• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제43권1호
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• pp.1-22
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• 2017

'The worstest environment disaster', 'World's first biocide massacre', 'Home-based Sewol ferry disaster' are all phrases attached to the recent humidifier disinfectant disaster. In the spring of 2011, four of 8 pregnant women including 1 adult man passed away at a university hospital in Seoul due to breathing failure. Epidemiologic investigation conducted by the Korean CDC soon revealed the inhalation of humidifier disinfectant, which had been widely used in Korea during the winter, to be responsible for the disease. As well as lung fibrosis hardening of the lungs, other diseases including asthma, rhinitis, skin disease, liver disease, fetal disease or cancers have been researched for their relation with exposure to the products. By February 9, 2017, 5,342 cases had registered for health problems and 1,131 of them were already dead (20.8% mortality rate). Based on studies by government agencies and a telephone survey of the general population by Seoul National University and civic groups, around 20% of the general public of Korea has used these products. Since the market release of the first product by SK Chemical in 1994, over 7.1 million items from around 20 brands were sold up to 2011. Most of the products were manufactured by well-known large conglomerates such as SK, Lotte, Samsung, Shinsegye, LG, and GS, as well as some European companies including UK-based Reckitt Benckiser and TESCO, the German firm Henkel, the Danish firm KeTox, and an Irish company. Even though this disaster was unveiled in 2011 by the Korean government, the issue of the victims was neglected for over five years. In 2016, an unexpected but intensive investigation by prosecutors found that Reckitt Benckiser manipulated and concealed animal tests for its own brand and brought several university experts and company employees to court. The matter was an intense social issue in Korea from May to June with a surge in media coverage. The prosecutor's investigation and a nationwide boycott campaign organized by victims and environmental groups against Reckitt Benckiser, whose product had been used by more than 70% of victims, led to the producer's official apology and a compensation scheme. A legislative investigation organized after the April 2016 national election revealed the producers' faults and the government's responsibility, but failed to meet expectations. A special law for the victims passed the National Assembly in January 2017 and a punitive system together with a massive environmental epidemiology investigation are expected to be the only solutions for this tragedy. Sciences of medicine, toxicology and environmental health have provided decisive evidence so far, but for the remaining problems the perspectives of social sciences such as sociology and jurisprudence are highly necessary, similar to with the Minamata disease and Wonjin Rayon events. It may not be easy to follow this issue using unfamiliar terminology from medical and chemical science and the long, complicated history of the event. For these reasons the author has attempted to write this article in a question and answer format to render it easier to follow. The 17 questions are: Q1 What is humidifier disinfectant? Q2 What kind of health problems are caused by humidifier disinfectant? Q3 How many victims are there? Q4 What is the analysis of the 1,112 cases of death? Q5 What is the problem with the government's diagnostic criteria and the solution? Q6 Who made what brands? Q7 Has there been a recall? What is still on sale? Q8 Was safety not checked by any producers? Q9 What are the government's responsibilities? Q10 Is it true that these products were sold only in Korea? Q11 Why and how was it unveiled only in 2011 after 17 years of sales? Q12 What delayed the resolution of the victim issue? Q13 What is the background of the prosecutor's investigation in early 2016? Q14 Is it possible to report new victim cases without evidence of product purchase? Q15 What is happening with the victim issue? Q16 How does it compare with the cases of Minamata disease and Wonjin Rayon? Q17 Are there prevention measures and lessons?

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제31권1호
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• pp.139-156
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• 1998

