• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.250-257
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• 2011

Objectives: This study was aimed at re-assessing the environmental burden of disease attributable to waterrelated diseases using available local data from Korea. Methods: The general methods and the operational definitions for water, sanitation and hygiene applied to the study were based on an environmental burden of disease study conducted by WHO. Eleven water-related diseases were selected. The attributable fraction for diarrhea was calculated by assessing local exposure levels to drinking water, sanitation and hygiene according the scenario-based approach. The attributable fractions for the other ten diseases were derived from the results of the environmental burden of diseases study. The attributable DALYs were measured by using the attributable fractions and local health statistics. Results: The total environmental burden of disease attributable to water, sanitation and hygiene for Korea was 0.9210 DALY per 1000 capitals. Of the total burden of disease, the attributable burden of diarrhea was 0.8863 (96.1%), the attributable burden of malaria and malnutrition was 0.0236 and 0.0063 DALY per 1000 capitals, respectively. There was little burden of disease measured for other diseases. Conclusions: This study is meaningful in re-assessing the environmental burden of disease using available local exposure data and health statistics. Quantitative analysis of the environmental risk factors and a health impact assessment would be helpful to prioritize health policies or interventions in the future.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2004.12a
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• pp.96-96
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• 2004

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.387-395
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• 2011

Purpose: This study measured the burden of disease in Korea related to outdoor air pollution using disability-adjusted life year (DALY). Materials and Methods: As a risk factor of outdoor air pollution, particulate matter with a diameter less than 10 ${\mu}m$($PM_{10}$) was used. First, $PM_{10}$-related diseases and their relative risk (RR) were selected by means of a literature review. Second, population attributable fractions were computed by using formulae including RR and population exposure to $PM_{10}$. Third, DALYs of $PM_{10}$-related diseases in Korea were estimated. Finally, the attributable burden of disease due to $PM_{10}$ was measured as the sum of the products that multiplied the DALYs of $PM_{10}$-related diseases by their population attributable fractions. Results: The disease burden of PM10 was 6.9 DALY per 1,000 persons in 2007. The attributable burden of $PM_{10}$ was 2.68 for lung cancer, 2.41 for COPD, 0.62 for ischemic heart disease, 0.61 for pneumonia, 0.55 for asthma, and 0.03 for preterm. Conclusions: This study showed the environmental burden of disease of $PM_{10}$ and burden of $PM_{10}$-related disease through objective data. It also suggested that active efforts are needed to continuously measure and reduce the burden of environmental diseases in Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.123-129
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• 2022

Background: The Environmental Health Action Program was a national project carried out from 2012~2021. It was aimed at developing public technologies to protect people's health from various environmental hazards. Objectives: One of the final goals of the project was "creating health benefits worth more than 179.2 billion won by reducing the environmental burden of disease." This study aims to evaluate whether the program sufficiently achieved the planned benefits. Methods: In order to secure consistency in evaluation, we applied the same equation used in the goal-setting process. It is comprised of six parameters to estimate the benefit: 1. The amount of medical expenses for environmental diseases; 2. The attributable proportion of environmental risk factors' 3. The rate of reduction in medical expenses for environmental diseases; 4. R&D project contribution; 5. The proportion of successful policy reflection; and 6. The contributions of the project. The corresponding variables were estimated at the end of the project, and the health benefits of the project were recalculated using the newly estimated variables. Results: It was estimated that a total of 195 billion won in health benefits occurred or will occur from 2015 to 2026. The main contributors for achieving the target were an increase in medical expenses for environmental diseases, a high score in the R&D project contribution, and the proportion of successful policy reflection. Conclusions: Technically, the equation used in the project is about medical expenses for environmental diseases rather than about the environmental burden of disease. There are several benefits of using the environmental burden of disease in the evaluation of public health policies. In further studies, developing a policy evaluation framework using indicators such as population attributable fraction would be needed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.460-471
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• 2012

Objectives: Due to global warming resulting from climate change, there has been increasing interest in the relationship between temperature and mortality. These temperature-related deaths depend on diverse conditions related to a given place and person, as well as on time. This study examined changes in the impact of high temperatures on death in summer, using the effect and burden of elevated temperatures on deaths in Seoul and Daegu. Methods: A Poisson regression model was used to estimate short-term temperature effects on mortality. Temperature-related risks were divided into three time periods of equal length (1996-2000, 2001-2005, and 2006-2010). In addition, in order to compare the impact of high temperatures on deaths, this study calculated the proportion of attributable deaths to population, which simultaneously considers the threshold and the slope above the threshold. Results: The effect and burden of high temperatures on deaths is high in Daegu. However, the impact (i.e. the effect and burden) of elevated summer temperatures on deaths has declined over the past 15 years. Sensitivity analyses using alternative thresholds show the robustness of these findings. Conclusion: This study suggests that the attributable burden of high temperatures on deaths to be more plausible than relative risk or threshold for comparing the health impact of high temperatures across populations. Moreover, these results contain important implications for the development or the adjustment of present and future strategies and policies for controlling the temperature-related health burden on populations.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.444-453
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• 2014

