Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (한국산업보건학회지)

Korean Industrial Hygiene Association (한국산업보건학회)
권호 표지

Suggestions to improve occupational hygiene activities based on the health problems of semiconductor workers

반도체 근로자 질병의 직무관련 논란으로 본 우리나라 산업위생 활동 개선방향

  • Park, Donguk (Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University) ;
  • Yoon, Chungsik (School of Public Health, Seoul National University)
  • 박동욱 (한국방송통신대학교 환경보건학과) ;
  • 윤충식 (서울대학교 보건대학원 환경보건학과)
  • Published : 2012.03.31
⟨ Previous Next ⟩

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this study is to review occupational hygiene activities, including work environment measurement as required by the industrial safety and health laws of Korea, and suggest improvements required to establish an effective exposure surveillance system. Methods: The controversial limitations of exposure surveillance examining the work-association of several types of cancers in semiconductor workers were reviewed. Results: The bulk of the exposure surveillance system was found to focus purely on work environment measurements without providing other important exposure surrogates, such as job title, operation, exposure duration, etc. The current work environment measurement system is limited in terms of the efficient assessment of the exposure status of workers due to a lack of exposure information. Conclusion: The introduction of a national standard classification of occupations and job titles into the exposure and health effect surveillance system should be discussed in order to retrospectively assess exposure characteristics.

Keywords

References

  1. 박동욱, 변혜정, 최상준, 정지연, 윤충식, 김치년, 하권철, 박두용. 반도체 웨이퍼 가공 공정 및 잠재적 유해인자에 대한 고찰, 대한 직업환경의학회지, 2011; 23 (3): 333-342.
  2. 산업보건연구원. 박동욱 등; 산업보건예방 대책수립에 있어 직업분류 활용방안에 관한 연구. 2010. 보건분야-연구자료 연구원 2010-101-946.
  3. Beall C, Bender TJ, Cheng H, Herrick R, Kahn A, Matthews R, Sathiakumar N, Schymura M, Stewart J and Delzell E. Mortality among semiconductor and storage device-manufacturing workers. J Occup and Environ Med 2005; 47:996-1014. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jom.0000183094.42763.f0
  4. Bender TJ, Beall C, Cheng H, Herrick RF, Kahn AR, Matthews R, Sathiakumar N, Schymura MJ, Stewart JH and Delzell E. Cancer incidence among semiconductor and electronic storage device workers. Occup Environ Med 2007; 64: 30-36. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.64.12.e30
  5. Boiano JM, Hull RD. Development of a National Occupational Exposure Survey and Database Associated with NIOSH Hazard Surveillance Initiatives. Applied Occupational and Environmental Hygiene 2001; 16 (2): 128-134. https://doi.org/10.1080/104732201460217
  6. Boice Jr JD, Marano DE, Munro HM, Chadda BK, Signorello LB, Tarone RE, Blot WJ and McLaughlin JK. Cancer mortality among US workers employed in semiconductor wafer fabrication. J Occup and Environ Med 2010; 52: 1082-1097. https://doi.org/10.1097/JOM.0b013e3181f7e520
  7. Cherry NM, Meyer JD, Holt DL, Chen Y, McDonald JC. Surveillance of Work-Related Diseases by Occupational Physicians in the UK: OPRA 1996-1999. Occupational Medicine 2000; 50 (7): 496-503. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/50.7.496
  8. Darnton, AJ, Wilkinson S, Miller B, MacCalman L, Galea K, Shafrir A, Cherrie J, McElvenny D and Osman J. A further study of cancer among current and former workers at National Semiconductor (UK) Ltd, Greenock: results of an investigation by the Health and Safety Executive and Institute of Occupational Medicine United Kingdom, 2010. HSE.
  9. Donguk Park, Yang H, Jeong J, Ha K, Choi S, Kim C, Yoon C, Park D & Paek D. A comprehensive review of arsenic levels in the semiconductor manufacturing industry. Ann Occup Hyg 2010; 54: 869-879. https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/meq051
  10. Hammond SK, Jines CJ, Hallock MF, Woskie SR, Abdollahazadeh S, Iden R, Anson E, Ramsey F and Schenker MB. Tiered exposure-assessment strategy in the semiconductor health study. Amer J Ind Med 1995; 28:661-680.
  11. Herrick RF, Stewart JH, Blicharz D, Beall C, Bender T, Cheng H, Matthews R, Sathiakumar N, Delzell E. Exposure assessment for retrospective follow-up studies of semiconductor-and storage device-manufac turing workers. J Occup and Environ Med 2005; 47: 983-995. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.jom.0000177128.50822.01
  12. Kauppinen T, Saalo A, Pukkala E, Virtanen S, Karjalainen A, Vuorela R. Evaluation of a national register on occupational exposure to carcinogens: effectiveness in the prevention of occupational cancer, and cancer risks among the exposed workers. The Annals of Occupational Hygiene 2007; 51 (5): 463-470. https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/mem030
  13. Lee HE, Kim EA, JS Park and SK Kang. Cancer mortality and incidence in Korean semiconductor workers. Safety and Health Work 2011; 2: 135-147 https://doi.org/10.5491/SHAW.2011.2.2.135
  14. McElvenny DM, Darnton AJ, Hodgson JT, Clarke SD, Elliott RC and Osman J. Investigation of cancer incidence and mortality at a Scottish semiconductor manufacturing facility. Occup Med 2003; 53: 419-430. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqg111
  15. Muldoon J, Wintermeyer L, Eure J, Fuortes L, Merchant J, Van Lier S, Richards T. Occupational disease surveillance data sources, 1985. American Journal of Public Health 1987; 77 (8): 1006. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.77.8.1006
  16. Stewart, J. and Elkington, K. "Electronics: Semiconductor manufacturing" in Industrial hygiene aspects of plant operations John Wiley and Sons Ltd. Pub, 1985. pp. 439-463.
  17. US Department of Labor (OSHA), Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, and US Department of Defense, 2005.