• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Industrial Safety Conference
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• 1998.11a
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• pp.89-92
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• 1998

Tannins are complex polyphenolic substances present in plants. They may be classified as either hydrolysable or condensed tannins, and extracts of the latter type have displayed carcinogenic properties in animal studies (Hausen, 1981). The International Agency for Research on Cancer has determined that exposure to airborne wood dust, especially hardwood dust during furniture manufacture, is a cause of sino-nasal cancer, notably nasal adenocarcinoma. (omitted)

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.279-284
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• 2008

This paper aims to provide basic data for work environment control, prevention of worker exposure to asbestos and improvement of air quality to protect workers ‘health after measuring the level of airborne asbestos and workers' exposure in a shipbuilding repair businesses. For this study, a total of 27 samples were collected from 27 workers who had been exposed to asbestos during engine, piping, boiler and other manufacturing processes in 'A' Shipbuilding Repair Company in Gyeongnam. This research was conducted from Oct. 1 to 30, 2007 and had the following results: The target group (27 workers) consisted of all men with an average age of 35.9 years and 6.6 years of work on average. Among them, fifteen 15 (55.6%) were smokers. In terms of their duties at work, there were 12 plumbing repair engineers (44.4%), 8 boiler repair engineers (29.6%) and 7 engine engineers (25.9%). The geometric mean concentration of airborne asbestos was 0.004 f/cc. A total of 4 samples exceeded the exposure limit. In particular, three exceeded the legal limit by more than double, which means that some workers have been highly exposed to asbestos. In terms of the concentration of asbestos fibres by work process, plumbing repair was the highest (0.0071 f/cc($0.001{\sim}0.57\;f/cc$)) while boiler was the lowest (0.0015 f/cc($0.001{\sim}0.007\;f/cc$)). Based on this study, proper action needs to be taken as soon as possible to protect workers from the threat of asbestos.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.23-37
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• 2017

Objectives : This study was conducted to evaluate the level of exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) among workers handling rust preventive oils. Methods : A total of 30 bulk samples and 54 personal air samples were collected using diffusive samplers at 22 workplaces handling rust preventive oils in Daegu and Gyongsangbuk-do Province from March to October 2013. We also investigated detailed information on the related work conditions, such as kinds of products, handling methods, local exhaustive ventilation systems, and the status of the wearing personal protective equipment. All bulk samples and air samples were analyzed using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to identify components to which workers potentially were exposed. Quantitative airborne concentrations of VOCs were confirmed using gas chromatography with flame ionized detectors. Results : In terms of qualitative analyses for the 30 bulk samples, we found carcinogenic, mutagenic and reproductive toxic(CMR) substances such as butane(carcinogenic Group 1A, mutagenic Group 1B), butoxy ethanol(carcinogenic Group 2), cumene (carcinogenic Group 2), ethyl benzene(carcinogenic Group 2), methyl isobutyl ketone(carcinogenic Group 2) and toluene (reproductive toxic, Group 2). As a result of full-shift based personal air samples, eight substances such as n-hexane, n-heptane, octane, nonane, decane, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene were detected. Among them, n-hexane and n-heptane were detected in all of 54 air samples with $13.13mg/m^3$ and $8.61mg/m^3$ of maximum concentration, respectively. The level of airborne concentration from all of samples were bellow the occupational exposure limit in Korea. Conclusions : Based on the results of this study, workers handling rust preventive oils could be exposed to CMR substances contained in rust preventive oils and n-hexane and n-heptane were found as the most frequent sources of VOC exposure.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.167-175
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to evaluate airborne radon and thoron levels and estimate the effective doses of workers who made household goods and mattresses using monazite. Methods: Airborne radon and thoron concentrations were measured using continuous monitors (Rad7, Durridge Company Inc., USA). Radon and thoron concentrations in the air were converted to radon doses using the dose conversion factor recommended by the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in Korea. External exposure to gamma rays was measured at the chest height of a worker from the source using real-time radiation instruments, a survey meter (RadiagemTM 2000, Canberra Industries, Inc., USA), and an ion chamber (OD-01 Hx, STEP Co., Germany). Results: When using monazite, the average concentration range of radon was $13.1-97.8Bq/m^3$ and thoron was $210.1-841.4Bq/m^3$. When monazite was not used, the average concentration range of radon was $2.6-10.8Bq/m^3$ and the maximum was $1.7-66.2Bq/m^3$. Since monazite has a higher content of thorium than uranium, the effects of thoron should be considered. The effective doses of radon and thoron as calculated by the dose conversion factor based on ICRP 115 were 0.26 mSv/yr and 0.76 mSv/yr, respectively, at their maximum values. The external radiation dose rate was $6.7{\mu}Sv/hr$ at chest height and the effective dose was 4.3 mSv/yr at the maximum. Conclusions: Regardless of the use of monazite, the total annual effective doses due to internal and external exposure were 0.03-4.42 mSv/yr. Exposures to levels higher than this value are indicated if dose conversion factors based on the recently published ICRP 137 are applied.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.209-223
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• 1998

