• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 2014

In this study, we monitored the residues of organophosphate pesticides (OP) in eight fruit vegetables grown in Korea, and assessed risk levels of acute and chronic exposure of OP through the consumption of fruit vegetables. Chlorpyrifos, EPN, methidathion and phosphamidon in eight fruit vegetables were detected in this study. The results of cumulative assessment of national estimated short term intake for acute exposure of OP were due to the following order; eggplant, tomato, squash and cucumber. Total theoretical maximum daily intake calculated at first step of chronic exposure assessment for registered OP in Korea was 76.14%, compared with acceptable daily intake ADI) based on chlorpyrifos. In addition, total national estimated maximum daily intake calculated at second step of chronic exposure assessment was 13.949%, compared with ADI. Third chronic assessment was conducted by probabilistic approach using OP residues detected in eight fruit vegetables and showed that total exposure risk was very low, corresponding to 0.0001% compared to ADI. Based on those finding, the risk of organophosphate pesticides in fruit vegetables was considered quantitatively negligible. In future, further investigation to expand the target should be followed to do more accurate and detailed risk assessment.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.271-277
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• 2007

Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) are fully flurorinated organic compounds which are highly persistent in environment and accumulated in organism. These chemicals are released to the environment at their manufacture, during their use in industrial and consumer applications and from disposal after their use. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of PFOA and PFOS on the freshwater flea (Moina macrocopa). Acute toxicity test and chronic toxicity test were performed for 2 days and 10 days, respectively. Acute toxicity was assessed on the basis of mortality, while chronic toxicity was assessed by fecundity as well as mortality. The acute toxicity studies on PFOA and PFOS showed that the values of $LC_{50}$ were $73.9\;mg/L\;and\;27.7\;mg/L$ respectively. In the chronic toxicity test, fecundity was reduced significantly at 24.1 mg/L of PFOA and 9.3 mg/L of PFOS, respectively. Conclusively, the results of this work suggest that Moina macrocopa could be a suitable model organism for screening and assessing of environmental pollutants in water.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.498-504
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• 2017

Oral health behavior such as toothbrushing one's teeth, using dentifrice and such are an important part of improving one's oral health and therefore quality of life. However, it is also necessary to research exposure to harmful chemical substances. Therefore, this study investigated the factors that affect researching fluorine exposure resulting from oral health behavior initiation so that correct oral health guidelines can be provided. As a result of applying the fluorine compound's oral exposure in the ConsExpo 5.0 model, adult males' oral external dose was at 0.000196 mg/kg, oral acute (internal) dose at 0.000196 mg/kg/day and oral chronic (internal) dose at 0.000465 mg/kg/day. In the case of females, the oral dose was at $4.1{\times}10^{-6}mg/kg$, oral acute (internal) dose at $4.1{\times}10^{-6}mg/kg$ and oral chronic (internal) dose at $9.99{\times}10^{-6}mg/kg/day$.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Pathology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.27-33
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• 1999

Phosphamidon(PMD) is orgnophosphate insecticide broadly using in agriculture. In order to study PMD toxicity in the testis, histopathological change and apoptosis were assessed following acute and chronic oral administration in rats and chickens. In acute studies, histopathological changes included necrosis and desquamation of spermatogenic cells, multinucleated giant cells in the lumen of seminiferous tubules, and necrotic cells and the giant cells in the epididymal lumen. Atrophy of seminiferous tubule was seen in the chronic exposure with low doses. The toxic effects of PMD in chronic exposure including clinical signs and histopathological changes were more pronounced in chickens than rats. Apoptosis assessment was performed by TUNEL method and Hoechst staining. TUNEL-positive apoptotic cells were found in spermatocytes of seminiferous tubules, testicular apoptosis was more prominent following acute exposure than control and chronic exposure. Above mentioned result noticed that PMD causes apoptotic death and effects directly the spermatocytogenesis.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2011

Although pesticides have increased crop production and controlled disease, they have produced a number of adverse health effects. Pesticides have potential human toxicity and a variety of groups, such as farmers or industrial workers, as well as the general population, are exposed to pesticides. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to provide an overview of pesticide exposure and health through a literature review, focusing on exposure assessment, acute poisoning, chronic health effects, and future research needs. The exposure types and levels of pesticides vary by study subjects and need to be assessed by integrating several methods focused on the epidemiological purpose. Acute pesticide poisoning is a major public health problem in the world. Paraquat is the main causative pesticide for acute poisoning in Korea and should be banned in order to save several thousands of lives every year. Occupational pesticide exposure also causes numerous chronic diseases among farmers and industrial workers, including cancers, respiratory diseases, depression, retinal degeneration, diabetes, and abnormal menstrual cycle. However, controversy exists regarding the long-term effects of low-dose environmental pesticide exposure. The area of pesticide study is relatively new with broad study populations and it has received little academic and policy attention, particularly in Korea. More detailed studies investigating the risk of pesticide-related health effects and intervention efforts to reduce the problems are needed in Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.245-252
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• 2014

