• 한국정밀공학회:학술대회논문집
• /
• 한국정밀공학회 2005년도 추계학술대회 논문집
• /
• pp.754-758
• /
• 2005

Optimization of process variables such as arc current, welding voltage and welding speed in terms of the weld characteristics desired is the key step in achieving high quality and improving performance characteristics without increasing the cost. Consequently, incorrect settings of those process variables give rise to deviations in the welding characteristics from the desired bead geometry. Therefore, trainee welders are referred to the tabulated information relating different metal types and thickness as to recommend the desired values of process variables. Basically, the bead geometry plays an important role in determining the mechanical properties of the weld. So that it is very important to select the process variables for obtaining optimal bead geometry. However, it is difficult for the traditional identification methods to provide an accurate model because the optimized welding process is non-linear and time-dependent. In this paper, the possibilities of the Infra-red sensor in sensing and control of the bead geometry in the automated welding process are presented. Infra-red sensor is a well-known method to deal with the problems with a high degree of fuzziness so that the sensor is employed to build the relationship between process variables and the quality characteristic the proposed above respectively. Based on several neural networks, the mathematical models are derived from extensive experiments with different welding parameters and complex geometrical features. The developed system enables to select the optimal welding parameters and control the desired weld dimensions during arc welding process.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• /
• 제35권
• /
• pp.26.1-26.15
• /
• 2023

Background: The objective of this study is to investigate the differences in incidence rates of targeted diseases by classification of occupations among construction workers in Korea. Methods: In a subject-based cohort of the Korean Construction Worker's Cohort, we surveyed a total of 1,027 construction workers. As occupational exposure, the classification of occupations was developed using two axes: construction business and job type. To analyze disease incidence, we linked survey data with National Health Insurance Service data. Eleven target disease categories with high prevalence or estimated work-relatedness among construction workers were evaluated in our study. The average incidence rates were calculated as cases per 1,000 person-years (PY). Results: Injury, poisoning, and certain other consequences of external causes had the highest incidence rate of 344.08 per 1,000 PY, followed by disease of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue for 208.64 and diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue for 197.87 in our cohort. We especially found that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was more common in construction painters, civil engineering welders, and civil engineering frame mold carpenters, asthma in construction painters, landscape, and construction water proofers, interstitial lung diseases in construction water proofers. Conclusions: This is the first study to systematically classify complex construction occupations in order to analyze occupational diseases in Korean construction workers. There were differences in disease incidences among construction workers based on the classification of occupations. It is necessary to develop customized occupational safety and health policies for high-risk occupations for each disease in the construction industry.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• 제36권2호
• /
• pp.93-100
• /
• 2003

용접공은 용접과정에서 용접 흄, 중금속 및 bisphenol-A에 노출된다. 따라서 이 연구는 직무노출 메트릭스에 근거하여 근로자들의 내분비 교란물질의 노출실태를 파악하고자 하였다. 또한 생물학적 모니터링에 사용되는 뇨중 대사산물 농도에 영향을 미칠 것으로 생각되는 대사효소의 유전적 다형성 분포를 조사하였으며 이들 유전자가 뇨중 대사산물 배설에 미치는 영향을 연구하고자 하였다. 연구대상자는 경상남도에 있는 모 조선업체에 종사하는 근로자를 대상으로 하였다. 연구대상자는 총 84명으로 용접공 47명과 대조군 37명을 대상으로 하였다. 이름, 연령, 보호구 착용 여부, 흡연습관, 음주여부 등에 대하여 설문조사를 시행하였다. 시료채취는 건강검진이 진행되는 오후에 하였으며 뇨중 BPA는 뇨중 크레아티닌으로 보정하여 측정하였다. 대사효소의 유전자 다형성은 혈액의 백혈구로부터 DNA를 추출하여 제한 효소 절단 단편 다형성(restriction fragment length polymorphism, RFLP)법으로 검사하였다. 흄 중 BPA의 농도는 최대값 229.9 ng/mg, 최소값 5.7 ng/mg, 평균 61.9 ng/mg 이었다. 흄 총 중량과 흄중 BPA 양 간에 상관계수는 0.516으로 양적 선형관계를 보여주었다. 뇨중 BPA 농도는 대조군보다 용접공에서 유의하게 높았다. CYP1A1, CYP2E1, UGT1A6등의 유전자 다형성에 따라 뇨중 BPA 농도에는 차이가 없었다. 뇨중 BPA에 대한 다중회귀분석에서는 노출등급만이 유의한 변수였다. 용접 흄에 노출된 후 뇨중 BPA농도에 영향을 가장 큰 영향을 미치는 것은 노출등급이었으며, 대사효소의 유전적 다형성은 유의한 효과를 나타내지 못하였다.