The aim of this study was to evaluate welders' exposure to hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) and nickel (Ni) during welding operations in a Korean shipyard. The airborne Cr(VI) and Ni concentrations were measured during metal inert gas (MIG) welding on mild and stainless steel, and manual metal arc (MMA) welding on mild steel. The geometric mean (GM) of Cr(VI) concentrations inside the welding helmet during MIG welding on mild steel were $0.0018mg/m^3$ inside a ship section, and $0.0015-0.0026mg/m^3$ at the welding shops. All of the personal breathing zone air samples were below the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value ($TLV^{(R)}$) of $0.01mg/m^3$. Conversely, eighty-eight percent(21 of 24) of the personal breathing zone air samples exceeded the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) recommended exposure limit of $0.001mg/m^3$. Ni was not detected on 20 of 23 air samples collected during MIG welding on mild steel. The three Ni samples above the limit of detection ranged from 0.015 to $0.044mg/m^3$. The GM of Cr(VI) concentrations during MMA welding on mild steel were $0.0013mg/m^3$, but Ni was not detected in the air samples during this operation. It is assumed that the airborne Cr(VI) and Ni during mild steel welding were derived from the base metals which contained about 0.03% Cr and 0.03% Ni. The GM of airborne total Cr, Cr(VI) and Ni concentrations during MIG welding on stainless steel were 4.02, 0.13 and $0.86mg/m^3$, respectively, and the levels of Cr(VI) and Ni were above the ACGIH-$TLV^{(R)}$. Cr(VI) comprised about 35.5% of the total chromium(Cr) from MIG welding on mild steel, and about 8.4% of total Cr from MIG welding on stainless steel. The ratios of Cr(VI) to total Cr were significantly different among welding shops. It was concluded that welders were exposed to high levels of Cr(VI) and Ni during welding on stainless steel, and were exposed to low levels of Cr(VI) even during welding on mild steel.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.245-253
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• 2006

