• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Toxicology Conference
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• 2002.05a
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• pp.135-135
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• 2002

Nowadays a huge variety of products that aim to assist to quit smoking or reduce addictive symptoms are developed and manufactured with safety evaluation, but the safety of the most recent products of interest which do not contain tobacco and nicotine, and shape cigarettes is not evaluated and guaranteed relatively.(omitted)

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.505-516
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• 2016

With the development of nanotechnology, nanomaterials are used in various fields. Therefore, the interest regarding the safety of nanomaterial use is increasing and much effort is diverted toward establishment of exposure assessment and management methods. Occupational exposure limits (OELs) are effectively used to protect the health of workers in various industrial workplaces. This study aimed to propose an OEL for domestic multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) based on animal inhalation toxicity test. Basic procedure for development of OELs was examined. For OEL estimation, epidemiological study and quantitative risk assessment are generally performed based on toxicity data. In addition, inhalation toxicity data-based no observed adverse effect level (NOAEL) and benchmark dose (BMD) are estimated to obtain the OEL. Three different estimation processes (NEDO in Japan, NIOSH in USA, and Baytubes in Germany) of OELs for carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were intensively reviewed. From the rat inhalation toxicity test for MWCNTs manufactured in Korea, a NOAEL of $0.98mg/m^3$ was derived. Using the simple equation for estimation of OEL suggested by NEDO, the OEL of $142{\mu}g/m^3$ was estimated for the MWCNT manufacturing workplace. Here, we used test rat and Korean human data and adopted 36 as an uncertainty factor. The OEL for MWCNT estimated in this work is higher than those ($2-80{\mu}g/m^3$) suggested by previous investigators. It may be greatly caused by different physicochemical properties of MWCNT and their dispersion method and test rat data. For setting of regulatory OELs in CNT workplaces, further epidemiological studies in addition to animal studies are needed. More advanced technical methods such as CNT dispersion in air and liquid should be also developed.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.119-127
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• 2008

The objectives of this study were to examine the lung injury and inflammation caused by manual metal arc stainless steel(MMA-SS) welding fume inhalation and to evaluate the recovery process. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to MMA-SS welding fumes for 2 h per day in a whole-body exposure chamber, with a total suspended particulate(TSP) concentration of $51.4{\pm}2.8mg/m^3$(low dose) or $84.6{\pm}2.9mg/m^3$(high dose) for 30 days. The animals were sacrificed after 30 days of exposure as well as after a 30-day recovery period. To assess the inflammatory or injury responses, cellular and biochemical parameters as well as cytokines were assayed in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF). MMA-SS welding fume exposure led to a significant elevation in the number of alveolar macrophages(AM) and polymorphonuclear cells(PMN). Additionary, the values of $\beta$-n-acetyl glucosaminidase($\beta$-NAG) and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) in the BALF were increased in the exposed group when compared to controls. After 30 days of recovery from exposure, a significant reduction in inflammatory parameters of BALF was observed between the exposed and recovered groups. Slight, but significant elevations were noted in the number of AM and PMN in the recovered groups, and AM that had been ingested fume particles still remain in the lungs. In conclusion, these results indicated that welding fumes induced inflammatory responses and cytotoxicity in the lungs of exposed rats. Fume particles were not fully cleared from lungs even after a 30-day recovery period.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.231-238
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• 2013

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are one of the nanomaterials that were discovered by Iijima in 1991 for the first time. CNTs have long cylindrical and axi-symmetric structures. CNTs are made by rolling graphene sheets. Because of their large length-to-diameter ratio, they are called nanotubes. CNTs are categorized as single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) or multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) based on the shell structures. CNTs are broadly used in various fields, such as scanning probe microscopy, ultra fine nano balance and medicine, due to their extraordinary thermal conductivity, electrical and mechanical properties. Because long, straight CNTs have the same shape as asbestos, which cause cancer in cells lining the lung, there have been many studies on the effects of MWCNTs on human health that have been conducted. Stable atomization of CNTs is very important for the estimation of inhalation toxicity. In the present study, electro-static assisted axial atomizer (EAAA), which is the instrument that uses MWCNTs and aerosolizes them by transforming the single fiber shape using ultrasonic dispersion and electric field, was invented. EAAA consists of a ultrasonic bath for dispersion of MWCNTs and a particle generator for atomizing single fibers. The performance evaluation was conducted in order to assess the possibilities of 6-hour straight atomization with stability, which is the suggested exposure time in a day for the estimation of inhalation toxicity.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.9-17
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• 2013

Butanethiol is known as a typical odorant with hydrogen sulfide, methyl mercaptan, methyl sulfide, but on the physical and chemical properties and biological hazard assessment, including inhalation toxicity data are very scarce. Butanethiol as a colorless transparent liquid, and has physic-chemical characteristics with flash point as $-23^{\circ}C$ and strong fire risk, boiling point $84-85^{\circ}C$, vapor pressure 80.71 mmHg ($25^{\circ}C$), freezing point $-140.14^{\circ}C$. From whole body exposure with SD rats, the $LC_{50}$ is above 2,500 ppm (9.22mg/L), and then it is classified as the acute toxic chemical (inhalation) category 4 according to the governmental notification No. 2012-14.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.215-222
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• 2010

