• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.298-301
• /
• 2003

Objectives : There is an increasing concern for the social, economic, environmental and health effects of the Asian dust (Hwang-sa in Korean language) in Korea. In this study, we intended to indirectly determine ordinary people's perception about the Asian dust by analyzing the contents of newspaper articles dealing with it. Methods: By using article searching services in the internet websites of three newspaper companies, we collected newspaper articles dealing with the Asian dust during the period from January $1^{st}$ of 1998 to December $31^{st}$ of 2002. We classified the articles into four categories: those forecasting the occurrence of the Asian dust, those about measures to cope with it, those about its occurrence in the neighboring foreign countries, and those about its effects. In particular, we analyzed articles about the health effects of the Asian dust more distinctly. Results : A total of 1,225 articles dealing with the Asian dust were found during the 5 year period. The number of articles increased from 102 in 1998 to 518 in 2002, approximately a five-fold increase, The numbers of articles about health effects, environmental effects and economical effects were 191 (44%), 171 (41%) and 147 (34%), respectively. It was reported that various diseases such as respiratory diseases (87%), eye problems (69%), and skin diseases (12%) were associated with the Asian dust. Conclusion : The increasing concern for the negative effects of the Asian dust necessitates more studios about this field. As the effects of the Asian dust are various, the information on the major concern of ordinary people could help establish the research agendas and measures for the Asian dust.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.59 no.3
• /
• pp.71-81
• /
• 2017

Organic dust generated inside livestock facilities includes toxic organic matters such as bacteria and endotoxin. Dust can cause respiratory disease for worker and livestock, and consequently, degradation of welfare and productivity. Influence of dust on livestock workers has been studied since the 1970s. However, exposure limit for cattle farmer has not been established, unlike exposure limit for pig and poultry farmer. Furthermore, study on air quality inside livestock facility, especially inside dairy farm has been rarely conducted in Korea. In this study, dust concentration of TSP, PM10, inhalable and respirable dust has been monitored in the commercial dairy house according to location and working activities. Bedding material inside the stall was one of the major sources of dust. The amount of dust was related to water content level of the bedding material. Dust concentration was relatively high in leeward location, and the highest concentration was measured during TMR mixing process. The maximum value of inhalable dust concentration was 29.1 times higher than the reference value as fine particles drop to the TMR mixer. Dust generated by TMR mixing was presumed to decrease by adjusting moisture and drop height of feed.

• Communications for Statistical Applications and Methods
• /
• v.30 no.5
• /
• pp.517-530
• /
• 2023

Recent studies revealed that fine dust in ambient air may cause various health problems such as respiratory diseases and cancer. To prevent the toxic effects of fine dust, it is important to predict the concentration of fine dust in advance and to identify factors that are closely related to fine dust. In this study, we developed a Bayesian network model for predicting PM10 concentration in Seoul, Korea, and visualized the relationship between important factors. The network was trained by using air quality and meteorological data collected in Seoul between 2018 and 2021. The study results showed that current PM10 concentration, season, carbon monoxide (CO) were the top 3 effective factors in 24 hours ahead prediction of PM10 concentration in Seoul, and that there were interactive effects.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.71 no.5
• /
• pp.341-348
• /
• 2011

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate annual changes in pulmonary function in workers who were exposed to inorganic dust. Methods: The subjects were 2,922 male patients who had been diagnosed with pneumoconiosis more than twice during 6 years from 2005 to 2010. Results: Of the 2,922 cases, forced vital capacity (FVC) decreased by 54 mL in 1 year. In contrast, the annual change of forced expiratory volume in one second ($FEV_1$) decreased by 56 mL. Conclusion: This is the first study that has investigated the annual change in pulmonary function in workers exposed to inorganic dust. The results will help estimate the pulmonary condition of patients who are unable to perform a pulmonary function test due to age or a disorder.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.516-538
• /
• 2020

The present study investigated regional and sex differences in knowledge, perception, cognition and behavior of fine-dust protective masks for periods of high concentration of fine dust in Korea. A total of 2,012 adults from seven provinces responded to the questionnaire. The results (all p<.05) showed that 78% of respondents considered pollution from China to be the greatest contributor of fine dust. Seoul and Gyeonggi residents more frequently checked fine dust forecasts than other provinces and consulted their smartphone applications to do so more than other residents. Jeju, Gwangwon, and Jeonla residents had less knowledge of KF 80, 94, and 99 masks than residents of other provinces. Gwangwon and Jeju residents had less trust in the effectiveness of protective masks than other residents. Females perceived themselves as unhealthier respiratory, more frequently checked the concentration of fine dust, trusted more the effectiveness of masks, and more frequently wore masks, compared to male respondents. Those who self-identified their respiratory function as poor, more frequently checked fine dust forecasting, and had greater knowledge of masks, which resulted in greater trust in the protective function of masks, and finally had higher wear frequency of masks for days with high concentrations of fine dust.

