• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.135-144
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• 2001

This study was performed to measure airborne dimethylformamide(DMF), methyl ethyl ketone(MEK) and toluene and their urinary metabolites concentrations and to determine the relationship between airborne and urinary concentration. Airborne samples and their urinary metabolites were measured 98 male workers who work for 8 synthetic leather factories in a portion of Kyoung-In area. Urine samples were collected at end-of-shift to estimate the exposure levels. 1. The concentration of airborne DMF by process was 8.81 ppm for wet-mixing, 15.05 ppm for wet-coating, 6.03 ppm for dry-mixing, 5.58 ppm for dry-coating, 5.37 ppm for printing, and 9.03 ppm for total. There was statistically significant difference by process. Urinary NMF concentrations of wet-mixing, wet-coating, dry-mixing, dry-coating and printing were $90.55mg/{\ell}$, $79.80mg/{\ell}$, $39.86mg/{\ell}$, $25.23mg/{\ell}$, and $38.15mg/{\ell}$, respectively, and total geometric mean was $56.24mg/{\ell}$. There was significant difference by process. 2. The concentration of airborne MEK by process was 1.89 ppm for wet-mixing, 1.96 ppm for wet-coating, 10.33 ppm for dry-mixing, 29.24 ppm for dry-coating, 14.98 ppm for printing, and 4.87 ppm for total. There was statistically significant difference by process. Urinary MEK concentrations of wetmixing, wet-coating, dry-mixing, dry-coating and printing were $0.93mg/{\ell}$, $0.70mg/{\ell}$, $3.29mg/{\ell}$, $3.29mg/{\ell}$, and $1.06mg/{\ell}$, respectively, and total geometric mean was $1.25mg/{\ell}$. There was statistically significant difference by process. Urinary MEK 3. The concentration of airborne toluene by process was 0.35ppm for wet-mixing, 0.42ppm for wet-coating, 2.95ppm for dry-mixing, 11.67ppm for dry-coating, 4.88ppm for printing, 1.24ppm for total. There was statistically significant difference by process. Urinary hippuric acid concentrations of wet-mixing, wet-coating, dry-mixing, dry-coating and printing were 0.24g/g creatinine, 0.21g/g creatinine, 0.34g/g creatinine, 0.52g/g creatinine, and 0.29g/g creatinine, respctively and total geometric mean was 0.28g/g creatinine. There was statistically significant difference by process. 4. No. of exceeded KPEL was 40 workers(40.8%) for DMF(10ppm), 1 worker(1.0%) for MEK(200ppm), and no worker for toluene(100ppm). No. of exceeded KBEI was 62 workers(63.3%) for urinary NMF($40mg/{\ell}$), 29 workers(29.6%) for urinary MEK, 1 worker(1.0%) for urinary hippuric acid. 5. The regression equations were Log(NMF)=0.4094*Log(DMF)+1.3587(r=0.4516) for DMF, Log(MEKU)=0.1859*Log(MEK)-0.0324(r=0.3303) for MEK, Log(HA)=0.2106*Log(Toluene)-0.5685(r=0.4497) for toluene. Synthetic leather factory workers expose to 3 kinds of organic solvents which are DMF, MEK and toluene. Their urinary NMF and MEK levels were higher than their concentration levels through respiratory. It seems that the urinary levels were affected skin absorption for working habit and alcohol intake.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.324-333
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• 2017

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation relationship between personal exposure and urinary hippuric acid in biological monitoring for airborne toluene in an industrial complex and in general environments. Methods: Personal exposure to toluene and its metabolite, hippuric acid, in urine were simultaneously measured in occupational environments area near an industrial complex and in general environments. The study subjects were divided into three types: 137 workers who use organic solvents in the workplace, 210 residents living near a dyeing industrial complex, and 379 residents living in general environments. The toluene exposures of workers and residents were measured by a passive sampler for four days. The urine of participants was sampled when the passive samplers of personal exposure were collected. Results: The toluene and hippuric acid concentrations of workers were the highest, followed by the concentrations of residents living near a dyeing industrial complex and residents living in general environments. The coefficient of correlation between the concentrations of toluene and hippuric acid among workers was 0.749 (p<0.01) in the workplace. On the contrary, correlations between the concentrations of toluene and hippuric acid among residents living near a dyeing industrial complex and residents living in general environments were all not significant. The relationship between the concentrations of hippuric acid and toluene in three types could be described by the exponential growth model. Conclusions: This study analyzed the relationships between toluene exposure and the concentrations of hippuric acid in urine in high, middle, and low exposure environments, and could be described by the exponential growth model.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제2권3호
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• pp.210-217
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• 2011

