• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.384-397
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• 2021

Background: With volatile organic compounds (VOCs) containing aromatic and halogenated hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, and xylene that can adversely affect the respiratory and cardiovascular systems when a certain concentration is reached, it is important to accurately evaluate the source and the corresponding health risk effects. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to provide scientific evidence for the city of Seoul's VOC reduction measures by confirming the risk of each VOC emission source. Methods: In 2020, 56 VOCs were measured and analyzed at one-hour intervals using an online flame ionization detector system (GC-FID) at two measuring stations in Seoul (Gangseo: GS, Bukhansan: BHS). The dominant emission source was identified using the Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) model, and health risk assessment was performed on the main components of VOCs related to the emission source. Results: Gasoline vapor and vehicle combustion gas are the main sources of emissions in GS, a residential area in the city center, and the main sources are solvent usage and aged VOCs in BHS, a greenbelt area. The risk index ranged from 0.01 to 0.02, which is lower than the standard of 1 for both GS and BHS, and was an acceptable level of 5.71×10^-7 to 2.58×10^-6 for carcinogenic risk. Conclusions: In order to reduce the level of carcinogenic risk to an acceptable safe level, it is necessary to improve and reduce the emission sources of vehicle combustion and solvent usage, and eco-car policies are judged to contribute to the reduction of combustion gas as well as providing a response to climate change.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2003.06a
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• pp.3-8
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• 2003

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.126-128
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• 2022

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.129-130
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• 2022

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1994.02a
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• pp.417-425
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• 1994

Although animal studies have been used most often for quantitative risk assessment, it is generally recognized that well-conducted epidemiologic studies would provide the best basis for estimating human risk. However, there are several features related to the design and analysis of epidemiologic studies that frequently limit their usefulness for quantitating risks. The lack of accurate information on exposure in epidemiologic studies is perhaps the most frequently cited limitation of these studies for risk assessment. However. other features of epidemiologic study design, such as statistical power, length of follow-up, confounding, and effect modification, may also limit the inferences that can be drawn from these studies. Furthermore, even when the aforementioned limitations are overcome, substantial uncertainty exists concerning the choice of an appropriate statistical (or biologic) model for extrapolation beyond the range of exposures observed in a particular study. This paper focuses on presenting a review and discussion of the methodologic issues involved in using epidemiologic studies for risk assessment. This review concentrates on the use of retrospective, cohort, mortality studies of occupational groups for assessing cancer risk because this is the most common application of epidemiologic data for quantitative risk assessment (QRA). Epidemiologic data should not be viewed as a panacea for the problems inherent in using animal bioassay data for QRA. Rather, information that can be derived from epidemiologic and toxicologic studies complement one another, and both data sources need to be used to provide the best characterization of human risk.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.440-450
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• 2021

Objectives: This study aims to investigate whether working environment measurement institutions(WEMIs) are conducting safety and health education, risk assessment, and oversight of special management materials, and whether working environment measurement and special medical examinations are being conducted as prescribed in the Occupational Safety and Health Act(OSHA). Methods: In of February 2021, a questionnaire was prepared and distributed to 33 WMEIs registered with the Ministry of Employment and Labor(MoEL) in Busan and Gyeongsangnam-do Province. The responses were collected and then analyzed. Results: The findings show that 5 WEMIs(15%) complied fully with OSHA. Risk assessment was conducted by 13 WMEIs(39%) and safety education by 11 WMEIs(33%). Eighteen WMEIs(55%) conducted working environment measurement, and 29 WMEIs(88%) conducted special medical examinations. The implementation rate of the risk assessment in the health industry(85%) was higher than the one in the special technology industry(11%)(p<0.05). The implementation rate of the special medical examination in the examiners(54%) was not as high as the one in the analysts(91%)(p<0.05). Conclusions: The MoEL needs to check whether basic OSHA requirements are being observed during regular inspections by WEMIs. These findings indicate that it is necessary to prepare a plan to improve the rate of compliance with OSHA regulations.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.24
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• pp.10683-10690
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• 2015

