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Association between Subjective Distress Symptoms and Argon Welding among Shipyard Workers in Gyeongnam Province

경남소재 일개조선소 근로자의 건강이상소견과 아르곤 용접과의 관련성

  • Choi, Woo-Ho (Institute of Health Sciences Research Center of Occupational Medicine, Gyeongsang National University) ;
  • Jin, Seong-Mi (Institute of Health Sciences Research Center of Occupational Medicine, Gyeongsang National University) ;
  • Kweon, Deok-Heon (Institute of Health Sciences Research Center of Occupational Medicine, Gyeongsang National University) ;
  • Kim, Jang-Rak (Institute of Health Sciences Research Center of Occupational Medicine, Gyeongsang National University) ;
  • Kang, Yune-Sik (Institute of Health Sciences Research Center of Occupational Medicine, Gyeongsang National University) ;
  • Jeong, Baek-Geum (Institute of Health Sciences Research Center of Occupational Medicine, Gyeongsang National University) ;
  • Park, Ki-Soo (Institute of Health Sciences Research Center of Occupational Medicine, Gyeongsang National University) ;
  • Hwang, Young-Sil (Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Gyeongsang National University) ;
  • Hong, Dae-Yong (Institute of Health Sciences Research Center of Occupational Medicine, Gyeongsang National University)
  • 최우호 (경상대학교 건강과학연구원 산업의학연구센터) ;
  • 진성미 (경상대학교 건강과학연구원 산업의학연구센터) ;
  • 권덕헌 (경상대학교 건강과학연구원 산업의학연구센터) ;
  • 김장락 (경상대학교 건강과학연구원 산업의학연구센터) ;
  • 강윤식 (경상대학교 건강과학연구원 산업의학연구센터) ;
  • 정백근 (경상대학교 건강과학연구원 산업의학연구센터) ;
  • 박기수 (경상대학교 건강과학연구원 산업의학연구센터) ;
  • 황영실 (경상대학교 의학전문대학원 내과학교실) ;
  • 홍대용 (경상대학교 건강과학연구원 산업의학연구센터)
  • Received : 2014.11.17
  • Accepted : 2014.12.27
  • Published : 2014.12.31

Abstract

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the association between subjective distress symptoms and argon welding among workers in Gyeongnam Province shipyard. Method: 31 argon and 29 non-argon welding workers were selected as study subjects in order to measure concentrations of personal dust, welding fumes and other hazardous materials such as ZnO, Pb, Cr, FeO, MnO, Cu, Ni, $TiO_2$, MgO, NO, $NO_2$, $O_3$, $O_2$, $CO_2$, CO and Ar. An interviewer-administered questionnaire survey was also performed on the same subjects. The items queried were as follows: age, height, weight, working duration, welding time, welding rod amounts used, drinking, smoking, and rate of subjective distress symptoms including headache and other symptoms such as fever, vomiting and nausea, metal fume fever, dizziness, tingling sensations, difficulty in breathing, memory loss, sleep disorders, emotional disturbance, hearing loss, hand tremors, visual impairment, neural abnormality, allergic reaction, runny nose and stuffiness, rhinitis, and suffocation. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software, version 18. Data are expressed as the mean ${\pm}SD$. An ${\chi}^2$-test and a normality test using a Shapiro wilk test were performed for the above variables. Logistic regression analysis was also conducted to identify the factors that affect the total score for subjective distress symptoms. Result: An association was shown between welding type (argon or non-argon welding) and the total score for subjective distress symptoms. Among the rate of complaining of subjective distress symptoms, vomiting and nausea, difficulty breathing, and allergic reactions were all significantly higher in the argon welding group. Only the concentration of dust and welding fumes was shown to be distributed normally after natural log transformation. According to logistic regression analysis, the correlations of working duration and welding type (argon or non-argon) between the total score of subjective distress symptoms were found to be statistically significant (p=0.041, p=0.049, respectively). Conclusion: Our results suggest that argon welding could cause subjective distress symptoms in shipyard workers.

Keywords

References

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