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to measure the concentration of volatile organic compound (VOC)s originated from the chemicals used and/or derived from the original parental chemicals in the photolithography processes of semiconductor manufacturing factories. Methods: A total of four photolithography processes in 4 Fabs at three different semiconductor manufacturing factories in Korea were selected for this study. This study investigated the types of chemicals used and generated during the photolithography process of each Fab, and the concentration levels of VOCs for each Fab. Results: A variety of organic compounds such as ketone, alcohol, and acetate compounds as well as aromatic compounds were used as solvents and developing agents in the processes. Also, the generation of by-products, such as toluene and phenol, was identified through a thermal decomposition experiment performed on a photoresist. The VOC concentration levels in the processes were lower than 5% of the threshold limit value (TLV)s. However, the air contaminated with chemical substances generated during the processes was re-circulated through the ventilation system, thereby affecting the airborne VOC concentrations in the photolithography processes. Conclusion: Tens of organic compounds were being used in the photolithography processes, though the types of chemical used varied with the factory. Also, by-products, such as aromatic compounds, could be generated during photoresist patterning by exposure to light. Although the airborne VOC concentrations resulting from the processes were lower than 5% of the TLVs, employees still could be exposed directly or indirectly to various types of VOCs.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.16-28
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• 1991

A study on comparison of standard charcoal tube method, infrared gas analyzer, and detector tube method were conducted. Measurements were performed simultaneously at same sampling points in an air chamber containing benzene, toluene and xylene vapors. Charcoal tube samles were collected at sampling flowrates of 0.05, 0.2, 0.5, and 1.0 1pm. Results are as follows : 1. Coefficients of variation of results with charcoal tube method for bezene, toluene and xylene mixture vapor were 14.34 % in benzene(0.28-11.12 ppm), 9.20 % in toluene (2.68-135.09 ppm) and 10.21 % in xylene (2.56-82.64 ppm), respectively. 2. Results of infrared gas analyzer in mixture air were non-specific on benzene and toluene. Ratio of results of infrared gas analyzer to those of charcoal tube on benzene, toluene and xylene were 696.4 %, 30.3 % and 36.6 %, respectively. 3. Ratio of responses of detector tubes to those of charcoal tube were 49.4 % in benzene, 22.1 % in toluene and 223.9 % in xylene. Xylene detector tube were interfered by toluene greately. 4. Collection efficiencies of charcoal tubes at low concentraton(benzene : 1 ppm, toluene : 10 ppm, xylene : 10 ppm) were stable on various flowrate from 0.05 to 1.0 1pm, but at high concentrations the efficiency decreased at high flowrate above 0.5 1pm. 5. Within the saturation capacity of charcoal, collection effiency decreased at 0.5-1.0 1pm. Smpling feowrates of 0.05-0.20 1pm were appropriate for sampling organic vapors.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.215-221
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• 2005

Environmental polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbones (PAHs), which are formed during incomplete combustion of fossil fuels, are widely distributed in our environment. Human exposure to PAHs may occur through smoking, polluted air, food consumption and occupational contact. Urinary naphthols, 1-and 2-naphthol, have been suggested as route -specific biomarkers for exposure to airborne PAHs. Cytochrome p450 2E1 (CYP2E1) is known to be a great importance for the metabolism of organic solvents, which is a precacinogens with small molecular weight. This study describes the metabolic differences between PstI and RsaI polymorphisms (c1 allele: PstI-. RsaI+ ; c2 allele: PstI+, RsaI-) of CYP2E1 5-flanking region by genetically modified HepG2 cells, which overexpress the polymorphic regions. The results of CAT assay and western blot in the c2 allele overexpressed cells have higher activities than the cl allele over-expressing cells. However, the metabolism of naphthalene to 2-naphthol has no difference due to the two genotypes. In this study, we established the CYP2E1 polymorphic allele transduced HepG2 cells to screen susceptibility -differences in PAH exposure. In conclusion, the CYP2E1 polymorphism may hardly induce susceptibility differences in PAH exposure monitoring with urinary naphthols.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제7권1호
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• pp.33-48
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• 1997