We evaluated the relations among exposure and urinary levels of Cr, folate, vitamin $B_{12}$ and Hcy levels in the workers chronically exposure to Cr. Subjects were 104 male employees, 65 workers exposed to Cr in 9 electroplating plants and 39 office workers who had never been occupationally exposed to hazardous substances including Cr. The geometric mean(GM) of Cr in workplace was $0.069{\pm}0.101mg/m^3$ and urinary Cr was $0.483{\pm}0.394mg/g$ creatinine and airborne Cr concentration was significantly correlated to the urinary concentration of Cr(r=0.900, p=0.000). The geometric mean concentration of urinary Cr in control group was $0.301{\pm}0.255mg/g$ creatinine. In comparing the workers exposed to Cr with controls, significantly higher mean plasma levels were found of Hcy($11.3{\pm}4.9$ vs $9.4{\pm}4.7{\mu}mol/{\ell}$, p=0.05), but vitamin $B_{12}$ levels ($181.8{\pm}68.7$ vs $216.0{\pm}64.3nmol/{\ell}$, p=0.01) was significantly decreased. Hcy concentrations correlated positively with airborne Cr concentrations(r=0.287, p=0.004) and urinary Cr concentrations(r=0.244, p=0.015) but folate concentrations correlated negatively with airborne(r=-0.234, p=0.020) and urinary Cr concentrations(r=-0.640, p=0.090), respectively. No correlations were observed between vitamin $B_{12}$, airborne and urinary Cr concentrations. Also, Hcy concentrations correlated positively with vitamin $B_{12}$(r=0.295, p=0.0020 and negatively with folate concentrations(r=-0.196, p=0.046). The various biological(i.e. age and serum indicates) or lifestyle factors(i.e. medication, smoking, alcohol and coffee intake), also taken into account as potential confounders, did not influence the correlations found. Thus, this study found evidence that Cr might be associated with elevated plasma levels of Hcy. Furthermore, elevated plasma levels of Hcy were significantly associated with folate and vitamin $B_{12}$ concentration.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.245-263
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• 1997

For twelve solvent thinners, evaporation rates of components were investigated and models to estimate the actual concentration have been evaluated. Also, the current ACGIH TLVs (Threshold Limit Values) for the concentration of organic mixtures have been adjusted. The results of this study are summarized as follows : 1. Airborne concentrations of solvent thinner components were related to their respective vapor pressure (r=0.96). On the other hand, there was no significant relation between the concentrations in the air of the thinner compounds and the original amount in liquid form. 2. Airborne concentrations of each chemical were estimated by temperature at $8.5{\pm}1$, $16.7{\pm}1$ and $31.5{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ with an air velocity of 1.5 m/s. The concentrations were increased by increasing temperature (p<0.05). The percentage of concentrations were proportionate to their respective percentage of vapor pressure. Among the chemicals studied, n-butyl acetate, n-butyl alcohol, m-xylene, p-xylene and o-xylene showed a clear relationship to temperature. 3. Airborne concentration of each chemical was estimated by air velocity at 0.05, 1.50 and 2.50 m/s, with a constant temperature at $17{\pm}2^{\circ}C$. The concentrations were increased by increasing air velocity (p<0.05). The percentage of concentrations were proportionate to their respective percentage of vapor pressure. Among the chemicals studied, n-butyl alcohol, m-xylene and p-xylene showed a clear relationship to velocity. 4. In estimating the concentrations of solvent thinners by temperature and air velocity, ACGIH TLVs for mixtures tended to be larger than the values obtained by ACGIH exposure index. It shows that ACGIH TLVs for mixtures are not adequate for evaluating the airborne concentration of thinners and other organic mixtures. 5. The evaporation rate of the thinners were compared to the theoretical equations of Hummel, Braun and Mackay. The Hummel and Braun methods were close to exposure index but Makay's showed an underestimated value. In order to see the accuracy of each three models, the SSE (Error Sum of Squares) calculated for Hummel's was 1.73, being the closest to the actual values. 6. Present ACGIH TLVs for mixtures are not appropriate evaluate industrial environments. In this study, a correction of TLVs using vapor pressure of respective components was suggested. In order to evaluate the corrected TLVs a paired t-test was performed. There was no significant difference between the exposure index and the concentration over suggested TLVs (p>0.05). Thus, this corrected TLVs seem appropriate in order to evaluate actual industrial workplaces organic chemical concentration in the air.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.506-512
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• 2007

