• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 2022

Objectives: This study intends to review the impact on cleaning workers and suggest directions for improvement by reviewing the legal and institutional ways in which Article 86 Nos. 7 and 16 of the Enforcement Decree of the Occupational Safety and Health Act work on the maintenance and promotion of cleaning workers' health. Methods: The following laws and systems were reviewed and considered: First, the occupational safety and health legislation obligated or required to be applied to protect the health of cleaning workers; Second, the status of control of chemicals or mixtures used at cleaning sites through the Consumer Chemicals Product and Biocide Safety Control Act; Third, Control of consumer products according to foreign material safety data sheet related laws. Results: Legal and institutional measures necessary to protect the health of cleaning workers include the legal control of harmful substances to be controlled, work environment monitoring, and special health examinations. The application of the Consumer Chemicals Product and Biocide Safety Control Act does not satisfy the legal and practical level of health maintenance and promotion required by the Occupational Safety and Health Act, and the communication of chemical information is insufficient. Overseas, there are restrictions on the use of consumer products in the workplace without material safety data sheets. Conclusions: It is necessary to improve the system to ensure the health of workers handling consumer chemical products. The remaining laws and regulations exempted from the obligation to prepare material safety data sheets should be additionally reviewed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.108-113
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• 2013

Objectives: Although several cases of lung diseases caused by indium have been reported in Japan, the United States and China, South Korea, which is estimated to have been the world's largest consumer of indium, has not yet established a criteria for the diagnosis of lung diseases caused by indium exposure. In this study, we tried to determine the applicability of the Krebs von den lungen-6, which has been widely recognized for its use with interstitial lung disease in Japan, as a biological exposure index for indium. Methods: Methods: The analysis of indium in serum was conducted by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and the analysis of KL-6 in serum was carried out using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results: The indium levels in serum were distributed from below the detection limit to a peak of $125.78{\mu}g/L$, and the values of the KL-6 were distributed from 104.5 U/mL to 2162.2 U/mL. The serum indium and KL-6 showed good correlation ($R^2$=0.389,pfortrend=0.000) and smoking did not affect the KL-6. Conclusions: The usefulness of KL-6 as a specific biomarker for interstitial lung disease has been recognized. In addition, it is expected that effective prevention of health problems can be achieved by determining the lung-damage progress at an early stage according to individual susceptibility.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.114-117
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• 2024

A lithium-ion battery is a rechargeable battery that uses the reversible reduction of lithium ions to store energy and is the predominant battery type in many industrial and consumer electronics. The lithium-ion batteries are essential to ensure they operate safely. We conducted an exposure assessment five days after a fire in a battery-testing facility. We assessed some of the potentially hazardous materials after a lithium-ion battery fire.We sampled total suspended particles, hydrogen fluoride, and lithium with real-time monitoring of particulate matter (PM) 1, 2.5, and 10 micrometers (㎛). The area sampling results indicated that primary potential hazardous materials such as dust, hydrogen fluoride, and lithium were below the recommended limits suggested by the Korean Ministry of Labor and the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists Threshold Limit Values. Based on our assessment, workers were allowed to return to work.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.165-171
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• 2017

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a monomer used in a polymerization reaction in the production of polycarbonate plastics. It has been used in many consumer products, including plastics, polyvinyl chloride, food packaging, dental sealants, and thermal receipts. However, there is little information available on the inhalation toxicity of BPA. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine its inhalation toxicity and effects on the estrous cycle, spatial learning, and memory. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to 0, 10, 30, and $90mg/m^3$ BPA, 6 hr/day, 5 days/week for 8 weeks via whole-body inhalation. Mortality, clinical signs, body weight, hematology, serum chemistry, estrous cycle parameters, performance in the Morris water maze test, and organ weights, as well as gross and histopathological findings, were compared between the control and BPA exposure groups. Statistically significant changes were observed in serum chemistry and organ weights upon exposure to BPA. However, there was no BPA-related toxic effect on the body weight, food consumption, hematology, serum chemistry, organ weights, estrous cycle, performance in the Morris water maze test, or gross or histopathological lesions in any male or female rats in the BPA exposure groups. In conclusion, the results of this study suggested that the no observable adverse effect level (NOAEL) for BPA in rats is above $90mg/m^3$/6 hr/day, 5 days/week upon 8-week exposure. Furthermore, BPA did not affect the estrous cycle, spatial learning, or memory in rats.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.364-375
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to suggest a direction for consumer-oriented curriculum development by analyzing the priorities of subjects and their preference for educational methods. Methods: The participants included 773 management supervisors and education practitioners in the workplace, and a survey was conducted from April 17 to August 30, 2019. Frequency analysis, t-test, Borich's Needs Analysis, and Locus for Focus Model analysis were performed using Microsoft Excel 2019 and IBM SPSS 21.0. Results: The highest perceived priorities for education subjects were as follows: ① 'CPR and First Aid Practice' and 'Occupational Disaster Prevention and First Aid Basics' in the manufacturing industry; and ② 'Emotional Labor and Job Stress Prevention', 'Occupational Disaster Prevention and First Aid basics, and 'Musculoskeletal Disorder Prevention' in the service industry. 'Collective education' was the most preferred method of education. 'School-type' was preferred for the seating arrangement, and the proper number of trainees was considered to be about 30. Respondents said the contents of the education was a top priority when they applied for education, and curriculum and appropriate textbooks should be considered in calculating the cost of education. Conclusions: Practical subjects and subjects related to major hazards by industry were required for management supervisor education. It was proposed in this study that the contents and operating methods of education be changed so that workers can easily comprehend essential subjects such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act. In conclusion, it is necessary to design the curriculum and apply educational methods suitable for each subject's characteristics in consideration of the priorities for subjects reflected in the needs of trainees.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.321-325
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• 2019

