• 한국지반공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지반공학회 2008년도 추계 학술발표회
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• pp.302-311
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• 2008

There have been repetitive landslides and debris flows on natural terrain induced by intensive rainfalls which have never been experienced during the last a few decades in Korea. Frequencies and magnitudes of landslides and debris flows are steeply increased after 2000 resulting in huge damages of human beings and facilities. According to a statistical data from NEMA, the human deaths induced by landslides and slope hazards occupies 22.3% of the total human deaths by all the natural hazards in Korea during the last 30 years. Among the human deaths by landslides and slope hazards, 85% of the damages were caused by landslides and debris flows on natural hazards. Therefore, this paper summarizes important events of landslides and debris flows, their characteristics, and suggests some methods of damage mitigation.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제23권4호
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• pp.430-441
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• 2018

The adverse health impact of air pollution is becoming more serious. The purpose of this study is twofold: One is to analyze the effect of air pollution and temperatures on human health by analyzing the number of deaths from cardiovascular disease in Seoul, Korea; the other is to determine what impact the location of a monitoring site has on the results of a health study. For this latter purpose, air pollution and temperature monitors are sited at three locations termed green, public, and residential. Then, a decision tree model is used to analyze factors linked with deaths occurring at each monitoring site. The results show that the environmental temperatures before death and the $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations on the day of death are highly linked with the number of deaths regardless of the monitoring location. However, results are most accurate with residential data. The results of this study can be used as base data for a similar analysis and ultimately, as a guide to minimize the health impact of air pollution.

• 대한안전경영과학회지
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• 제25권2호
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• pp.39-48
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• 2023

Recently, the crisis of demographic extinction is rising in Korea more than any other country, and it is difficult for industrial sites to maintain without 'foreign workers'. Industrial accidents and accident deaths of foreign workers account for 7.6% and 12.3% of the total, through an in-depth analysis of fatal accidents in the manufacturing industry, differences and similarities between fatal accidents of foreign workers and all fatal accidents were confirmed in terms of occurrence type, workplace size, length of service, employment type, etc. In this study, customized countermeasures were found.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.765-783
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• 1996

This study surveyed and measured the level and structure of cancer deaths and their trends over time for offering the fundamental data of e cancer prevention and control in Pusan city in the future. Authors conducted the study of descriptive epidemiology using materials derived from the computerized data of total 3,722 certified cancer deaths in Pusan city from January 1 to December 31, 1993 registered on the National Statistical Once, the Republic of Korea. The obtained results were as follows: 1. According to the total registered cases of deaths(16,331 cases) in Pusan city during 1993, cancer(3,722 cases) and cerebrovascular disease(2,118 cases) were the first and second cause of deaths as 23.1% and 16.9%, respectively. These pattern showed the change between cancer (14.7%) and cerebrovascular disease(18.5%) in order of frequency in comparison to 1982. Also, the total number of cancer deaths was increased in comparison to 1982. The rate of death certification by physicians was 87.1% of all registered deaths, which was increased to 6.8% in comparison to 1982(80.3%). 2. Crude death rate and cancer specific death rate was 4.06 per 1,000 populations and 93.8 per 100,000 populations(male:117.8, female:70.0), respectively. The former was similar to that of 1982, but the latter was increased to 1.6 times as that of 1982. 3. Age-adjusted cancer specific death rate by standardization with whole country population was 111.9(male:141.5, female:106.7) per 100,000 populations, higher than not age-adjusted cancer specific death rate(93.8), and the sex difference was statistically significant with male predominance (p<0.05). 4. Cancer specific death rate by age was generally increased with age and most of cancer deaths(male:91.8%, female:88.5%) occurred since 40 years old. 5. The major cancer(cancer specific death rate per 100,000 populations) in male was liver(30.6) followed by stomach(25.6), lung(21.9), and GB and EHBD(5.7), in female stomach(15.7), liver(9.9), lung(7.3), and uterus(6.9). The relative frequency of the leading three cancer among total cancer deaths marked 66.3% in male and 47.l% in female, and decreased in comparison to 1982(male:72.2%, female:54.5%). 6. The total ratio of male to female cancer specific death rate showed 1.68 to 1 with male predominance. And the ratio was above 2.0 in larynx, oral cavity & pharynx, esophagus, liver, lung, bladder cancer and the ratio was $1.0\sim1.9$ in stomach, pancreas, gall bladder and EHBD, brain, rectum and anus cancer, leukemia, but the ratio was reversed in thyroid and colon cancer. In conclusion, cancer was the first cause of deaths. The proportion of lung cancer was increased, that of stomach & uterine cancer was decreased relatively, and liver cancer was constantly higher proportion. In the future, it is necessary to conduct the further investigations on the cancer risk factors considering areal specificity.

