• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.3
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• pp.134-148
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• 2023

Background: The conducting of health effect surveys (HESs) in environmentally contaminated vulnerable areas (ECVAs) by the central and local governments has been increasing apace with the increase in demand for HESs since the Environmental Health Act was enacted in South Korea in 2008. Objectives: This study aimed to review the HESs of residents in ECVAs conducted in South Korea. Methods: An analysis was performed on 125 reports obtained from the Environment Digital Library, PRISM, and local government websites after selecting from 803 projects obtained as ECVAs from the Korea ON-Line E-Procurement System (1997~2021), National Institute Environment Research (2000~2021), and Korea Environmental Industry and Technology Institute (2009~2021). The reports were classified by background (residents' demand, HES, and more), research design (cross-sectional study, cohort, ecological study, and panel), pollution source (abandoned metal mine (AMM), industrial complex (IC), and more), and assessment method of exposure and health effects. The survey area was converted into administrative district codes for geographical mapping. Results: There were 37, 34, 18, and 10 cases associated with AMM, IC, waste incinerators, and coal-fired power plants, respectively. Most of the studies conducted were cross-sectional studies and ecological studies. The proportion of epidemiological investigations by residents' demand showed an increase from 0.0% to 8.9% for the central government while decreasing from 16.7% to 14.3% for local governments after 2008 compared to before 2008. HESs increased at both the central and local government levels since 2014. For the evaluation method, 365 environmental hazards, 319 health outcomes, and 302 biological markers were investigated, with the most commonly investigated items being metals, cancer, and blood metals. Conclusions: HESs of residents in ECVAs in South Korea have been continuously developed both quantitatively and qualitatively. Future improvements are expected, and systematic review and classification of the HESs is warranted.

• Journal of Korean Ophthalmic Optics Society
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.363-369
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• 2014

Purpose: Three-dimensional (3D) displays are very useful in many fields, but induce physical discomforts in some people. This study is to assess symptom type and severity of asthenopia with their habitual distance corrective spectacle (HDCS) and their binocular vision corrective spectacle lenses (BVCSL) in people who feel physical discomforts. Methods: 35 adult subjects (ages $32.2{\pm}4.4$ yrs) were pre-screened out of 98 individuals to have the highest symptom/asthenopia scores following 65 minutes of 3D television viewing with HDCS. These 35 individuals were then retested symptom/asthenopia scores during they watched 3D television for 65 minutes at a distance of 2.7 m with wearing BVCSL of horizontal, vertical or base down yoked prisms. A 4-point symptom-rating scale questionnaire (0=no symptom and 3=severe) was used to assess 11 symptoms (e.g., blur, diplopia, etc.) related to visual fatigue/visual discomfort. Distance and near lateral phoria were measured using Howell phoria card and vertical phoria were measured using Maddox rod. Symptoms induced by watching 3D TV were compared between wearing HDCS and BVCSL. Results: Asthenopia in watching 3D TV with wearing BVCS was significantly lower than wearing HDCS at 5, 25, 45, and 65 minutes (all p < 0.001, paired t-tests). In only refractive error power correction power group, all asthenopia was not significantly different between HDCS and BVCSL (all $p{\geq}0.05$, paired t-tests). In prism correction groups for binocular imbalance, symptoms of asthenopia, however, was significantly lower for when wearing BVCSL than when wearing HDCS (all p < 0.05). Conclusions: Correction of phoria/vergence-based binocular vision imbalance can reduce asthenopia during 3D television viewing. An individual with binocular vision imbalance need corrected/compensated glasses with appropriate prisms prior to prolonged viewing of 3D television displays to reduce asthenopia/visual fatigue.

• Journal of Korean Philosophical Society
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• v.117
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• pp.327-354
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• 2011

This study has a key assumption that 'characteristics of discouse can be found in not its inside, but its outside'. The prism through which we can see those characteristics was provided by Foucault and Bakhtin who were introduced in the study. As an effort co probe the outside of discourse, the study is briefed 'the three attributes of discourse' that were suggested by Foucault First, discourse has the principle of selection and exclusion, which is based on power relations. Second, discourse is not transparent at all since it is always offensive towards other discourses and defensive against selected ones Third, discourse which is naturally accepted because of its dailiness had a deep structure secretly hidden in it. Based on the above attributes, Foucault and Bakhtin paid their attention to the outside of discourse. Specifically, they considered discourse fundamentally and went beyond it, and reflected the procedures of discourse. This study focused on 'Socrates', something common in the two scholars' works with discourse. In dealing with discourse, Bakhtin started with 'Socratic dialogue' that is based on the dialogic nature of human thoughts which purse the truth. For Foucault, it was Socrates who had the 'courage to cell the truth' and practiced 'self-consideration'. According to Foucault, the ethics of self-practice originated from the philosopher. The ethics is neither the precise representation of individual life that is withdrawn towards the inner self, nor the skills of happiness. It is just relational and cross-sectional. For a better understanding, this study pointed out that Kafka created a variety of 'dialogic voices' focusing on the outside of discourse. Dialogues found in his writings are 'interminable dialogues' that truly 'communicate with different times and different spaces'. For example, his novel, 'Der Prozess' opens the possibility of discussing in various ways the court which is look beyond conventions and extraordinary. Kafka's novels have a structure that their starting point found at the introduction reappears at the termination, presenting multi-vocal dialogues.