The recent humidifier disinfectant disaster has caused a great change in our society and lead the Korean people to lose faith in the government and corporations. To overcome this mistrust, the government and corporations have undertaken certain efforts, including a voluntary agreement on consumer product safety. All the ingredients of a consumer product should be disclosed according to this voluntary agreement. There were also unexpected benefits occuring from this process. We found that the concept of corporate responsibility for product safety differed greatly among the various actors in Korean society. Corporations believed that a product could be considered safe if it contained no regulated substances. We have come to believe that this may be an important cause of the humidifier disinfectant disaster. The Korean government, corporations, and civil organizations have reached a consensus that it is a corporation's responsibility to evaluate the risks of products before they are introduced to the market. However, the limitations of these voluntary efforts are clear, and the legal system needs to be improved. We suggest that the concept of extreme recklessness should be introduced into regulations on product safety.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.262-265
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• 2020

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) poses an important occupational health risk to health workers (HWs) that has attracted global scrutiny. To date, several thousand HWs globally have been reported as infected with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus that causes the disease. It is therefore a public health priority for policymakers to understand risk factors for this vulnerable group to avert occupational transmission. A rapid review was carried out on 20 April 2020 on Covid-19 risk factors among HWs in PubMed, Google Scholar, and EBSCOHost Web (Academic Search Complete, CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE with Full Text, CINAHL with Full Text, APA PsycInfo, Health Source-Consumer Edition, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition) and WHO Global Database. We also searched for preprints on the medRxiv database. We searched for reports, reviews, and primary observational studies (case control, case cross-over, cross-sectional, and cohort). The review included studies conducted among HWs with Covid-19 that reported risk factors irrespective of their sample size. Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria. Lack of personal protective equipment, exposure to infected patients, work overload, poor infection control, and preexisting medical conditions were identified as risk factors for Covid-19 among HWs. In the context of Covid-19, HWs face an unprecedented occupational risk of morbidity and mortality. There is need for rapid development of sustainable measures that protect HWs from the pandemic.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.258-267
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• 2000

The result of five year's experience on Inter-laboratory Comparison for Analyses of Heavy Metals and Organic Solvent Metabolites in Biological Samples was described. Since 1995, around a hundred laboratories in the Occupational Health have participated this program twice per year by the Industrial Safety and Health Law. Four metals in blood and five organic solvent metabolites in urine were examined. Reference samples were made by spiking standard materials to human blood or urine pools treated previously to give homogeneity and stability for a specific time periods. Some reference samples for organic solvent metabolites were made from workers' urine who were exposed to the organic solvents. Some items such as Lead in blood and Hippuric acid in urine showed good accordance between participants while the other items such as Mercury and N-methylformamide in urine showed poor proficient rate. The results were published in the internet or newspaper to help the consumer of the laboratory's service to get the information on them and to make competition between them. The inter-laboratory's comparison program have done greate role to improve the ability of analysis and reliability of analytical data produced from each laboratory.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.102-110
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• 2022

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the content of N,N-dimethylformamide(DMF) in polyurethane coated gloves(PU-gloves) and to assess the dermal exposure generated by wearing them. Methods: We analyzed the concentrations of DMF in 12 gloves by EN16778 standard. The samples cut into pieces of about 10 by 10 mm and extracted with methanol in flask in an ultrasonic bath at 70℃. An aliquot of the extract is analyzed with GC-MS. The dose of dermal exposure was calculated by ECETOC TRA consumer 3.1 and compared with derived no effect level(DNEL) for systemic effects due to long term exposure by workers. The extracted amount of DMF by saline solution was compared with that by EN16778 standard. Results: The mean concentration of DMF in PU-gloves was 1,377 mg/kg(range 13~3,948 mg/kg). The concentration of DMF showed significantly differences by packing type, manufacturer, and price(p<0.05). The dose of dermal exposure was 0.0007~0.572 mg/kg body weight/day when the DMF content was 10~4,000 mg/kg. The DMF extracted by saline solution was around 11% for 8 hours. Conclusions: The risk of dermal exposure due to the residual DMF in the PU-gloves was not signifiant. But, the limit of 1,000 mg/kg in PU-gloves can be recommended for international standard and trading systems.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.34-38
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• 2011

Objectives: The antimicrobial activity of silver nanoparticles has resulted in their widespread use in many consumer products. Yet, despite their many advantages, it is also important to determine whether silver nanoparticles may represent a hazard to the environment and human health. Methods: Thus, to evaluate the genotoxic potential of silver nanoparticles, in vivo genotoxicity testing (OECD 474, in vivo micronuclei test) was conducted after exposing male and female Sprague-Dawley rats to silver nanoparticles by inhalation for 90 days according to OECD test guideline 413 (Subchronic Inhalation Toxicity: 90 Day Study) with a good laboratory practice system. The rats were exposed to silver nanoparticles (18 nm diameter) at concentrations of $0.7\;{\times}\;10^6$ particles/$cm^3$ (low dose), $1.4\;{\times}\;10^6$ particles/$cm^3$ (middle dose), and $2.9\;{\times}\;10^6$ particles/$cm^3$ (high dose) for 6 hr/day in an inhalation chamber for 90 days. The rats were killed 24 hr after the last administration, then the femurs were removed and the bone marrow collected and evaluated for micronucleus induction. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes or in the ratio of polychromatic erythrocytes among the total erythrocytes after silver nanoparticle exposure when compared with the control. Conclusion: The present results suggest that exposure to silver nanoparticles by inhalation for 90 days does not induce genetic toxicity in male and female rat bone marrow in vivo.