• 보험의학회지
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.88-95
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• 1984

In Korea, life insurance policies are sold to the policy holders by insuring either the insureds undergo a medical examination at a clinic or the insureds' report their history of diseases ever experienced that replaces the medical examination. This study aimed to measure the level of death rates for the insureds between those who received medical examination and those who did not receive medical examination, and to examine differences of the rates in terms of the insureds' characteristics such as age, sex, cause of death and duration. A total number of 32,358 insureds were selected for the population of this study from the D. Life Insurance Company located in Seoul City. Out of the 32,358 insureds, 2,997 received medical examination and the rest of 29,381 did not received any medical examination. Results of analysis are summarized as follows: 1. Death rate per 100,000 insureds for the all was 19.3 in the first year, 96.3 in the second year, 143.8 in the third year 93.4 in the fourth year. For the group of medical examination received, the rate was zero in the first year, 41.3 in the second year, 55.4 in the third year and 268.8 in the fourth year, and for the group of non-medically examined the rate was 21.3 in the first year, 101.9 in the second year, 152.2 in the third year and 76.8 in the fourth year. The levels of death rates between the insureds with medical examsination and the inureds without medical examination were non-significant in the differences by duration except the levels of the third year, which indicated the death rate of non-medically examined group was higher than that of the medically examined group. 2. 73.0 per cent of the total deaths observed during the insured period were caused by various diseases and the rest of 27.0 per cent deaths were due to accidents. For the group of medical examination received, 55.6 per cent deaths were caused by diseases, and for the group of nonmedically examined, 74.7 per cent of deaths were due to diseases. 3. cancer was the most frequent cause which accounted for 22.0 per cent of the total deaths. Proportion of deaths due to cancer from the group of medical examination received was 22.2 per cent, and the corresponding rate for the group of non-medically examined also showed high rate of 22.0 per cent.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.197-202
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• 2005

Objectives: During the spring of 2002, an unprecedented 2 Asian dust events were experienced in Seoul. On those days, the $PM_{10}$ was surprisingly increased, with daily $PM_{10}$ averages exceeding $600\;and\;700{\mu}g/m^3$ on March 21 and April 8, respectively. Accordingly, public concern relating to the possible adverse health effects of these dust events has increased, as the dust arrives in Korea after having flown over heavily industrialized eastern China. We investigated the effects of these Asian dust events on the mortality during the spring of 2002, in Seoul, Korea. Methods: The total number of deaths per day during the spring of 2002 in Seoul was extracted form the mortality records of the National Statistical Office. We constructed 14 Asian dust days (March 17-March 23, April 7-April 13) and 42 control days during the 56 day study period (March 3-April 27) with respect to the days of the week. The daily average numbers of deaths between the Asian dust and control days were analyzed, with adjustment for meteorological variables and pollutants. Results: The daily PM10 average during the Asian dust weeks was $295.2{\mu}g/m^3$, which was significantly higher than during the control days (p<0.001). The daily average number of deaths from all causes during the Asian dust days was 109.9; 65.6 for those aged 65 years and older, 6.7 from respiratory causes (J00-J99) and 25.6 from cardiovascular causes (I00-I99). The estimated percentage increases in the rate of deaths were 2.5% (95% CI=-5.0-10.6) from all causes; 2.2% (95% CI=-7.4-12.8) for those aged 65 years and older, and 36.5% (95% CI=0.7-85.0) from respiratory causes, but with a 6.1% (95% CI=-19.7-9.7) decrease in deaths from cardiovascular causes. Conclusion: The Asian dust events were found to be weakly associated with the risk of death from all causes. However, the association between dust events and deaths from respiratory causes was stronger. This suggests that persons with advanced respiratory diseases may be susceptible to Asian dust events.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제1권1호
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• pp.79-86
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• 1968