Korean diffusive sampler (KDS) and charcoal tube (CT) were used for sampling n-hexane, trichloroethylene and toluene in air KDS was made by Department of Environmental Health, SNU-SPH in 1995. Surveys were conducted at ten industrial plants with organic solvents. The relationship between two sampling methods was examined by linear regression analysis, and concentrations by two sampling methods were compared using paired t-test. The results are as follows: 1. The geometric means by CT and KDS methods were 3.26ppm and 3.32ppm for n-hexane, 5.07ppm and 6.34ppm for toluene, and 7.18ppm and 7.90ppm for toluene, respectively. There was no significant difference between results by CT and KDS methods in three organic vapors (p>0.05). When linear regression analysis was performed, two sampling methods were highly related ; correlation coefficients were 0.98, 0.90 and 0.96 for n-hexane, toluene and trichloroethylene, respectively. 2. Airborne concentrations of n-hexane (n=21) were below 0.5 TLV level. The GM by two methods were almost same (3.09 ppm). And there was no significant difference between results by two methods (p>0.05). 3. Since toluene and trichloroethylene concentrations showed several levels, appropriate sampling rates were applied for each level. The GM of toluene concentrations by two methods at 0.5 TLV level were 3.75ppm and 5.48ppm. The KDS method overestimated the toluene concentrations at 0.5 TLV level (p<0.05). The GM values of toluene concentrations at 1 TLV level were 31.80ppm and 25.38ppm and at 2 TLV level were 64.13 ppm and 51.37 ppm. The KDS method underestimated concentration at both level (p<0.05). For trichloroethylene, the GM at 0.5 TLV level were 4.97 ppm and 7.11ppm. The KDS method overestimated the concentration of trichloroethylene (p<0.05). In conclusion, concentrations of three organic vapors measured by CT and KDS were not significantly different and results by two methods were highly related. But at contain concentrations, the levels by method were significantly different. Therefore, it is suggested that sampling rate of KDS should be studied simultaneously using CT method for organic vapors.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제34권1호
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• pp.67-76
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• 2024

Objectives: Direct reading instruments (DRIs) are widely used by industrial hygienists and other experts for preliminary survey and identifying source locations in many industrial fields. Photoionization detectors (PIDs), which are a form of hand-held portable DRIs, have been used for a variety of airborne vaporized chemicals, especially evaporated hydrocarbon solvents. The benefits of PIDs are high sensitivity between each chemical, competitive price, and portability. With the goal of increasing the accuracy of logged PID concentrations, previous studies have performed tests for the assessment of single chemical compounds, not mixtures. The purpose of this preliminary study was to measure mixtures with a PID and charcoal tube at the same time and compare the accuracy between them. Methods: A chamber test was implemented with different mixtures of hydrocarbon chemicals (acetone, isopropyl alcohol, toluene, m-xylene) and levels in the range of 14 to 864 ppm. Three PIDs and charcoal tubes were connected to the chamber and measured the chemical mixtures simultaneously. A comparison of accuracy and the PID group of concentrations with manufacture correction factor (M_CF) and field correction factor (F_CF) applied was performed. Results: The accuracy of the PID concentrations data-logged from the PID did not meet the accuracy criteria except for the mixture level B and C logged from PID No. 2, which was 18% of all tests for meeting accuracy criteria. The mean and standard deviation (SD) of concentration (ppm) of the charcoal tube followed by each mixtures' level were 10.37±0.26, 155.33±5.28, 300.80±11.65, and 774.93±22.65, respectively. When applying F_CF into the PID concentrations, the accuracy increased by nearly 82%. However, in the case of M_CF, none met the accuracy criterion. Between the PID there were differences of logged concentrations. Conclusions: In this preliminary study, the concentration of a logged PID with F_CF applied was a better way to increase accuracy compared to applying M_CF. We suggest that additional research is necessary to consider environmental factors such as temperature and humidity.