Koreans indulge more in canned food, cut down on facial makeup: survey

More South Koreans are consuming canned food and smoking, but are also opting to go makeup-free, according to a state-led survey released Sunday.

According to the National Institute of Environmental Research's three-year biomonitoring survey of 6,608 Koreans from 2021-2023, 4.2 percent of adults aged over 19 reported consuming canned products, including food and beverages, more than four times a week. This marks an increase of 0.5 percentage points from 3.7 percent in the previous survey (2018-2020). Among middle and high school students, the percentage was higher at 8.8 percent, up from the previous figure of 7.5 percent.

Frequent consumption of canned food is linked to health issues, resulting from increased exposure to bisphenol-A and paraben, chemical compounds known to disrupt endocrine function and interfere with hormone systems.

The findings further showed a rise in the number of smokers, with 16.8 percent of Korean adults identifying as such, up from 16.3 percent and 16 percent in the two previous surveys spanning 2018-2020 and 2015-2017, respectively.

Alongside this trend, the use of electronic cigarettes has also risen. Among smokers, 45.8 percent reported using e-cigarettes at least once, up from 37.8 percent in the fourth survey and 24.5 percent in the third survey.

Nevertheless, chemical exposure declined within the beauty sector.

Among adults, 60.2 percent reported not using cosmetics other than moisturizers, up from 44.7 percent from the previous survey. Similarly, among middle and high schoolers, the figure rose to 69.9 percent from 42 percent, which indicates reduced exposure to parabens, commonly used as preservatives in cosmetics.

Initiated in 2009, the Korean National Environmental Health Survey has been conducted every three years by NIER to assess the exposure levels of Koreans to environmentally harmful substances.

This month, the institute launched its sixth survey running until 2026. This latest project involves 5,370 respondents from diverse age groups and regions, expanding the study of pollutants from 64 in the fifth survey to 71.