This paper describes the incidence and some epidemiological features of drowning accident out of a series of our study on the epidemiology of various accidents in Korea. By the daily press it is apparent from the frequent reporting of swimming accidents that the incidence would be high. In the rural areas, there are, at present, about 1,250 artificial lakes and farm ponds to be utlized for rice production. The reservoirs, irrigation ditches and riversides are also used for recreation. In most places facilities for aquatic activities is meager, and safety measures for the prevention of drowning is not sufficiently enforced. In the survey crude data on drownings were collected from the concerned governmental statistic books for the period 1955 to 1967 which were compiled not in a uniform way. Drownings were classfied into two categories, one is accidental drowning, E 929 and the other is due to cataclysm, E 934, according to the WHO international classification of diseases. Epidemiological variables in relation to drowning accident were obtained through qualitative analysis of informations from the popular news papers. The following summary may be drawn; 1. The average number of deaths due to accidental drowning totaled 1,088 annually and the mortality rate per 100,000 population was 3.4, The 42.0% of all drownings were rescued and the remaining were not saved. 2. The sex ratio (M/F) of the victims for all ages was 5 to 1, which had a wide range of difference among the age groups. The young ages less than 20 years occupied 68.0% of all deaths. 3. The percentage distribution of the causes of accidents revealed 31.9% for careless swimming, 45.5% for unskilled, 10.6% for swimmer's cramp and 6.0% for drunked. The distribution of places where accidents occurred showed 88.0% for rivers, water reservoirs, irrigation ditches and 12.0% for regular swimming pools. The seasonal distribution of cases indicated 85.0% of the total were seen during the summer months, June-August, and 50.0% of them occurred on Sundays, 4. The average annual deaths due to cataclysm were 402 and mortality rate per 100,000 population was 1.6, but the number of victims due to cataclysm varied greatly each year. 5. The accident cases due to cataclysm were classified into 60.0% for injuries, 40.0% for deaths. The 26.8% of all deaths were missing cases. 6. The deaths due to either accidental drowning or cataclysm totaled 1,490, and the death rate per 100,000 for the whole country was 5.0.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제49권6호
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• pp.362-371
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• 2023

Background: PM_2.5 pollution has been a persistent problem in South Korea, with concentrations consistently exceeding World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines. The aging of the population in the country further exacerbates the health impacts of PM_2.5 since older adults are more susceptible to the adverse effects of air pollution. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate how the health impact (premature death) due to long-term exposure to PM_2.5 in South Korea could change in the future according to the trend of change in the country's population structure. Methods: The study employs a relative risk function, which accounts for age-specific relative risks, to assess the changes in premature deaths by age and region at the average annual PM_2.5 concentration for 2022 and at PM_2.5 concentration improvement levels. Premature deaths were estimated using the Global Exposure Mortality Model (GEMM). Results: The findings indicate that the increase in premature deaths resulting from the projected population structure changes up to 2050 would significantly outweigh the health benefits (reduction in premature deaths) compared to 2012. This is primarily attributed to the rising number of premature deaths among the elderly due to population aging. Furthermore, the study suggests that the effectiveness of the current domestic PM_2.5 standard would be halved by 2050 due to the increasing impact of population aging on PM_2.5-related mortality. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of considering trends in population structure when evaluating the health benefits of air pollution reduction measures. By comparing and evaluating the health benefits in reflection of changes in population structure to the predicted PM_2.5 concentration improvements at the provincial level, a more comprehensive assessment of regional air quality management strategies can be achieved.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제57권2호
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• pp.185-196
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• 2024

