• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.254-260
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• 2007

Trichloroethylene(TCE) is widely used as a degreasing solvent in workplaces. TCE is primarily toxic to the nervous system, however, systemic disorder like Stevens-Johnson syndrome has been recently reported in small-scale factories, where the government has had limited information of chemical use. A survey was performed to investigate the actual condition of using TCE and to provide practical information to occupational health service agencies and professionals. This survey was carried out on 103 factories out of 430 factories which were conducted periodic work environment measurement for TCE. Degreasing was the most popular reason for using TCE in Korea, which reached to 94%. TCE was also used as a solvent for rubber in the coating or molding process, and adhesives in the bonding process. Metal fabrication was the most common as 23%, followed by assembling automobile parts (17%), and machinery (12%). Workers exposed to TCE during full-shift were 52% while 48% were exposed during short period of the shift or intermittently. Manual or semi-automatic work occupied 87% while automatic work was just 13%. Though automatic work by a closed system was generally lower exposed to TCE, compared to manual work, it can cause a high exposure when the maintenance system is improper. Semi-automatic work especially like open-top degreasing process can cause a high exposure when local exhaust system with condensing and refrigerating coils in the degreaser does not work well. In conclusion, the survey showed nationwide status of TCE exposure in various aspects. It can be used to monitor workplaces and workers exposed to TCE to prevent occupational diseases.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.83-91
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• 2016

Objectives: This study was aimed to investigate utilization of health promotion indices of the 3rd National Health Plan 2011-2020 (HP2020) in the 6th Korean Community Health Plan. Methods: Health promotion indices were defined as a set of indicators on smoking, alcohol drinking, physical activity, nutrition and obesity used in HP2020. This indices were categorized into essential indicator, accessory indicators and others. Based on chi-square test, we analyzed utilization of health promotion indices in 186 Community Health Plans by regional classifications: four large influence areas (SudoGangwon, Chungcheong, Gyeongsang and HonamJeju) and four regional classification (metropolitan district, city, urban-rural area and rural area) Results: Among total 186 plans, indicator utilization rate were 97.8% in smoking, 71.0% in alcohol drinking, 91.9% in physical activity, 99.5% in nutrition and 72.0% in obesity. Utilization rates of alcohol drinking indicators and essential indicators in alcohol drinking show significantly difference by four large influence areas (p<0.01) and four regional classification (p<0.01). Essential indicators in physical activity show significantly difference by four large influence areas (p<0.01). Conclusions: Central government must provide technical assistance and educate personnel in community health centers and provincial health department about meaning and usefulness of Health Plan 2020 indicators.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.19 no.9
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• pp.29-36
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• 2018

Several studies have been conducted on monitoring system and automatic measuring instruments to prevent slope failure in advance in Korea and overseas. However, these studies have quite complex structure. Since most of the measurement systems are installed on the slope surface, the researches are carried on the measurement system that detects sign of slope collapse in advance and alerts are still unsatisfactory. In this study, slope collapse experiments were carried out to understand the slope failure mechanism according to rainfall conditions. The water content and displacement behavior at the early stage of the slope failure were analyzed through the measurement of the ground displacement and water content. The results of this study can be used by local government as a basic data for the design of slope failure alarm system to evacuate residents in case of slope failure or landslide due to heavy rainfall.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.3029-3035
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• 2013

Background: Most developing countries have been unable to implement well-organized health care systems, especially comprehensive Pap smear screening-based programs. One of the reasons for this is regional differences in medical services, and a low-cost portable cervical screening system is necessary. To improve regional discrepancies in cervical screening systems, we investigated the usefulness and acceptability of cervical selfsampling by liquid-based cytology (LBC) for 290 volunteers in the Lao PDR. Materials and Methods: Following health education with comprehensive documents, cervical self-sampling kits by LBC were distributed in three provincial, district, and village areas to a total of 290 volunteers, who were asked to take cytology samples by themselves. Subsequently, the acceptability of self-sampling was evaluated using a questionnaire. Results: The documents were well understood in all three regions. Regarding the acceptability of self-sampling, the selections for subsequent screening were 62% self-sampling, 36% gynecologist-sampling, 1% either method, and 1% other methods. The acceptability rates were higher in the district and the village than in the province. For the relationship between acceptability and pregnancy, the self-sampling selection rate was higher in the pregnancy-experienced group (75%) than in the pregnancy-inexperienced group (60%). For the relationship between selection of self-sampling and experience of screening, the self-sampling selection rate was higher in the screening-inexperienced group (62%) than in the screening-experienced group (52%). Conclusions: Our data show that this new way forward, involving a combination of self-sampling and LBC, is highly acceptable regardless of age, educational background, and residence in rural areas in a developing country.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.233-246
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• 2005