Inequality of environmental impact is forecast to deepen due to the damage of environmental risk by the interaction between environmental and social inequalities causing more harms to environmentally vulnerable population. This study assessed the integrated cumulative impact of Seoul using Environmental Health Screening Tool developed by Environmental Protection Agency of California. In order to screen vulnerable area to environmental health, 10 indexes have been selected according to the environmental burden of exposure to environment and public health effects, population characteristics of sensitive populations and socio-economic factors. As a result of assessment conducted on cumulative impact of Seoul for years 2009~2011 through Environmental Health Screening Tool, risk factor for districts of Gangseo and Gangnam of Seoul showed high - Gangseo area indicated high risk factor both in environmental burden and population characteristics, while Gangnam area appeared high in environmental burden. The result of survey will be able to suggest scientific basis to push through fair and effective environmental policy in consideration of environment vulnerable population.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Life Science Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.93.2-93.2
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• 2008

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.19-31
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• 2013

Objectives: Elevated temperatures during summer months have been reported since the early 20th century to be associated with increased daily mortality. However, future death impacts of high temperatures resulting from climate change could be variously estimated in consideration of the future changes in historical temperature-mortality relationships, mortality, and population. This study examined the future death burden of high temperatures resulting from climate change in Seoul over the period of 2001-2040. Methods: We calculated yearly death burden attributable to high temperatures stemming from climate change in Seoul from 2001-2040. These future death burdens from high temperature were computed by multiplying relative risk, temperature, mortality, and population at any future point. To incorporate adaptation, we assumed future changes in temperature-mortality relationships (i.e. threshold temperatures and slopes), which were estimated as short-term temperature effects using a Poisson regression model. Results: The results show that climate change will lead to a substantial increase in summer high temperature-related death burden in the future, even considering adaptation by the population group. The yearly death burden attributable to elevated temperatures ranged from approximately 0.7 deaths per 100,000 people in 2001-2010 to about 1.5 deaths per 100,000 people in Seoul in 2036-2040. Conclusions: This study suggests that adaptation strategies and communication regarding future health risks stemming from climate change are necessary for the public and for the political leadership of South Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.545-553
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• 2012

Eco-efficiency considers both environmental impacts and economic values. It is a useful tool for communicating with stakeholders for business decision making. This study evaluated the eco-efficiency factor (EEF) for the energy network of a dyeing company that supplies surplus heat to a neighboring apartment during the night. This symbiosis network is one of the eco-industrial park (EIP) projects in Korea and aims to benefit local residents and the industrial complex by utilizing surplus heat. In this study, two categories were annualized. The first quantified environmental burden based on $CO_2$ emissions and quantified product value in terms of steam sales. The second used a variety of environmental factors, such as fossil fuel, water and waste, to quantify environmental burden and used steam sales to quantify value. The EEF of the symbiosis network was 1.6, using the global warming impact, and determined using the multiple variable, was 1.33. This study shows that the EEF depends on variable details of environmental burden but the values of this project were very high contrast to other business or EIP project.

• The Journal of Industrial Distribution & Business
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• v.8 no.5
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• pp.35-42
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• 2017

Purpose - This study investigated small business members' cognition of happiness in accordance with changes of employment environment at the nation's industrialization. The study verified effects of labor workers' psychological wellbeing conditions upon life satisfaction as well as the effects of job burden and family burden of employment instability. Research design, data, and methodology - The subjects were small business workers in Seoul and Metropolitan areas. The author collected 150 copies of effective questionnaires. Regression analysis, hierarchical analysis and 3-stage mediation regression analysis were done. Results - The findings of this research was that psychological wellbeing factors alleviated job burden and family burden to increase satisfaction with life. Employment instability moderated between job burden and satisfaction with life, job burden between environmental control and satisfaction with life, and family burden between goal and satisfaction of life. Members needed sub factors of psychological wellbeing, especially reflection for self-acceptance. Conclusions - This study inspected effects of small business workers' psychological wellbeing upon life satisfaction at changes of management environment as well as labor environment to verify effects of job burden, family burden and employment instability and to find out conditions of human resources management from point of view of small business and workers.