• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.48 no.4
• /
• pp.206-215
• /
• 2022

Background: Fragrance substances in consumer products can cause adverse health effects such as contact allergy. In South Korea, consumer chemical products must list 26 known fragrance allergens on product labels when they contain more than 0.01%. Fragrance substances are mostly used in combination, so co-exposure can occur via use of a consumer chemical product. Co-exposure to fragrance allergens may show a synergistic effect on the human body. Objectives: The aims of the study were to analyze the characteristics of fragrance allergens in consumer chemical products available on public websites and to identify the co-occurrence patterns of fragrance allergens. Methods: The chemicals in 1,443 ingredient disclosures for consumer chemical products were collected through the Ecolife database. The 26 labelled fragrance allergens were identified by category of consumer chemical product. The co-occurrence patterns of the 26 labelled fragrance allergens were analyzed by frequent pattern mining. The unlabelled fragrance allergens presented by European Union Scientific Committee on Consumer Safety were also identified. Results: Consumer chemical products contained an average of 5.3±4.2 substances among the 26 labelled fragrance allergens. More than 85% of air fresheners, deodorizing agents, and fabric softeners contained at least one of the 26 labelled fragrance allergens. The most frequently contained fragrance allergens were limonene (50.5%), linalool (49.9%), hexyl cinnamal (34.0%), and citronellol (28.3%). 16.7% of consumer chemical products showed a co-occurrence of limonene, linalool, hexyl cinnamal, and citronellol. Thirty-eight unlabelled fragrance allergens were found in the consumer chemical products, with hexamethylindanopyran (25.2%) being the most frequently contained substance. Conclusions: The characteristics and co-occurrence patterns of 26 labelled fragrance allergens would be useful information for the management of co-exposure to fragrance allergens in consumer chemical products. It is necessary for attention to be paid to unlabelled fragrance allergens.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.31
• /
• pp.24.1-24.7
• /
• 2016

The humidifier disinfectant disaster (HDD) was not a simple poisoning accident by biocides, but a singular disaster in history created by chemicals in household products. This disaster was a result of the failure of a system for the management of chemical and product safety. Since the management authority for chemical usage safety is different from those for chemical safety in products, many blind areas for chemical safety management in products still remain. The 'Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (ARECS)' or the new 'Biocidal Product Act' must not only address the blind areas in the management system for chemical and product safety, but also prevent a second HDD. To prevent another HDD, an integrated registration, evaluation, and management system for chemicals and consumer products must be incorporated into the 'ARECS' as an essential part for chemical safety in consumer products.

• Mass Spectrometry Letters
• /
• v.10 no.4
• /
• pp.112-116
• /
• 2019

In this study, a chloroform consumer chemical product (CCP) reference material (RM) is successfully developed, with potential to be used in the proficiency testing of hazardous compounds in CCPs for analysis and testing agencies. Validation experiments are rigorously conducted to evaluate whether the RM meets the requirements set by the ISO 13528 and ISO Guide 35, using a reliable GC/MS method for the analysis of chloroform. The obtained calibration plot linearity, limit of detection (LOD), and limit of quantitation (LOQ) are excellent. The developed RM meets the homogeneity and stability requirements; the between-unit (s_bb) and within-unit (s_wb) standard deviations are less than 2.5%, and the stability is found to be guaranteed for 50 days.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.6
• /
• pp.532-540
• /
• 2013

Background: Exposure factors for consumer products have been developed since the 1980s. Such exposure factors are important in risk assessment. Since the exposure/use patterns of consumer products in a country may reflect its respective cultural, meteorological, and socio-economic circumstances, unique Korean exposure factors for consumer products are needed. Such exposure factors are required for newly-enacted chemical regulations in Korea. For this review, published papers and survey reports on exposure factors of consumer products were examined for their assessment methodologies. Results: Investigation into exposure factors for consumer products used a variety of methods: home visit, online, telephone, and mail surveys using questionnaires; face to face interviews; modeling using a constructed database; and direct measurement. To collect more accurate exposure information or to check the reliability of the sampling method, some studies were repeated using the same questionnaire, in-home observation, direct measurement of usage, and videotaping. In Korea, nationwide exposure surveys were conducted five times over five years to obtain Korean exposure factors. However, with the exception of the $5^{th}$-year study, the surveys were online questionnaires and only the $5^{th}$-year study validated the accuracy of exposure information by re-visits and direct measurement. Conclusion: Accurate exposure factors are an essential part of risk assessment to assure safe use of consumer products. For better and safer management of consumer products, accurate exposure factors in Korea should be assessed for various exposure pathways.