This paper aims to explore the innovation milieu of red-pepper agro-industry in Bonghwa County, in the northern part of Gyeongbuk Province, and suggest policy recommendations for bringing up local agro-industry from a cluster perspective. It turns out that the capabilities of Bonghwa red-pepper agro-industry to innovate are remarkably weak let alone soft infrastructures such as learning networks between innovation agents and social capital. In this sense Bonghwa red-pepper agro-industry can be viewed as an agricultural area simply specialized in production sector rather than a kind of agro-industry cluster. For moving up Bonghwa red pepper industry into an innovative cluster, the paper suggests that the policy makers need to focus on cultivating local learning communities, building a region-wide incorporated brand, promoting the local agricultural technology centre as a network hub of cluster and fostering the functional links between universities and local innovation agents, covering farmers, agricultural organizations, agro-food producers and the local government.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.87-100
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• 2018

Fast economic growth and urbanization of China have been causing air pollution not only over its domestic but transboundary atmosphere. Recent high fine particle pollution episodes in China made the government move toward more stringent air pollution control policies - which are mostly fuel switching and emissions control. In this research, we tried to understand characteristics of Chinese emissions and their change by analyzing its emissions inventory by year, sector, and region. From the inter-comparison of existing bottom-up emission inventories, we found relatively good agreements (<20% difference) for $SO_2$ and $NO_x$, but 30% or more discrepancies for some pollutants. Inter-comparison with top-down $NO_x$ emissions estimates also showed 20~50% differences by year. The regional distribution and inter-annual changes of emissions revealed different stages of energy/fuel mix and policy penetration. Early increase of pollutants emissions in the eastern part of China might give strong influences to the Korean peninsular in early 2000s but, more stringent control in that region would help improving air pollution in Korea in near future.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.434-444
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• 2013

Background: Regional Cardiocerebrovascular Centers (RCC) were established for the prevention and treatment of cardiocerebrovascular disease and funded by the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the measurement tool of public benefits in RCC. Methods: Through the intensive literature review, experts surveys and their repetitive feedback, we selected the 46 items about the public benefits in RCC. Development of measurement tool involved content validity test using Content Validity Index (CVI), construct validity test through factor analysis and reliability test. Results: Thirty-five items were selected by content validity test, which CVI was 0.08 or higher. Through the construct validity test, 32 items in 7 factors were derived. And Cronbach's alpha was 0.951. Finally, public benefits measurement tool is composed of 32 items in 7 factors which are comprehensiveness of health care services, market complement, emergency care, cost, governance, quality improvement, and government control. Conclusion: Though we developed the measurement tool of public benefits in RCC, it would be utilized to measure the public benefits of various health agencies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.581-589
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• 2011

Generally, treated water or raw water is transported into storage reservoirs which are receiving facilities of local governments from multi-regional water supply systems. A water supply control and operation center is operated not only to manage the water facilities more economically and efficiently but also to mitigate the shortage of water resources due to the increase in water consumption. To achieve the goal, important information such as the flow-rate in the systems, water levels of storage reservoirs or tanks, and pump-operation schedule should be considered based on the resonable water demand forecasting. However, it is difficult to acquire the pattern of water demand used in local government, since the operating information is not shared between multi-regional and local water systems. The pattern of water demand is irregular and unpredictable. Also, additional changes such as an abrupt accident and frequent changes of electric power rates could occur. Consequently, it is not easy to forecast accurate water demands. Therefore, it is necessary to introduce a short-term water demands forecasting and to develop an application of the forecasting models. In this study, the forecasting simulator for water demand is developed based on mathematical and neural network methods as linear and non-linear models to implement the optimal water demands forecasting. It is shown that MLP(Multi-Layered Perceptron) and ANFIS(Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System) can be applied to obtain better forecasting results in multi-regional water supply systems with a large scale and local water supply systems with small or medium scale than conventional methods, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.188-202
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to review a good sample for a healthy city to adapt its strategy. People has interested in the urban environment and their health in the region with a step-up in income and the improvement of living conditions. They has realized that urban environment is closely related to their quality of life, concentrated on development of clean city and healthy city from the point of urban planning. The movement of healthy city has been spread out from Europe on 1986, and WHO(World Health Organization) has been supporting the practical work to improve upon the physical or social condition on each regional level. The policy of healthy city has promoted centering around each local government which is made up of networking with others globally to interchange informations. This study reviewed a successful case of Kobe city in detail and will provide further useful insights into planners in building appropriate policies.

• Journal of Korean Society for Geospatial Information Science
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.29-37
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• 2011

Forest fire in Korea has been controlled by local government, so that it is required to understand the characteristics of regional forest fire occurrences for the effective management. In this study, to analyze the patterns of regional forest fire occurrences, we divided South Korea into nine zones based on administrative boundaries and performed spatial statistical analysis using the location data of forest fire occurrences for 1991-2008. The spatial distributions of forest fire were analyzed by the variogram, and the risk of forest fire was predicted by kriging analysis. As a result, forest fires in metropolitan areas showed strong spatial correlations, while it was hard to find spatial correlations of forest fires in local areas without big city as Gangwon-do, Chungcheongbuk-do and Jeju island.