The big gap between efficacy of population level prevention and expectations due to heterogeneity and complexity of cancer etiologic factors calls for selective yet personalized interventions based on effective risk assessment. This paper documents our research protocol aimed at refining and validating a two-stage and web-based cancer risk assessment tool, from a tentative one in use by an ongoing project, capable of identifying individuals at elevated risk for one or more types of the 80% leading cancers in rural China with adequate sensitivity and specificity and featuring low cost, easy application and cultural and technical sensitivity for farmers and village doctors. The protocol adopted a modified population-based case control design using 72, 000 non-patients as controls, 2, 200 cancer patients as cases, and another 600 patients as cases for external validation. Factors taken into account comprised 8 domains including diet and nutrition, risk behaviors, family history, precancerous diseases, related medical procedures, exposure to environment hazards, mood and feelings, physical activities and anthropologic and biologic factors. Modeling stresses explored various methodologies like empirical analysis, logistic regression, neuro-network analysis, decision theory and both internal and external validation using concordance statistics, predictive values, etc..

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.321-333
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• 2022

In this study, the concentration and distribution characteristics of BTEX (benzene toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) emitted from Daesan Petrochemical Industrial Complex were examined to determine their potential hazards to local residents. Residents living nearby the complex areas may be exposed to the chemicals through various media (air, water, and soil), especially by air. This study evaluated human health risks by inhalation using both deterministic and probabilistic risk assessment approaches. As a result of the deterministic risk assessment, the non-cancer risk was much lower than the regulation limit of hazard index (HI 1.0) for all the points. However, in case of cancer risk evaluation, it was found that the risk of excess cancer for benzene at point A located in the industrial complex was 2.28×10^-6, which slightly exceeded the standard regulatory limit of 1.0×10^-6. In addition, the probabilistic risk assessment revealed that the percentile exceeding the standard of 1.0×10^-6was found to be 45.3%. The sensitivity analysis showed that exposure time (ET) had the greatest impact on the results. Based on the risk assessment study, it implied that ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene had little adverse effects on potential human exposure, but benzene often exceeded the cancer risk standard (1.0×10^-6). Further studies on extensive VOCs monitoring are needed to evaluate the potential risks of industrial complex areas.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.197-206
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• 2015

Background: The purpose of this study was to propose a method for developing a measure of hospital-wide all-cause risk-standardized readmissions using administrative claims data in Korea and to discuss further considerations in the refinement and implementation of the readmission measure. Methods: By adapting the methodology of the United States Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services for creating a 30-day readmission measure, we developed a 6-step approach for generating a comparable measure using Korean datasets. Using the 2010 Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) claims data as the development dataset, hierarchical regression models were fitted to calculate a hospital-wide all-cause risk-standardized readmission measure. Six regression models were fitted to calculate the readmission rates of six clinical condition groups, respectively and a single, weighted, overall readmission rate was calculated from the readmission rates of these subgroups. Lastly, the case mix differences among hospitals were risk-adjusted using patient-level comorbidity variables. The model was validated using the 2009 NHI claims data as the validation dataset. Results: The unadjusted, hospital-wide all-cause readmission rate was 13.37%, and the adjusted risk-standardized rate was 10.90%, varying by hospital type. The highest risk-standardized readmission rate was in hospitals (11.43%), followed by general hospitals (9.40%) and tertiary hospitals (7.04%). Conclusion: The newly developed, hospital-wide all-cause readmission measure can be used in quality and performance evaluations of hospitals in Korea. Needed are further methodological refinements of the readmission measures and also strategies to implement the measure as a hospital performance indicator.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.237-242
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• 2017

In this study, to investigate of safety for Benzo(a)pyrene in medicinal herb, 8 kinds of selected commercial herbal medicines (Rehmanniae Radix, Rehmanniae Radix Preparata, Amomi Tsao-Ko Fructus, Cimicifugae Rhizoma, Cyperi Rhizoma, Magnoliae Cortex, Scutellariae Radix, Scrophulariae Radix) were analysed using the high performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detector and assessed the health risk. The levels of benzo(a)pyrene were from non-detection to $28.1{\mu}g/kg$, and the average was $3.6{\mu}g/kg$. Based on a nationwide survey of the consumption of medicinal herb by the Korean population, we estimated the potential risk from the ingestion of benzo(a)pyrene. The estimated daily intake of benzo(a)pyrene was 1.6 ng/kg b.w./day for group only know the daily average intake of medicinal herb. The MOE (margin of exposure) of benzo(a)pyrene for estimate of health risk was $1.93{\times}10^5$. Therefore, health risk from benzo(a)pyrene through intake of herbal medicine was considered negligible.