• 한국산업보건학회지
• /
• 제10권1호
• /
• pp.93-103
• /
• 2000

The purpose of this case study is to report a case of lung cancer with exposure to welding fumes of welders in Korea and to demonstrate the causal relationship with exposure to welding fumes, especially with nickel and hexavalent chromium. The case is 47 years old, and had been engaged in welding, gas cutting, grinding and gousing on mild, stainless steel and nickel steel for 11 years from 1982 to 1993, and have been engaged in cleaning steel rollers with a cleaning oil in the same work shop since 1993. The level of welding fume exceeded the occupational exposure limit of $5mg/m^3$ established by the Korean Ministry of Labor and American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH). Especially, detectable hexavalent chromium and nickel was generated during welding, gousing on stainless and nickel steel. However, there was no ventilation systems(local and dilution) and no personal protection. There is several evidence that the past (1983-1993) exposure would be higher than the present. In conclusion, the lung case could be associated with his task including welding, gousing, and this association could be attributed to carcinogenic potential of the nickel and chromium in the fume.

• 한국환경성돌연변이발암원학회지
• /
• 제23권3호
• /
• pp.85-93
• /
• 2003

Welders working in a confined space, like in the shipbuilding industry, are at risk of being exposed to high concentrations of welding fumes and developing pneumoconiosis or other welding-fume exposure related diseases. Among such diseases, manganism resulting from welding-fume exposure remains a controversial issue, as the movement of manganese into specific brain regions has not been clearly established. Accordingly, to investigate the distribution of manganese in the brain after welding-fume exposure, male Sprague Dawley rats were exposed to welding fumes generated from manual metal arc stainless steel (MMA-SS) at concentrations of $63.6{\pm}4.1$ $mg/m^3$ (low dose, containing 1.6 $mg/m^3$ Mn) and $107.1{\pm}6.3$ $mg/m^3$ (high dose, containing 3.5 $mg/m^3$ Mn) total suspended particulates for 2 hrs per day, in an inhalation chamber over a 60-day period. Blood, brain, lungs and liver samples were collected after 2 hr, 15, 30, and 60 days of exposure and the tissues analyzed for their manganese concentrations using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Although dose- and time-dependent increases in the manganese concentrations were found in the lungs and livers of the rats exposed for 60 days, only slight manganese increases were observed in the blood during this period. Major statistically significant increases in the brain manganese concentrations were detected in the cerebellum after 15 days of exposure and up until 60 days. Slight increases in the manganese concentrations were also found in the substantia nigra, basal ganglia (caudate nucleus, putamen, and globus pallidus), temporal cortex, and frontal cortex, thereby indicating that the pharmacokinetics and distribution of manganese inhaled from welding fumes would appear to be different from those resulting from manganese-only exposure.

• Safety and Health at Work
• /
• 제1권1호
• /
• pp.51-60
• /
• 2010

Objectives: The level of benzene exposure in the petrochemical industry during regular operation has been well established, but not in turnaround (TA), where high exposure may occur. In this study, the characteristics of occupational exposure to benzene during TA in the petrochemical companies were investigated in order to determine the best management strategies and improve the working environment. This was accomplished by evaluating the exposure level for the workers working in environments where benzene was being produced or used as an ingredient during the unit process. Methods: From 2003 to 2008, a total of 705 workers in three petrochemical companies in Korea were studied. Long- and short-term (< 1 hr) samples were taken during TAs. TA was classified into three stages: shut-down, maintenance and start-up. All works were classified into 12 occupation categories. Results: The long-term geometric mean (GM) benzene exposure level was 0.025 (5.82) ppm (0.005-42.120 ppm) and the short-term exposure concentration during TA was 0.020 (17.42) ppm (0.005-61.855 ppm). The proportions of TA samples exceeding the time-weighted average, occupational exposure level (TWA-OEL in Korea, 1 ppm) and the short-term exposure limit (STEL-OEL, 5 ppm) were 4.1% (20 samples of 488) and 6.0% (13 samples of 217), respectively. The results for the benzene exposure levels and the rates of exceeding the OEL were both statistically significant (p < 0.05). Among the 12 job categories of petrochemical workers, mechanical engineers, plumbers, welders, fieldman and scaffolding workers exhibited long-term samples that exceeded the OEL of benzene, and the rate of exceeding the OEL was statistically significant for the first two occupations (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings suggest that the periodic work environment must be assessed during non-routine works such as TA.