• Korean Journal of Adult Nursing
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.617-625
• /
• 2004

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the asthma management educational program given to the allergic asthmatics receiving immunotherapy due to house dust mite on the disease related to knowledge, stress, and self-efficacy. Method: The subjects of this study were the patients received immunotherapy to house dust mite at a week interval after being diagnosed for house dust mite allergic asthma at the respiratory center of a hospital affiliated to the university. They were divided into the experimental group of 29 patients who received asthma management education, the control group of 32 patients, and 61 patients in total. Experimental treatment, as an asthma management educational program, was the group education of one time and the reinforcement education of three times with environmental therapy and immunotherapy to house dust mite. Results: The results revealed that the improvement in disease related knowledge, the improvement in self-efficacy and the decrease in stress, were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group. Conclusions: The asthma management educational program had an effect on improving the disease related knowledge and self-efficacy, and decreasing the stress of the patients asthmatics allergic to house dust mite.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.24 no.3
• /
• pp.321-328
• /
• 2008

The number of patient with allergic asthma and atopy have increased in the cities of Korea steadily. In order to elucidate the primary factor, we investigated whether the house dust particles collected from an apartment of the middle classes has promoting effects of allergen-related airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness. Mice were treated with 0.1 mL of 1 mg/mL of house dust particles suspension by intratracheal instillation once weekly for 10 weeks combined with ovalalbumin (OVA) sensitization. Intratracheal instillation of house dust particles and OVA sensitization caused an increase in the level of serum L-lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), immunoglobulun-E (IgE) and histamine, and an elevation in respiratory resistance. It also enhanced infiltration of eosinophils in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) of mice, IgE and eotaxin expression in blood, and T helper type 2 cell derived cytokine levels such as of interleukin (IL)-4, IL-13 and IL-5 in the BALF. However, it did not influence T helper type 1 cytokine such as interferon-gamma in the BALF. These results indicate that house dust particles elevate allergen-related airway inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in mice and may play an important role in the aggravation of asthma and atopy in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.20 no.4
• /
• pp.274-281
• /
• 2010

The objectives of this study are (a) to investigate the distribution patterns and exposure concentrations of biological agents in sawmill industries and (b) to compare sampling methods of biological agents. The representative processes of 5 sawmills were selected to measure total airborne bacteria, fungi, endotoxin as well as dust. Airborne bacteria and fungi were measured with one stage impactor, six stage impactor and gelatin filteration methods. Endotoxin was collected with polycarbonate filters and analysed by kinetic chromogenic Limulus Amebocyte Lysate method. Geometric mean levels of airborne bacteria, fungi, endotoxin and dust were 1,864 CFU/$m^3$, 2,252 CFU/$m^3$, 31.5 EU/$m^3$ and 2.4 mg/$m^3$. The ratios of indoor/outdoor concentrations were 3.7 for bacteria, 4.1 for fungi, 3.3 for endotoxin and 9.7 for dust. The respiratory fractions of bacteria were 68.0, 50.9, 49.2 and 45.1% in band-saw, table-saw, rip-saw process and outdoor air. The respiratory fractions of fungi were 78.7, 90.8, 87.5 and 84.8% in band-saw, table-saw, rip-saw process and outdoor air, respectively. There was no significant differences in bacterial concentrations among single stage, six stage impaction and filteration methods. But, fungal concentrations measured with filtration methods were significantly higher than those with impaction methods. Geometric mean levels of airborne bacteria and fungi were higher than the OSHA guideline values of 1,000 CFU/$m^3$. The respiratory fractions of fungi were above 75%. The concentrations of biological agents were significantly different among culture-based sampling methods. In the exposure assessments of biological agents, further studies are needed for the comparisons of diverse sampling methods and the investigations of environmental factors.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
• /
• v.74 no.2
• /
• pp.51-55
• /
• 2013

Acute eosinophilic pneumonia is a severe and rapidly progressive lung disease that can cause fatal respiratory failure. Since this disease exhibits totally different clinical features to other eosinophilic lung diseases (ELD), it is not difficult to distinguish it among other ELDs. However, this can be similar to other diseases causing acute respiratory distress syndrome or severe community-acquired pneumonia, so the diagnosis can be delayed. The cause of this disease in the majority of patients is unknown, even though some cases may be caused by smoke, other patients inhaled dust or drugs. The diagnosis is established by bronchoalveolar lavage. Treatment with corticosteroids shows a rapid and dramatic positive response without recurrence.

• The Journal of Bigdata
• /
• v.2 no.1
• /
• pp.17-26
• /
• 2017

The gradual desertification in Northeastern China brought about by the industrial development and global warming, has affected the Korean peninsula as evident by the ultrafine dust geographically and seasonally. People with severe respiratory problems, senior citizens and the infants are susceptible to the ill effects of fine dust which could prove fatal to them. Hence, we need to study the root cause of fine dust emergence and the correlation verification between fine dust and its side effects. This study firstly analyzed clean and contaminated areas classified by industrial elements. We utilized air, weather and industrial data in the area. Next, we detected a change of fine dust in terms of weather and climate. We analyzed correlation of air and weather by influence from domestic and neighboring country. The result indicated that China is the culprit of the emergence of fine dust predicament. Consequently, we can prove that fine dust ($PM_{10}$) and ultrafine dust ($PM_{2.5}$) could arise from geographical, seasonal, and pollutant elements. Therefore, we propose the optimum to make countermeasures about fine dust in terms of industry, topography, population and living residence.