• Journal of Korean Society for Quality Management
• /
• v.45 no.4
• /
• pp.769-780
• /
• 2017

Purpose: The aim of this study is to conduct a survey of dimethylformamide(DMF) content in polyurethane(PU)-based consumer products and provide the information for the PU manufacturer and company to prepare a countermeasure for improving the quality competitiveness. Methods: This study selected PU-based consumer products(toddler shoes, children's bag, children's play mat, safety gloves), which is closely used in everyday life, and analyzed the residual DMF content in the consumer products. Results: In this study, it was confirmed that the average DMF content of toddler shoes, children's bag, children's play mat and safety gloves are 38 ppm, 119 ppm, 396 ppm and 826 ppm, respectively. In addition, most of the samples were found to meet the internationally accepted standard of 1,000 ppm and the DMF contents were reduced from at least 63 % to 85 % with a single washing process. Conclusion: The domestic PU manufacturers should seek ways to reduce the DMF through their production facility applications and introducing new materials such as water-soluble PU, and preparing the process development for their quality competitiveness.

• Journal of Families and Better Life
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.15-32
• /
• 2007

This study is to assess the level or consumer's attitude or food safety and their effects on the purchase or environment friendly agricultural products. For these purposes, the survey was implemented to 550 adults who resided in Seoul and metropolitan area. As a results, a lot of respondents perceived the five food hazards, pesticides, food additives, BSE, chemical materials, GMOs as the severest food risks. Results revealed that women, the most educated, married, and the older respondents were more likely to be negative about food safely. And Also, consumer's knowledge of environment friendly agricultural products was lower than the median. The respondents who have bought environment friendly agricultural products were 80.5% of the entire respondents. Also, the educated and the consumers who had the knowledge of the environment friendly agricultural products started to purchase them. The consumers who had higher income, perceived the food hazards(BSE), assessed agricultural products safety negatively, had willingness to pay them and more knowledge of environment friendly agricultural products were likely to purchase them usually.

• Analytical Science and Technology
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.201-212
• /
• 2014

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) that are carcinogenic and persistent will be restricted in consumer products from December 27, 2015 by EU REACH regulation. Pretreatment using Soxhlet extraction and quantitative analysis by GC-MS were studied to develop the method for analyzing 18 PAHs in consumer products as well as to detect the amounts and the kinds of PAHs in consumer products such as grips of a bag and a hammer, a cable and a plastic sandal. Linearity and precisions were evaluated by analyses of the standard PAH solutions ranging from 0.3125 mg/L to 5.00 mg of each of 18 PAHs. Linearity of resulting standard curves for all 18 PAHs were obtained with $R^2$ above 0.999. Precisions of the retention times and the peak areas were found to be 0.00%~0.05% and 1.16%~3.69% of relative standard deviations, respectively. The recoveries for spiked samples were all around 95%~105% after Soxhlet extration using three different solvents such as dichloromethane, hexane and toluene. The limits of quantitation for 18 PAHs in solutions and polymer samples by GC-MS were evaluated to be 0.327 mg/L (Benzo[ghi]perylene)~0.464 mg/L (Acenaphthylene) and 1.635 mg/kg (Benzo[ghi]perylene)~2.32 mg/kg (Acenaphthylene) based upon dilution factor of 5, respectively. Under the developed analytical method, only trace amounts of phenanthrene were detected in three samples while 15 kinds of PAHs including phenanthrene were detected in a grip of hammer with concentrations of maximum 83.4 mg/kg of Phenanthrene and minimum 8.5 mg/kg of Acenaphthylene. Further studies are needed to decrease the quantitation limit and to check the feasibility of decreasing Soxhlet time as well as to demonstrate cases that the clean up is required.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.32 no.1
• /
• pp.41-52
• /
• 2022

