Lim [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3371-0557](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3371-0557)[ ](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3371-0557)Jonghyuk Choi [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8661-493X](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8661-493X)Sanghyuk Bae [https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4995-6543](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4995-6543)[ ](https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4995-6543)Mina Ha [https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1011-9446](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1011-9446)[ ](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1011-9446)[Ho-Jang Kwon](Ho-Jang Kwon) [https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3029-5674](https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3029-5674) Cancer Incidence Among Residents Near Coal-Fired Power Plants Based on the Korean National Health Insurance System Data Xue Han ,1,2 Kyung-Hwa Choi ,1,2 Hyungryul Lim ,3 Jonghyuk Choi ,1,2 Sanghyuk Bae ,4 Mina Ha ,1,2 and Ho-Jang Kwon 1,2 1Department of Preventive Medicine, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea 2Research Institute of Healthcare Bigdata, College of Medicine, Dankook University, Cheonan, Korea 3Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Ajou University School of Medicine, Suwon, Korea 4Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea ABSTRACT Background: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, posing a significant threat to human health and life expectancy. Numerous existing studies explored the correlation between coal-fired power plants and cancer development. Currently, Chungcheongnam-do Province hosts 29 coal-fired power plants, constituting half of the total 58 plants across South Korea. Methods: This study assessed the cancer incidence by proximity to coal-fired power plants in Chungcheongnam-do Province, Korea. In this study, the exposed group comprised individuals residing within a 2-km radius of the coal-fired power plants, whereas the control group comprised individuals who had no prior residency within the 2-km radius of such plants or elsewhere in the province. Standardized incidence ratios were calculated using the cancer incidence cases retrieved from the National Health Insurance System data from 2007 to 2017. Results: The study found that exposed men had a 1.11 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.09–1.21) times higher risk of developing all cancer types and a 1.15 (95% CI, 1.09–1.22) times higher risk of developing cancers excluding thyroid cancer compared with control men. Exposed women had a 1.05 (95% CI, 1.00–1.14) times higher risk of developing all cancer types and a 1.06 (95% CI, 0.98–1.13) times higher risk of developing cancers excluding thyroid cancer than did control women. The colorectal, liver, prostate, and bladd

FAQs

How did the study define the exposed and control groups?

The exposed group included individuals residing within a 2-km radius of coal-fired power plants. The control group comprised individuals who had no prior residency within the 2-km radius of such plants or elsewhere in the province.

Which data source and time period were used to calculate cancer incidence?

Cancer incidence cases were retrieved from the Korean National Health Insurance System data spanning 2007 to 2017, and standardized incidence ratios were calculated.

What were the main findings regarding cancer risk near coal-fired power plants?

Residents near coal-fired power plants had higher cancer risk than residents in other areas. Exposed men and women showed elevated risks for all cancers and cancers excluding thyroid cancer, with several site-specific cancers significantly higher by sex.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Liam