수산물채취 잠수부에서 발생하는 잠수관련질환을 예방하고, 조기치료에 필요한 기초자료로 활용하기 위하여 잠수부들의 작업환경과 잠수관련질환의 발생양상을 파악하는 단면조사연구를 시행하였다. 수산물채취 어업잠수부 433(서해안 130명, 남해안 220명, 동해안 29명, 기타 54명)을 대상으로 면접과 우편설문을 통하여 인구학적 특성, 취업상태, 잠수기술의 습득경로, 잠수부경력 등의 직업력, 성수기와 비수기의 작업일수, 작업수심, 작업 시기, 잠수방식, 작업횟수, 작업시간, 작업간 휴식시간, 상승시 수중체류 및 급상승의 경험 등 작업특성을 조사하고, 한해 동안 감압병에 이환된 경험과 재압치료 및 잠수관련질환 증상의 경험을 1996년 1월과 2월에 조사하였다. 잠수부들의 평균연령은 39.7세(24-58세), 남자가 92.8%, 고등학교졸업의 학력이 58.4%였다. 평균 잠수부 경력은 12.9년(2-40년), 잠수방식은 후카 70.4%, 헬멧 22.2%, 스쿠버 2.5%였다. 잠수부의 고용상태는 정규 고용 34.7%, 임시고용 54.0%였다. 잠수기술의 습득경로는 선배잠수부 48.5%, 군대 37.6%, 잠수교육기관 12.3%였다. 주된 작업시기는 4-6월이 56%로 가장 많고, 7-9월이 6.4%로 가장 적었다. 성수기의 한달 평균 작업일수는 20.3일, 비수기는 12.5일 이였다. 잠수작업횟수는 하루 5-6회 45.0%, 일회 평균작업 시간은 51.1분, 잠수간 평균휴식시간은 35.5분이었고, 잠수부의 83.6%가 상승시 수중체류를 하고 있으며 80.4%가 급상승을 경험하였다. 후카잠수부의 작업수심은 30m(43%)와 40m(40.4%), 헬멧잠수부는 30m 이하(75.0%), 스쿠버잠수부는 20m 이하(90.9%)에서 주로 작업하였다. 잠수횟수는 주로 후카잠수부가 3-6회(86.5%), 헬멧잠수부가 5-8회(79.9%), 스쿠버잠수부가 4회 이하(81.8%)였다. 잠수부의 65.0%가 지난 일년 동안에 감압병을 경험하였다고 응답하였으며, 잠수작업에 종사한 이후 조사시점까지 전체 잠수부의 31.2%가 재압치료를 받은 경험이 있었다. 감압병의 증상으로는 근골격계 증상과 피부증상이 많았고, 배뇨장애는 39%가 경험하였다고 응답하였다. 혼란효과를 고려하지 않은 단변량분석에서 남자보다 여자에서 감압병의 발생률이 높고, 연령이 증가할수록 감압병의 발생률이 증가하는 경향을 보였다. 잠수부경력이 길수록 감압병의 발생률이 높았으며, 임시 고용에 비해 정규고용의 감압병 발생률이 높았다. 잠수기술은 선배잠수부로부터 습득한 경우가 군대와 교육기관에서 습득한 경우 보다 감압병 발생률이 높았다. 후카잠수부에서 비해 헬멧잠수부의 감압병 발생률이 높았고, 스쿠버잠수부는 감압병을 경험하지 않았다. 작업수심이 깊을수록, 작업횟수가 많을수록 감압병의 발생률이 증가하였다. 급상승의 경험이 있는 군이 없는 군에 비하여 감압병 발생률이 높았다. 일일 평균 40m이상 수심에서 5회 이상 반복잠수를 하는 잠수부가 22.7%, 40m이상의 수심에서 60분 이상 작업하는 잠수부가 6.1%, 5회 이상 반복잠수를 하면서 60분 이상 작업하는 잠수부가 29.1%였다. 작업 횟수가 5회 이상인 군의 감압병 발생률이 4회 이하인 군에 비해 유의하게 높았다. 많은 수의 잠수부가 잠수관련질환에 이환되고 있으며, 감압규정이 무시되고 있는 잠수부의 근무여건을 고려하면 잠수관련질환은 앞으로도 지속적으로 발생할 것으로 예상되므로 2차예방에 보다 많은 관심이 필요하며 잠수관련질환의 발생과 유병에 관한 지속적인 연구, 정기적인 건강진단제도, 잠수장비에 관한 규정 및 안전과 보건에 관한 교육과 훈련이 필요하다.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제46권3호
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• pp.285-296
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• 2020

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe the characteristics of exposure to humidifier disinfectants (HDs) and their association with the presence of a person who experienced the adverse health effects in general households in Korea. Methods: During the month of December 2016, a nationwide online survey was conducted on adults over 20 years of age who had experience of using HDs. It provided information on exposure characteristics and the experience of health effects. The final survey respondents consisted of 1,555 people who provided information on themselves and their household members during the use of HD. Exposure characteristics at the household level included average days of HD use per week, average hours of HD use per day, the duration within which one bottle of HD was emptied, average input frequency of HD, amount of HD (cc) per one time used, and active ingredients of HD products (PHMG, CMIT/MIT, PGH, or others). The risk of the presence of a person who experienced adverse health effects in the household was evaluated by estimating odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) adjusted for monthly income and region using a multiple logistic regression model. Subgroup analyses were conducted for households with a child (≤7 years) and households with a newborn infant during HD use. Results: The level of exposure to HD tended to be higher for households with a child or newborn infant for several variables including average days of HD use per week (P<0.0001) and average hours of HD use per day (P<0.0001). The proportion of households in which there was at least one person who experienced adverse health effects such as rhinitis, asthma, pneumonia, atopy/skin disease, etc. was 20.6% for all households, 25.3% for households with children, and 29.9% for households with newborn infants. The presence of a person who experienced adverse health effects in the household was significantly associated with average hours of HD use per day (P_trend<0.001), duration within which one bottle of HD was emptied (P_trend<0.001), average input frequency of HD (P_trend<0.001), amount of HD per one use (P_trend=0.01), and use of HDs containing PHMG (OR=2.23, 95% CI=1.45-3.43). Similar results were observed in subgroup analyses. Conclusion: Our results suggest that level of exposure to HD tended to be higher for households with a child or newborn infant and that exposure to HD is significantly associated with the presence of a person who experienced adverse health effects in the household.