The market size of engineered nanoparticles is rapidly increasing due to the fast application of nanotechnologies into different industries and consumer products. The development of new technology and materials has improved human's quality of life, but it also entails the possibility of exposure to new materials. In this study, we compared the distribution in the body by the inflow of silver nanoparticles having another diameter and shape at 1 h or 24 h after injection via the tail vein. And, we compared the cell composition and cytokine concentration in BAL fluid, and histopathological changes. As results, discharge of silver nanoparticles having small diameter and sphere shape was more rapid than that of big diameter or plate shape. It is estimated that the toxicity in liver and lung was proportional to accumulation level. The persistence of inflammation was also longer in mice treated with plate shape. Consequently, we suggest that the first choice of silver nanoparticles having small diameter and sphere shape in applying is desirable.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.306-313
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• 2007

The welding fume has been implicated as a causal agent in respiratory disease such as pneumoconiosis. The molecular mechanism by which welding fume induces toxicity in the lung is still unknown, but studies have focused on histological structure and indirect approach measuring the pulmonary damage markers. In the present study, gene expression profiles were analyzed in the lung of rats exposed by manual metal-arc stainless-steel (MMA-SS) welding fume for 30 days using Affymetrix GeneChip$^{(R)}$. Totally, 379 genes were identified as being either up- or down-regulated over 2-fold changes (P<0.01) in the lung of low- or high-dose group and were analyzed by using hierarchical clustering. We focused on genes involved in immune/inflammation responses were differentially regulated during lung injury induced by welding fume exposure. The information of these deregulated genes may contribute in elucidation of the inflammation mechanism during lung injury such as lung fibrosis.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.261-266
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• 2010

In the workplace, the arsenic is used in the semiconductor production and the manufacturing of pigments, glass, pesticides and fungicides. Therefore, workers may be exposed to airborne arsenic during its use in manufacturing. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential toxicity of particulate matters (PMs) doped with arsenic (PMs-Arsenic) using a rodent model and to compare the genotoxicity in various concentrations and to examine the role of PMs-Arsenic in the induction of signaling pathway in the lung. Mice were exposed to PMs $124.4{\pm}24.5\;{\mu}g/m^3$ (low concentration), $220.2{\pm}34.5\;{\mu}g/m^3$ (middle concentration), $426.4{\pm}40.3\;{\mu}g/m^3$ (high concentration) doped with arsenic $1.4\;{\mu}g/m^3$ (Low concentration), $2.5\;{\mu}g/m^3$ (middle concentration), $5.7\;{\mu}g/m^3$ (high concentration) for 4 wks (6 h/d, 5 d/wk), respectively in the whole-body inhalation exposure chambers. To determine the level of genotoxicity, Chromosomal aberration (CA) assay in splenic lymphocytes and Supravital micronucleus (SMN) assay were performed. Then, signal pathway in the lung was analyzed. In the genotoxicity experiments, the increases of aberrant cells were concentration-dependent. Also, PMs-arsenic caused peripheral blood micronucleus frequency at high concentration. The inhalation of PMs-Arsenic increased an expression of phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt: protein kinase B) and phpsphorylated mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) at high concentration group. Taken together, inhaled PMs-Arsenic caused genotoxicity and altered Akt signaling pathway in the lung. Therefore, the inhalation of PMs-Arsenic needs for a careful risk assessment in the workplace.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.468-479
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• 2018

Objectives: Recently, a report was published that the humidifier disinfectant CMIT/MIT did not cause developmental toxicity and was not detected in systemic circulation as a result of an inhalation toxicity test. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate any associations between CMIT/MIT exposure and developmental toxicity using the in vivo apical toxicity test method. Methods: Groups of pregnant ICR mice were instilled in the trachea with chloromethylisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (CMIT/MIT) using a visual instillobot over a period of seven days from days 11 to 17 days post-coitum. For the in vivo apical toxicity test method, an $LD_{50}$-based dose-range finding model was applied to decide the dose range for inducing developmental toxicity. Results: Among the groups of 0, 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg ai/kg/day CMIT/MIT, the exposure groups of 0.5 mg and 1.0 ai/kg/day CMIT/MIT were estimated to reflect the thresholds for the stillbirth and death of pregnant mice, respectively. The groups of 0.5, 1.0, and 1.5 mg ai/kg/day CMIT/MIT induced stillbirth rates of 2.57, 10, and 53.8%, respectively. Another exposure group of 0.75 mg ai/kg/day CMIT/MIT did not induce any deaths of pregnant mice and resulted in a stillbirth rate of 8% in only one of six pregnant mice. Conclusions: CMIT/MIT can induce stillbirth in pregnant mice. It was also concluded that CMIT/MIT moves through the pulmonary circulation system and then continues on through systemic circulation and the placenta. There is a possibility of stillbirth and other health causalities in humans beyond the lungs caused by CMIT/MIT exposure.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2003.05b
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• pp.355-356
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• 2003

Coagulation is a process whereby particles collide with one another due to their relative motion, and adhere to form large particles. Coagulation caused by the random Brownian motion of particles is called Brownian coagulation. Many properties, such as light scattering, electrostatic charges, toxicity, as well as physical processes, including diffusion, condensation and thermophoresis depend strongly on their size distribution. Therefore, Brownian coagulation is substantially important in atmospheric science, combustion technology, inhalation toxicology and nuclear safety analysis. (omitted)