The education ministry has found 31 cases of lung cancer among some 24-thousand school cafeteria cooks in various parts of the country.

The figure was revealed on Tuesday when the ministry disclosed the preliminary results of health checkups of 24-thousand-65 school cafeteria cooks aged 55 or older with more than ten years on the job.

The results reflected the checkups in 13 cities and provinces across the nation excluding Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and North Chungcheong Province, where lung health checks are still under way.

The ministry said the nation’s cancer registration statistics showed that the number of cancer cases in people between ages 45 and 64 stood at 122-point-three as of 2019, lower than the 135-point-one posted among school cafeteria cooks in the same age bracket.

The ministry plans to provide the 31 diagnosed cafeteria employees with information on applying for industrial accident compensation and offer sick leave as required to receive treatment.

The ministry also unveiled plans on Tuesday to improve the cafeteria facilities by 2027 by providing 100 million won to each school that needs its ventilation system repaired.