• 한국산업보건학회지
• /
• 제31권3호
• /
• pp.202-212
• /
• 2021

Objectives: The reproductive health of female workers has been extensively investigated in South Korea and other countries worldwide. However, few studies have discussed the reproductive health of male workers. In this study, we reviewed the recent literature that reports on the effects of occupational exposure on the reproductive health of male workers and the health of their children. Methods: In May 2020 we used the PubMed search engine to search the literature over the last 10 years and chose case-control, cohort, and cross-sectional studies and reviews. We selected epidemiological studies that investigated the association between pre-pregnant occupational exposure and the reproductive health of male workers and the health of their children. We excluded case reports, non-epidemiological studies (animal experiments, cellular-level experiments, and similar articles), and studies that described postnatal occupational exposure. Results: We eventually selected 23 studies. The studies that included exclusively male workers reported that those employed in the agricultural sector or those exposed to pesticides showed lower blood levels of reproductive hormones and a high risk of lympho-hematopoietic system cancer in their children. Male workers exposed to complex organic solvents and organic compounds showed a high risk of poor semen quality, increased time to pregnancy, decreased blood levels of reproductive hormones, and a high risk of lympho-hematopoietic system cancer in their children. Male workers employed in occupations that involved significant social contact, or in the leather and livestock industries, and in occupations with high levels of exposure to lead and organic solvents showed a high risk of malignancies, including lympho-hematopoietic system cancer, neuroblastoma, and central nervous system tumors in their children. Studies that investigated both male and female workers reported that children of male smelters showed a high risk of premature birth, and children of male workers exposed to metals showed a high risk of hypospadias and cryptorchidism. Children of male welders and workers employed in the glass, ceramic, and tile industries showed a high risk of premature birth. Conclusion: The findings of this study will serve as basic data for further research on male workers' reproductive health and provide a scientific basis for the development of strategies to protect the reproductive health of males employed in high-risk occupations. Moreover, the results of this study may provide guidelines to improve the understanding of and knowledge on male workers' reproductive health.

• 대한방사선기술학회지:방사선기술과학
• /
• 제34권1호
• /
• pp.17-25
• /
• 2011

본 연구는 만성적인 망간(Mn) 노출 결과로써 초래될 수 있는 영향을 기능적 신경영상기법의 하나인 fMRI(functional magnetic resonance imaging)를 이용하여 인지 활동에 따른 뇌 활성화 정도를 분석, 평가하고자 하였다. 조선소에서 10년 이상 용접 작업을 해왔고 현재도 용접 전담 업무를 하고 있는 34세 이상의 남성 15명을 노출군으로 하였고, 노출군과 연령, 사회·경제적 지위와 행동 패턴이 비슷하며 다른 위험한 금속성 물질에 노출되지 않은 제조업 사업장에서 용접 작업을 하지 않는 생산직 근로자 15명을 대조군으로 구성하여 설문조사와 혈액 검사, fMRI를 실시하였다. 그 결과 fMRI 대상자(29명)의 평균 혈중 Mn 농도는 노출군($1.3\;{\mu}g/dl$)이 대조군($0.8\;{\mu}g/dl$)보다 유의하게 증가하였고, Pallidal Index(PI)도 노출군이 대조군보다 유의하게 증가하였다(p < 0.001). MRI 상의 PI값은 혈중 Mn 농도가 $0.93\;{\mu}g/dl$ 이상인 군이 $0.93\;{\mu}g/dl$ 미만인 군보다 유의하게 증가하였다(p < 0.001). 산술 과제를 수행하는 동안 실험군의 각 문항에 대한 평균 응답 시간은 노출군(1.3 sec)이 대조군(1.1 sec)보다 유의하게 증가하였다. 또한, 문항 전체에 대한 평균 응답 시간도 대조군(54.7 sec)이 노출군(45.0 sec)보다 느리게 나타났으며, 통계학적으로도 유의미한 차이를 보였다(p < 0.001). 대조군의 뇌 활성화 영역은 후두피질의 좌 우측, 상 중간전두피질과 하두정피질(inferior parietal cortex)의 우측, 중간측두피질의 좌측 영역에서 유의하게 증가하였다. 노출군의 뇌 활성화 영역은 대조군의 활성화 영역과 비슷한 위치에서는 보다 넓고 높은 활성화 상태를 보였다. 노출군은 대조군의 활성화 영역에 추가하여 상 하 측두피질의 우측, 뇌섬엽의 좌측, 뇌교량과 측뇌실 영역에서 유의한 증가로 나타났다. 두 집단간 뇌 활성화 영역 비교를 위한 t-test에서 노출군은 중간측두피질 영역을 포함하여 우측 하측두피질, 좌측 상두정피질, 좌측 후두피질, 좌측 소뇌 등의 영역에서 대조군보다 유의하게 더 높은 증가를 나타냈다. 하지만 어떤 영역도 노출군보다 대조군에서 더 활성화된 영역은 없었다. 이상의 결과에서 만성적인 Mn 노출은 인지 과제 수행 중에 뇌 활성화를 증가시켰다. 동일한 과제에서도 상 하 측두피질, 뇌도 영역에서 활성화가 증가되었고, 노출군이 일반인보다 측두영역 및 후두영역에서 뇌 활성화 상태가 증가되었음을 알아냈다. 이상의 결과에서 살펴 볼 때 작업환경 내에서의 만성적인 Mn 노출이 뇌 활성화의 신경 네트워크에 영향을 미친다는 것이 확인되었다.

