Asbestos News

Despite the recent revelation that a number of the professional baseball stadiums in South Korea contain asbestos in their dirt, the season will continue.

Environmental groups reported that five of the seven stadiums in the country contain higher-than-normal levels of asbestos in the dirt, reports The Wall Street Journal. However the Korean Baseball Organization said that it would not interfere with the season.

"All grounds polluted with asbestos will be replaced with new alternatives right after the end of the baseball season," said the KBO.

The organization did say that grounds crews would water the dirt more frequently to lessen the risk of the asbestos becoming airborne. If airborne asbestos fibers are inhaled, they can cause a range of serious illnesses including asbestosis, lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma, a rare and deadly cancer.

The news source reports that the presence of asbestos is the result of the use of olivine, which is utilized to help drain the fields.

Korea has a rich baseball tradition with more than 10 native born athletes playing in the Major Leagues. Arguably the best Korean-born baseball player to play in America was Chan Ho Park, who made the NL All Star team in 2001 as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers.