• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.30 no.sup
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• pp.6.1-6.4
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• 2015

Objectives This study is conducted to estimate the cost paid by the public suffering from disease possibly caused by chemical and to examine the effect on public health. Methods Cost-benefit analysis is an important factor in analysis and decision-making and is an important policy decision tool in many countries. Cost-of-illness (COI), a kind of scale-based analysis method, estimates the potential value lost as a result of illness as a monetary unit and calculates the cost in terms of direct, indirect and psychological costs. This study estimates direct medical costs, transportation fees for hospitalization and outpatient treatment, and nursing fees through a number of patients suffering from disease caused by chemicals in order to analyze COI, taking into account the cost of productivity loss as an indirect cost. Results The total yearly cost of the diseases studied in 2012 is calculated as 77 million Korean won (KRW) per person. The direct and indirect costs being 52 million KRW and 23 million KRW, respectively. Within the total cost of illness, mental and behavioral disability costs amounted to 16 million KRW, relevant blood immunological parameters costs were 7.4 million KRW, and disease of the nervous system costs were 6.7 million KRW. Conclusions This study reports on a survey conducted by experts regarding diseases possibly caused by chemicals and estimates the cost for the general public. The results can be used to formulate a basic report for a social-economic evaluation of the permitted use of chemicals and limits of usage.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.715-735
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• 2010

This study is designed to assess the priority order of the chemicals to cause to generate occupational diseases in order to understand the fundamental data required for the preparation of health protective measure for the workers dealing with chemicals. The 41 types of 51 ones of chemicals to cause to generate the national occupational diseases were selected as the study objects by understanding their domestic use or not, and their occupational diseases' occurrence or not among 110,608 types of domestic and overseas chemicals. To assess their priority order the sum of scores was acquired by understanding the actually classified condition based on a perfect score of physical riskiness(90points) and health toxicity(92points) as a classification standard by GHS, the priority order on GHS riskiness assessment, GHS toxicity assessment, GHS toxic xriskiness assessment(sum of riskiness plus toxicity) was assessed by multiplying each result by each weight of occupational disease's occurrence. The high ranking 5 items of chemicals for GHS riskiness assessment were turned out to be urethane, copper, chlorine, manganese, and thiomersal by order. Besides as a result of GHS toxicity assessment the top fives were assessed to be aluminum, iron oxide, manganese, copper, and cadium(Metal) by order. On the other hand, GHS toxicity riskiness assessment showed that the top fives were assessed to be copper, urethane, iron oxide, chlorine and phenanthrene by order. As there is no material or many uncertain details for physical riskiness or health toxicity by GHS classification though such materials caused to generate the national occupational diseases, it is very urgent to prepare its countermeasure based on the forementioned in order to protect the workers handling or being exposed to chemicals from health.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.175-189
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• 2018

Objectives: In this study, we analyze statistics on industrial accidents caused by chemical skin contact and provide skin toxicity hazard information on the related domestic system and circulation volumes. Methods and Results: We analyzed occupational fatalities and skin diseases caused by chemical leaks and contact from 2007 to 2016(10 years) and surveyed data on occupational skin diseases using the 2014 work environment survey data. The NIOSH Skin Notation Profiles for 57 chemical substances, which are provided to prevent occupational skin diseases, were searched and hazard information on skin contact with chemical substances was classified. In order to identify skin toxicity information among domestically distributed and legally regulated substances and to investigate skin-toxic substances, MSDS basic data on 19,740 chemical substances provided on the homepage of Korea Occupational Safety & Health Agency were searched. Acute toxicity(dermal) category 1-4 substances totaled 1,020, and the number of chemical substances classified as category 1 and 2 substances were 135 and 137, respectively. In the chemical substances prescribed by the Ministry of Employment and Labor, 173 substances were classified into acute toxicity(dermal) categories 1-4, 58 of which correspond to category 1 or 2. Conclusions: Within the present range of industrial accidents, the proportion of skin diseases due to contact with chemicals is not high. However, there is always a risk of occupational skin diseases due to increasing chemicals and due to the use of new chemicals. It is hoped that this information will be used by workplace safety and health officials and health and safety experts to prevent acute toxity(dermal) due to chemical skin contact.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Educational Facilities
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.3-13
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• 2019

Purpose: The human body is a chemical laboratory. Artists are exposed to a variety of chemicals in art studio space and the art materials used in the creation contain toxic ingredients, exposing them to a variety of incurable diseases, including cancer. It aims to analyze the problems of the studio space environment and the risks of art materials, which are fundamental causes of the outbreak of incurable diseases, and to derive the direction of specific practices that can reduce the occurrence of incurable diseases by artists. Method: The harmfulness of an artist's creative space is the cause of a disease outbreak, and two primary factors cause it. One is the environmental hazards caused by the use of tools, air pollution, and chemical hazards caused by art materials in the architectural space environment of the studio. Necessary measures are put forward to control disease outbreaks by identifying the status and cause of intractable diseases caused by studies. Result: The plan is urgent for the establishment of safety rules and regular pre-trainthese two factors and analyzing the results of prior research and implementation investigationing, the legal provisions of studio architecture design and the introduction of labelling rules to control the distribution of harmful art materials.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.78-83
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• 2002

Tobacco diseases have not been recorded until 1900s in Korea, where tobacco plants were introduced at early 1700s. Practical researches on the disease have been conducted since mid 1960s. Major ten tobacco diseases were mosaic caused by tobacco mosaic virus·potato virus Y·cucumber mosaic virus, bacterial wilt, hollow stalk, wild fire caused by angular leaf spot strain, black shank, brown spot, powdery mildew and fusarium wilt. But their annual occurrences were varied according to changes of tobacco varieties and their cultivating practices. As no useful chemicals, several biological tactics have been developed to control the viral or bacterial diseases that give significant economic damages on sustainable crop yield, but not practicable to field farming condition yet. Transgenic tobacco plants containing foreign disease resistant genes have been developed by current bio-technology, but not released to farmers yet. Though some disease-resistant tobacco varieties have been developed by the conventional breeding technology and currently used by farmers, their disease controlling efficacy have been diminished by occurrence of the new strain or race. Future research on tobacco diseases has been focused on technical development to produce high quality tobacco with less production cost, which leads Korean tobacco industry to keep its competence against foreign industry and decreasing overall market.

• Asian Journal of Turfgrass Science
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2001

Antifungal activity of 20 chemicals registered to turfgrass diseases was evaluated. Among the chemicals, iprodione, benomyl, iprodione+thiram, pencycuron+tebuconazole, hexaconazole, and iprodione+thiophanate-methyl exhibited high antifungal activity to the dollar spot fungus. All isolates were greatly inhibited by the chemicals at the concentration over 32ppm($\mu\textrm{g}$/ml). However, sensitivity of the isolates to chemicals was varied at the lower concentration as 8 and 16 ppm as follows. The isolate originated from Ora golf course was resistant to iprodione and iprodione+thiophanate methyl, Gonjiam isolate to iprodion, Youngpyung isolate to iprodione+thiram, and Dogo isolate to iprodione+thiram, pencycuron+tebuconazole, and tebuconazole. It was found from this study that the varied chemical resistance among the isolates was positively related to the application time of the chemical in the golf course. Consequently, when a chemical was applied more often times than the others to the golf course, the fungal isolates originate from the field showed higher resistance to the former chemical. Effects of the chemicals on control of the dollar spot was evaluated in the field. All tested chemicals revealed over 70% disease control efficacy, however, mepronil+propiconazole was the best showing 83% control efficacy and followed by fenarimo, iprodione, terbuconazole, thiram, and thiophanate-methyl.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.1-14
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• 2007

The term, "food safety", has traditionally been viewed as a practical science aimed at assuring the prevention acute illnesses caused by biological microorganisms, and only to a minor extent, chronic diseases cause by chronic low level exposures to natural and synthetic chemicals or pollutants. "food safety" meant to prevent microbiological agents/toxins in/on foods, due to contamination any where from "farm to Fork", from causing acute health effects, especially to the young, immune-compromised, genetically-predisposed and elderly. However, today a broader view must also include the fact that diet, perse (nutrients, vitamins/minerals, calories), as well as low level toxins and pollutant or supplemented synthetic chemicals, can alter gene expressions of stem/progenitor/terminally-differentiated cells, leading to chronic inflammation and other mal-functions that could lead to diseases such as cancer, diabetes, atherogenesis and possibly reproductive and neurological disorders. Understanding of the mechanisms by which natural or synthetic chemical toxins/toxicants, in/on food, interact with the pathogenesis of acute and chronic diseases, should lead to a "systems" approach to "food safety". Clearly, the interactions of diet/food with the genetic background, gender, and developmental state of the individual, together with (a) interactions of other endogenous/exogenous chemicals/drugs; (b) the specific biology of the cells being affected; (c) the mechanisms by which the presence or absence of toxins/toxicants and nutrients work to cause toxicities; and (d) how those mechanisms affect the pathogenesis of acute and/or chronic diseases, must be integrated into a "system" approach. Mechanisms of how toxins/toxicants cause cellular toxicities, such as mutagenesis; cytotoxicity and altered gene expression, must take into account (a) irreversible or reversal changes caused by these toxins or toxicants; (b)concepts of thresholds or no-thresholds of action; and (c) concepts of differential effects on stem cells, progenitor cells and terminally differentiated cells in different organs. This brief Commentary tries to illustrate this complex interaction between what is on/in foods with one disease, namely cancer. Since the understanding of cancer, while still incomplete, can shed light on the multiple ways that toxins/toxicants, as well as dietary modulation of nutrients/vitamins/metals/ calories, can either enhance or reduce the risk to cancer. In particular, diets that alter the embryo-fetal micro-environment might dramatically alter disease formation later in life. In effect "food safety" can not be assessed without understanding how food could be 'toxic', or how that mechanism of toxicity interacts with the pathogenesis of any disease.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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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.

• Research in Plant Disease
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.159-166
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• 2004

This study were carried out to identify pathogens and determine the seasonal occurrence and chemical control of safflower (Carthamus tinctorius) diseases from 2000 to 2002 in Gyengbuk province, Korea. Major diseases of safflower were, anthracnose caused by Colletotricum acutatum in open field, and gray mold by Botrytis cinerea in rain sheltered plastic house. Other diseases occurred were powdery mildew caused by Sphaerotheca fuliginea, collar rot by Sclerotium rolfsii, leaf spot by Alternaria carthami and A. alternata, rust by Puccinia carthami, root-rot and stem-rot by Phytophthora cactorum, root-rot and wilt by Fusarium oxysporum and damping-off by Pythium ultimum. Seasonal occurrence of anthracnose on safflower has begun from late April, and increased until harvesting, especially rapid increased after rainfall during stem elongation season that is from May to June. In open fields, maximum incidence of anthracnose was 67 ％ in late July. But in rain-sheltered plastic house, it was very low, about 5％ in July. Gray mold caused by Botrytis cinerea was most important disease in rain-sheltered plastic house cultivation. Maximum incidence of gray mold on floral head was 27.4％, whereas other diseases occurred below 1 ％. In the test of the chemical control of the safflower anthracnose, metiram WP, carbendazim$.$kasugamycin WP and iminoctadintris$.$thiram WP were the highest controlling chemicals. In chemical control of gray mold, iminoctadintris$.$thiram WP, fluazinam WP and iprodion WP showed highest controlling effects.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.29 no.7
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• pp.1117-1123
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• 2019

Control of pine wilt disease, which is caused by pine wilt nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, is heavily dependent on the use of chemicals such as abamectin. Although such chemicals are highly effective, demands for alternatives that are derived preferentially from natural sources, are increasing out of environmental concerns. One of the challenges to discovery of alternative control agents is lack of fast and efficient screening method that can be used in a high-throughput manner. Here we described the development of colorimetric assay for the rapid and accurate screening of candidate nematicidal compounds/biologics targeting B. xylophilus. Contrary to the conventional method, which relies on laborious visual inspection and counting of nematode population under microscope, our method utilizes a redox dye that changes its color in response to metabolic activity of nematode population in a given sample. In this work, we optimized parameters of our colorimetric assay including number of nematodes and amount of redox dye, and tested applicability of our assay for screening of chemicals and biologics. We demonstrated that our colorimetric assay can be applied to rapid and accurate quantification of nematode viability/mortality in a nematode population treated with candidate chemicals/biologics. Application of our method would facilitate high-throughput endeavors aiming at finding environment-friendly control agents for deadly disease of pine trees.