Objectives: This study intends to review the impact on cleaning workers and suggest directions for improvement by reviewing the legal and institutional ways in which Article 86 Nos. 7 and 16 of the Enforcement Decree of the Occupational Safety and Health Act work on the maintenance and promotion of cleaning workers' health. Methods: The following laws and systems were reviewed and considered: First, the occupational safety and health legislation obligated or required to be applied to protect the health of cleaning workers; Second, the status of control of chemicals or mixtures used at cleaning sites through the Consumer Chemicals Product and Biocide Safety Control Act; Third, Control of consumer products according to foreign material safety data sheet related laws. Results: Legal and institutional measures necessary to protect the health of cleaning workers include the legal control of harmful substances to be controlled, work environment monitoring, and special health examinations. The application of the Consumer Chemicals Product and Biocide Safety Control Act does not satisfy the legal and practical level of health maintenance and promotion required by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the communication of chemical information is insufficient. Overseas, there are restrictions on the use of consumer products in the workplace without material safety data sheets. Conclusions: It is necessary to improve the system to ensure the health of workers handling consumer chemical products. The remaining laws and regulations exempted from the obligation to prepare material safety data sheets should be additionally reviewed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.50 no.1
• /
• pp.43-53
• /
• 2024

Background: Exposure assessment is an important part of risk assessment for consumer products. Exposure models are used when estimating consumer exposures by considering exposure routes, subjects, and circumstances. These models differ based on their tiers, types, and target populations. Consequently, exposure estimates may vary between models. Objectives: This study aimed to compare the results of different exposure models using identical exposure factors. Methods: Chemical exposure from consumer products was calculated using four consumer exposure assessment models: Targeted Risk Assessment 3.1, Consumer Exposure Model 2.1 (CEM), ConsExpo web 1.1.1, and the Korean Exposure Algorithm (primary and detailed) issued by the Ministry of Environment, No. 972 (MOE). The same exposure factors were used in each model to calculate inhalation and dermal exposures to acetaldehyde, d-limonene, and naphthalene in all-purpose cleaners, leather coating sprays, and sealants. Results: In the results, TRA provided the highest estimate. Generally, MOE (detailed), CEM and ConsExpo showed lower exposures. The inhalation exposure for leather coating spray showed the largest differences between models, with differences reaching up to 1.2×10⁷ times. Since identical inputs were used for the calculations, it is likely that the models significantly influenced the estimated results. Conclusions: Despite using the same exposure factors to calculate dermal and inhalation exposures, the results varied substantially based on the model's exposure algorithm. Therefore, selecting an exposure model for assessing consumer products should be done with careful consideration.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.49 no.6
• /
• pp.305-311
• /
• 2023

Background: The National Institute of Environmental Research (NIER)'s classification of and airborne fraction ratio for consumer chemical products (CCP) does not reflect the characteristics of various product classifications. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to reclassify the types of spray products according to the diverse spray characteristics of CCPs to evaluate the airborne fraction ratio of representative spray types and to compare them with previous CCPs types and airborne fraction ratios. Methods: One thousand seven hundred two products were selected through market research, and 932 newly reported products were selected. After that, 200 were selected to evaluate products with potential inhalation exposure. After classifying six product types that are expected to show differences in the airborne fraction ratio according to the type of product, a final 38 products were selected for use in the airborne fraction ratio through random sampling. Results: CCP has been reclassified from two to six types so that the characteristics of all products are well-reflected. The NIER simply had two airborne fraction ratios, but the results of experiments with six types of products showed a significant difference in values (p<0.01). Airborne fraction ratios of propellant general foam, pump general aerosol, and pump trigger foam in spray type, which were not previously present in NIER, were 7.1%, 24.4%, and 3.5%, respectively. Conclusions: For the diversified types of CCPs, the newly proposed classification was more appropriate than the existing NIER classification. The airborne fraction ratio was also different for each type, so a new value was suggested.