Arsenic is a unique element with distinct physical characteristics and toxicity whose importance in public health is well recognized. The toxicity of arsenic varies across its different forms. While the carcinogenicity of arsenic has been confirmed, the mechanisms behind the diseases occurring after acute or chronic exposure to arsenic are not well understood. Inorganic arsenic has been confirmed as a human carcinogen that can induce skin, lung, and bladder cancer. There are also reports of its significant association to liver, prostate, and bladder cancer. Recent studies have also suggested a relationship with diabetes, neurological effects, cardiac disorders, and reproductive organs, but further studies are required to confirm these associations. The majority of research to date has examined cancer incidence after a high exposure to high concentrations of arsenic. However, numerous studies have reported various health effects caused by chronic exposure to low concentrations of arsenic. An assessment of the health effects to arsenic exposure has never been performed in the South Korean population; thus, objective estimates of exposure levels are needed. Data should be collected on the biological exposure level for the total arsenic concentration, and individual arsenic concentration by species. In South Korea, we believe that biological exposure assessment should be the first step, followed by regular health effect assessments.

• Proceedings of the PSK Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.134.1-134.1
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• 2002

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.144-154
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• 2007

The acute and chronic toxicity of ambient and effluent water discharged to Lake Shihwa were investigated by using Vibrio fischeri, Daphnia magna and Oryzias latipes. Physicochemical characteristics including biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and nine heavy metals in a total of 15 water samples were evaluated and were satisfied with relevant Korean Water Quality Standards (KWQS) except for Hg in one sample. Acute toxicity was observed in five samples collected from three sampling locations. When impacts on reproduction and growth after chronic exposure were evaluated with D. magna, all the samples showed significant chronic effects. Reproduction appeared relatively more sensitive endpoint. In 21 days chronic tests on O. latipes, survival, mean egg number per female per day, hatching success rate and time to hatch were affected by increasing sample concentration. The organ-level changes such as gonadosomatic index (GSI), and hepatosomatic index (HSI), and molecular biomarker of vitellogenin (Vtg) induction that evaluated with O. latipes increased as exposure concentrations increased. It is noteworthy that the samples that did not exceed the KWQS resulted in acute and chronic toxicities. The results suggested that numeric criteria based on physicochemical parameters may not be protective of aquatic ecosystem. Acute and chronic toxicity tests with organisms representing different trophic groups should be supplemented in order to provide adequate level of environmental protection.

• BMB Reports
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.209-216
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• 2015

Stress is now recognized as a universal premorbid factor associated with many risk factors of various chronic diseases. Acute stress may induce an individual's adaptive response to environmental demands. However, chronic, excessive stress causes cumulative negative impacts on health outcomes through "allostatic load". Thus, monitoring the quantified levels of long-term stress mediators would provide a timely opportunity for prevention or earlier intervention of stressrelated chronic illnesses. Although either acute or chronic stress could be quantified through measurement of changes in physiological parameters such as heart rate, blood pressure, and levels of various metabolic hormones, it is still elusive to interpret whether the changes in circulating levels of stress mediators such as cortisol can reflect the acute, chronic, or diurnal variations. Both serum and salivary cortisol levels reveal acute changes at a single point in time, but the overall long-term systemic cortisol exposure is difficult to evaluate due to circadian variations and its protein-binding capacity. Scalp hair has a fairy predictable growth rate of approximately 1 cm/month, and the most 1 cm segment approximates the last month's cortisol production as the mean value. The analysis of cortisol in hair is a highly promising technique for the retrospective assessment of chronic stress. [BMB Reports 2015; 48(4): 209-216]

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.11.1-11.6
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• 2016

Objectives A hazard assessment of di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), a commonly used workplace chemical, was conducted in order to protect the occupational health of workers. A literature review, consisting of both domestic and international references, examined the chemical management system, working environment, level of exposure, and possible associated risks. This information may be utilized in the future to determine appropriate exposure levels in working environments. Methods Hazard assessment was performed using chemical hazard information obtained from international agencies, such as Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development-generated Screening Information Data Set and International Program on Chemical Safety. Information was obtained from surveys conducted by the Minister of Employment and Labor ("Survey on the work environment") and by the Ministry of Environment ("Survey on the circulation amount of chemicals"). Risk was determined according to exposure in workplaces and chemical hazard. Results In 229 workplaces over the country, 831 tons of DEHP have been used as plasticizers, insecticides, and ink solvent. Calculated 50% lethal dose values ranged from 14.2 to 50 g/kg, as determined via acute toxicity testing in rodents. Chronic carcinogenicity tests revealed cases of lung and liver degeneration, shrinkage of the testes, and liver cancer. The no-observed-adverse-effect level and the lowest-observed-adverse-effect level were determined to be 28.9 g/kg and 146.6 g/kg, respectively. The working environment assessment revealed the maximum exposure level to be $0.990mg/m^3$, as compared to the threshold exposure level of $5mg/m^3$. The relative risk of chronic toxicity and reproductive toxicity were 0.264 and 0.330, respectively, while the risk of carcinogenicity was 1.3, which is higher than the accepted safety value of one. Conclusions DEHP was identified as a carcinogen, and may be dangerous even at concentrations lower than the occupational exposure limit. Therefore, we suggest management of working environments, with exposure levels below $5mg/m^3$ and all workers utilizing local exhaust ventilation and respiratory protection when handling DEHP.