This study was conducted to describe the exposure levels of welding fumes by the type of manufacturers, work process, welding type and the size of manufacturers, and to find out the trend of chronological changes of airborne welding fume levels. The subjects of this study were 509 manufacturers, consisting of 11 types of manufacturers, 3 work processes, 7 welding types, in Busan from January, 1997 to December, 2005. Airborne concentration of welding fume was determined by manual of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the data were analyzed by using SPSS 10.0 for Windows program. The mean concentration of airborne welding fume in all manufacturers was $1.29\;mg/m^3$ (Range: $0.01{\sim}3.00\;mg/m^3)$. The level of welding fume was the highest, as $1.96\;mg/m^3$, for manufactures of motor vehicles, trailers and semi-trailers, which was lower than $5.0\;mg/m^3$ of 8 hr-TWA in Korean permissible exposure limit for welding fume. There was a significant difference in the mean levels of welding fumes by work process, showing the highest in welding workshop ($1.39\;mg/m^3$), followed by pipeline welding workshop ($1.26\;mg/m^3$) and engineering workshop ($1.20\;mg/m^3$). Among welding types, the mean level of welding fume was the highest in the type of $CO_2$ & arc welding, as $1.46\;mg/m^3$, followed by $CO_2$ welding ($1.40\;mg/m^3$), shielded metal arc welding ($1.31\;mg/m^3$), spot welding ($1.27\;mg/m^3$), and so on. The highest mean level of welding fume was $1.58\;mg/m^3$ in work process of pipe line welding workshop for the manufacturers of basic iron and steel, and $2.27\;mg/m^3$ in the type of arc welding for the manufactures building ship and boats. By the size of manufacturers, the mean concentration of welding fume for manufactures in small scale with less than 50 workers was the highest as $1.45\;mg/m^3$ (Range: $0.07{\sim}3.00\;mg/m^3)$. The mean level of welding fume was the highest as $1.39\;mg/m^3$ both in 1997 and in 2005, showing a trend of fluctuating periodically within a range of $1.10{\sim}1.39\;mg/m^3$. The above results suggested that more effective control program for work environment producing welding fumes should be developed and applied since there were significant variations in welding fume levels by the type of manufacturers, work processes, welding types, the size of manufactures, and by year.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.221-231
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• 2005

In this study, occupational exposures to man-made mineral fibers (MMMFs) including glass wool, rock wool, and continuous glass filament fibers were determined and evaluated on the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value (TLV). A total of 171 personal samples collected from 4 glass wool fiber, 2 rock wool fibers, 4 continuous filament glass fiber products manufacturing and a glass fiber and rock wool insulations using industries, and determined respirable fibers concentrations using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Method 7400, "B counting rule. The fiber concentrations of samples from workers installing thermal insulations in a MMMF using industry showed the highest value: geometric mean (GM) = 0.73 f/cc and maximum = 2.9 f/cc, 70% of them were above the TLV, 1 f/cc. Workers' exposure level (GM= 0.032 f/cc) in the rock wool manufacturing industries was significantly higher than those of glass wool (GM=0.012 f/cc) and continuous filament glass fibers (GM=0.010 f/cc) manufacturing industries (p<0.01). No samples were more than the TLV in the MMMF manufacturing industries. There was a significant difference among companies in airborne fiber levels.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.174-184
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to improve the working environment by identifying the work satisfaction of the cleaning workers of the aircraft and measuring and assessing the harmful factors of the cleaning process. Methods: We asked 23 cleaning companies for questionnaires and got 100 answers from 5 companies. The A-E Airline health manager has been contacted to establish a site survey schedule. The in-flight and lounge were measured using direct reading equipment. The harmful factor to be measured are noise, dust, temperature, volatile organic compound, total airborne bacteria, and total airborne bacteria. Results: Uncomfortable positions when replacing blanket, cleaning the table, and cleaning the floor have been identified as factor that reduce work satisfaction. Noise when replacing newspapers and cleaning toilets has been identified as a factor that lowers work satisfaction. Temperature and humidity were found to reduce work satisfaction during in-flight disinfection. Measurements of aircraft cabin and lounge with direct read equipment have shown that none of the items exceed the exposure criteria. Conclusions: As a result of measuring direct-reading equipment, no items exceeded the exposure criteria for each harmful factor. A clear survey of the working environment is required based on the results, and additional research is needed using personal sample measurement.