• Investigative Magnetic Resonance Imaging
• /
• 제2권1호
• /
• pp.14-30
• /
• 1998

망간은 체내 필수원소의 하나이며 주로 간과 뇌의 기저핵게 축적되며 간을 통하여 배설된다. 망간은 체내 대사가 매우 빠르기 때문에 직업적 망간 폭로를 측정하는데 어려움이 있다. 특히 용접공과 같이 망간 폭로가 간헐적이거나 불규칙한 경우에는 혈중 및 요중 망간과 같은 기존 생체폭로지표로는 장기간에 걸친 폭로량을 정확하게 반영하기 힘들다. 뇌자기공명영상이 대두됨에 따랄 뇌내에 축적된 망간을 영상으로 확인하는 것이 가능하게 되었다. 초기에는 만성간부전 및 장기간에 걸친 정맥영양주입환자 등에서 뇌기저부의 고신호간도 소견이 보고되었다. 망간은 상자성 물질로 뇌자기공명영상에서 T1 이완시간을 단축시켜 T1 강조영상에서 고신호강도를 나타난다. 망간축적에 따른 고신호강도는 주로 담창구, 흑질, 피간 및 뇌하수체 등에서 나타난다. 저자들은 최근까지 국내 및 국외에서 직업적 및 비직업적으로 망간에 폭로된 사람에서 보고된 뇌자기공명영상소견을 수집하여 분석하였다. 우선 T1강조영상에서 관찰되는 고신호 강도와 연령, 성별, 직업적 망간 폭로 및 신경학적 이상 유무간의 관계를 분석하였다. 생물학적 폭로지표와 고신호강도간의 관계도 분석하였다. 고신호강도와 뇌내 망간축적, 신경세포손상 및 신경학적 이상간의 관계에 대한 문헌들을 분석하였다. T1강조영상에서 나타나는 고신호강도는 뇌내 망간축적 정도를 반영한다. 이러한 관계를 이용하여 신호강도를 분석하므로써 뇌내 망간축적 정도를 추정할수 있다. 뇌내 망간축적은 기저핵의 신경세포손상을 초래한다. 그러나 신경학적 이상은 비교적 단기간에 걸친 망간 축적과는 무관하게 보인다. 이는 신경학적 이상소견은 마간의 누적축적량과 관련되어 있기 때문인것으로 추정된다. 뇌자기 공명영사에서 관찰되는 고신호강도 소견은 표적 장기의 망간적 축적량을 반영하는데는 충분하지 못한 것으로 보인다. 따라서이러한 놔자기공명영상의 특성 및 비용-효과적인 측면을 고려할 대 망간폭로집안에서의 망간폭로정도를 추정하기 위하여 놔자기공명영상을 사용하는 것은 바람직하지 않다고 보인다. 그러나 망간과 관련된 건강장해가 의심되는 파킨슨증 환자에서 망간폭로를 확인 및 추정하는 데에는 매우 유용하게 활용할 수 있다.