Journal of Environmental Health Sciences (한국환경보건학회지)

Korean Society of Environmental Health (한국환경보건학회)
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Characteristics of Exposure to Humidifier Disinfectants and Their Association with the Presence of a Person Who Experienced Adverse Health Effects in General Households in Korea

일반 가구의 가습기살균제 노출 특성 및 건강이상 경험과의 연관성

  • Lee, Eunsun (Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University) ;
  • Cheong, Hae-Kwan (Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine) ;
  • Paek, Domyung (Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Public Health, Seoul National University) ;
  • Kim, Solhwee (Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University) ;
  • Leem, Jonghan (Department of Social & Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, Inha University.Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University Hospital) ;
  • Kim, Pangyi (Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, Yongin University) ;
  • Lee, Kyoung-Mu (Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University)
  • 이은선 (한국방송통신대학교 환경보건학과) ;
  • 정해관 (성균관대학교 사회의학교실) ;
  • 백도명 (서울대학교 보건대학원 환경보건학과) ;
  • 김솔휘 (한국방송통신대학교 환경보건학과) ;
  • 임종한 (인하대학교 사회의학교실.인하대병원 직업환경의학과) ;
  • 김판기 (용인대학교 산업환경보건학과) ;
  • 이경무 (한국방송통신대학교 환경보건학과)
  • Received : 2020.02.27
  • Accepted : 2020.05.19
  • Published : 2020.06.30
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Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of exposure to humidifier disinfectants (HDs) and their association with the presence of a person who experienced the adverse health effects in general households in Korea. Methods: During the month of December 2016, a nationwide online survey was conducted on adults over 20 years of age who had experience of using HDs. It provided information on exposure characteristics and the experience of health effects. The final survey respondents consisted of 1,555 people who provided information on themselves and their household members during the use of HD. Exposure characteristics at the household level included average days of HD use per week, average hours of HD use per day, the duration within which one bottle of HD was emptied, average input frequency of HD, amount of HD (cc) per one time used, and active ingredients of HD products (PHMG, CMIT/MIT, PGH, or others). The risk of the presence of a person who experienced adverse health effects in the household was evaluated by estimating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for monthly income and region using a multiple logistic regression model. Subgroup analyses were conducted for households with a child (≤7 years) and households with a newborn infant during HD use. Results: The level of exposure to HD tended to be higher for households with a child or newborn infant for several variables including average days of HD use per week (P<0.0001) and average hours of HD use per day (P<0.0001). The proportion of households in which there was at least one person who experienced adverse health effects such as rhinitis, asthma, pneumonia, atopy/skin disease, etc. was 20.6% for all households, 25.3% for households with children, and 29.9% for households with newborn infants. The presence of a person who experienced adverse health effects in the household was significantly associated with average hours of HD use per day (Ptrend<0.001), duration within which one bottle of HD was emptied (Ptrend<0.001), average input frequency of HD (Ptrend<0.001), amount of HD per one use (Ptrend=0.01), and use of HDs containing PHMG (OR=2.23, 95% CI=1.45-3.43). Similar results were observed in subgroup analyses. Conclusion: Our results suggest that level of exposure to HD tended to be higher for households with a child or newborn infant and that exposure to HD is significantly associated with the presence of a person who experienced adverse health effects in the household.

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References

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