Objectives: Excess mortality associated with long-term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) has been documented. However, research on the disease burden following short-term exposure is scarce. We investigated the cause-specific mortality burden of short-term exposure to PM_2.5 by considering the potential non-linear concentration-response relationship in Korea. Methods: Daily cause-specific mortality rates and PM_2.5 exposure levels from 2010 to 2019 were collected for 8 Korean cities and 9 provinces. A generalized additive mixed model was employed to estimate the non-linear relationship between PM_2.5 exposure and cause-specific mortality levels. We assumed no detrimental health effects of PM_2.5 concentrations below 15 ㎍/m³. Overall deaths attributable to short-term PM_2.5 exposure were estimated by summing the daily numbers of excess deaths associated with ambient PM_2.5 exposure. Results: Of the 2 749 704 recorded deaths, 2 453 686 (89.2%) were non-accidental, 591 267 (21.5%) were cardiovascular, and 141 066 (5.1%) were respiratory in nature. A non-linear relationship was observed between all-cause mortality and exposure to PM_2.5 at lag0, whereas linear associations were evident for cause-specific mortalities. Overall, 10 814 all-cause, 7855 non-accidental, 1642 cardiovascular, and 708 respiratory deaths were attributed to short-term exposure to PM_2.5. The estimated number of all-cause excess deaths due to short-term PM_2.5 exposure in 2019 was 1039 (95% confidence interval, 604 to 1472). Conclusions: Our findings indicate an association between short-term PM_2.5 exposure and various mortality rates (all-cause, non-accidental, cardiovascular, and respiratory) in Korea over the period from 2010 to 2019. Consequently, action plans should be developed to reduce deaths attributable to short-term exposure to PM_2.5.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.390-397
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• 2023

Introduction: Biological risks are a major global problem in the workplace. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need for a more comprehensive understanding of the biological risks at work. This study presents data on both communicable infectious biological agents and noncommunicable factors leading to death and disability for the year 2021. Methods: We followed the methodology established by the International Labour Organization (ILO) in their past global estimates on occupational accidents and work-related diseases. We used relevant ILO estimates for hazardous substances and related population attributable fractions derived from literature, which were then applied to World Health Organization mortality data. The communicable diseases included in the estimates were tuberculosis, pneumococcal diseases, malaria, diarrheal diseases, other infectious diseases, neglected tropical diseases, influenza associated respiratory diseases and COVID-19. Noncommunicable diseases and injuries considered were Chronic Obstructive Diseases (COPD) due to organic dusts, asthma, allergic reactions and risks related to animal contact. We estimated death attributable to biological risk at work and disability in terms of disability adjusted life years (DALYs). Results: We estimated that in 2022, 550,819 deaths were caused by biological risk factors, with 476,000 deaths attributed to communicable infectious diseases and 74,000 deaths caused by noncommunicable factors. Among these, there were 223,650 deaths attributed to COVID-19 at work. We calculated the rate of 584 DALYs per 100,000 workers, representing an 11% increase from the previous estimate of the global burden of work-related disabilities measured by DALYs. Conclusion: This is a first update since previous 2007 ILO estimates, which has now increased by 74% and covers most biological risks factors. However, it is important to note that there may be other diseases and deaths are missing from the data, which need to be included when new information becomes available. It is also worth mentioning that while deaths caused by major communicable diseases including COVID-19 are relatively rare within the working population, absences from work due to these diseases are likely to be very common within the active workforce.