• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.137-143
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• 2014

Asbestos is given to a variety of six naturally occurring silicate minerals. These minerals possess high tensile strength, flexibility, resistance to chemical and thermal degradation, and electrical resistance. These minerals have been used for decades in thousands of commercial products, such as insulation and fireproofing materials, automotive brakes, textile products, cement and wallboard materials. When handled, asbestos can separate into microscopic-size particles that remain in the air and are easily inhaled. It is now known that prolonged inhalation of asbestos fibers can cause serious and fatal illnesses including malignant lung cancer, mesothelioma, and asbestosis. Therefore the use of asbestos and asbestos products has dramatically decreased in recent years. Also all constructions including asbestos should be removed under strictly controlled conditions and very tightly implemented health & safety management systems. In this study, the process of the removal work of the asbestos cement slate was analyzed by IDEF-0 modeling and evaluated by 4M risk assessment method. The results show that removal work of the asbestos cement slate was classified five process and eighteen detail process. The risk of safety side the higher than the risk of health side in 4M risk assessment.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.369-379
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• 2015

Objectives: The lack of reliable information on environmental pollution and health impacts related to asbestos contamination from abandoned mines has drawn attention to the need for a community health study. This study was performed to evaluate asbestos-related health symptoms among residents near abandoned asbestos mines located in the Chungcheong Provinces. In addition, exposure assessment for asbestos is needed although the exposure to asbestos was in the past. Methods: Past exposure to asbestos among inhabitants near abandoned asbestos mines was estimated by using surface sampling of deposited dust in indoor and outdoor residences. A total of 54 participants were divided into two groups with (34 cases) and without (20 controls) diseases related to asbestos. Surface sampling of deposited dust was carried out in indoor and outdoor residences by collecting 105 samples. Deposited dust for sampling was analyzed by polarization microscope (PLM) and scanning electron microscope?energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX) to detect asbestos. Subsequently, the elements of the deposited dust with asbestos were analyzed by SEM-EDX to assess the contribution of sources such as abandoned mines, slate and soil. Results: Among the 105 samples, asbestos was detected by PLM in 29 (27.6%) sampling points, and detected by SEM in 56 (48.6%) sampling points. Asbestos in indoor residences was detected by PLM in four sampling points, and by SEM in 12 sampling points. Asbestos detection in indoor residences may be due to ventilation between indoors and outdoors, and indicates long-term exposure. The asbestos detection rate for outdoor residences in the case group was higher than that in the control group. This can be explained as the case group having had higher exposure to asbestos, and there has been continuous exposure to asbestos in the control group as well as the case group. Conclusion: Past residential asbestos exposure may be associated with asbestosis among local residents near abandoned asbestos mines. Odds ratios were calculated for asbestos detection in outdoor residence by logistic regression analysis. Odds ratio between asbestos detection and asbestosis pulmonum was 3.36 (95% CI 0.90-12.53) (p=0.072), adjusting for age, sex, smoking status and work history with multi-variable logistic regression by PLM analysis method.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.196-204
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• 2013

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to analyze the number and influence factors of asbestos fibers in the air of farmhouses with asbestos cement slate roofing, as well as in rainwater per unit area of the asbestos cement slate roofing. Methods: At a distance of 1 m from the end of asbestos cement slate roofing in 20 farmhouses, the asbestos fiber in the air was collected three times on a clear day downwind from the prevailing wind. Rainwater falling from the slate roofing was collected four times with a 1.05-m rainwater pipe on a rainy day at the 20 farmhouses, filtered with a MCE filter, and analyzed with a phase contrast microscope. Results: The geometric mean of the number of asbestos fibers in the air of farmhouses with slate roofing was 0.11 fiber/L, and no samples exceeded the recommended standard of 10 fiber/L. As a result of multiple regression analysis, a factor which gave a significant influence to the asbestos fiber content in the air was the gross area of slate roofing at the target farmhouses. The number of asbestos fibers included in rainwater collected per 1 m2 of slate roofing was 1,753 fiber/$L{\cdot}m2$. As a result of multiple regression analysis, the number of asbestos fibers contained in rainwater per 1 m2 of slate showed a significantly higher tendency as the year of slate roofing installation at the target farmhouses receded. Conclusions: It was confirmed for the first time in Korea that asbestos from asbestos cement slate roofing scatters into the air.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.28-38
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• 2020

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to identify the perceived problems of and suggest improvement measures for asbestos abatement companies in support of asbestos-related systems and policies. Methods: For this study a questionnaire was prepared consisting of current work (two questions), the contribution and necessity of a risk assessment system for asbestos abatement (two questions), and problems with and improvement measures for systems and policies (nine questions). The questionnaires were sent to 2,170 asbestos abatement companies and were returned by 83 companies (return rate = 3.8%). We conducted frequency analysis, ANOVA, and a Chi-squared test at the 5% significance level. Results: Asbestos abatement companies expressed difficulties with complying with wet work (43% of unenrolled managers), negative pressure enclosure (36% of all respondents), and installation and use of decontamination units (26% of all respondents) as stipulated in the relevant regulations. In addition, 43% of the respondents expressed concerns that the expertise of the company was not considered during bidding for asbestos abatement and hoped that an advantage (e.g., bid point) would be given to the upper grades for asbestos risk assessment (38%). Asbestos abatement companies generally rented and used negative pressure devices (including negative pressure recording devices) and suggested that periodic calibration (32%) is needed to ensure the performance of the rented equipment. Finally, the respondents asked for clear definitions for three situations specified in the Occupational Safety and Health Acts: (1) temporarily leaving the asbestos abatement workplace; (2) tasks with less airborne asbestos; and (3) physically breaking or cutting using a machine. Conclusions: The problems and improvement measures identified in this study of asbestos abatement companies can be utilized as fundamental information for the improvement of the systems and policies for safe asbestos abatement.

• Environmental and Resource Economics Review
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.287-317
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• 2017

Asbestos has been actively used for various places. Since it was designated as the first grade carcinogen in the 1970s, strict regulations on using asbestos has been implemented globally. Considering long-term latent periods between asbestos exposure and environmental diseases, we analyze the time lag between asbestos consumption and the incidence of mesothelioma in Korea and estimate the long-run relationship. In addition, we conduct a comparative analysis on the effectiveness of asbestos regulations in the United Kingdom and the United States, which have accumulated long-term time-series observations. The latent period analysis indicates that the consumption of asbestos and the incidence of the disease are highly correlated in all three countries, being long-term lags of more than 30 years. Also, we find a long-run equilibrium relationship between asbestos consumption and the incidence of mesothelioma in the presence of long-term lags between the variables in all three countries. Furthermore, using a distributed lag model, asbestos consumption has statistically significant positive effects on mesothelioma with a long-term lag.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.99-102
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• 2011

Objectives: Acetone/triacetine method for clearing cellulose ester membrane (CEM) filter has been a popular method for air-borne asbestos analysis. However, as a weakness of this method, it is time consuming to analyses asbestos samples after sampling. Crystalclear method can be used to analyses asbestos samples promptly after sampling. Although a strength of crystal clear method exists, there was little valid studied for the method. This study was conducted to compare acetone/triacetine method with crystalclear one for analysing asbestos sample. Methods: Test samples made in three different concentration ranges(low, medium and high concentration) were analysed by phase contrast microscopy after acetone/triacetine and crystalclear method treatment respectively. Results: We did not find statistical difference in analysed results between two methods, which were conducted in three different concentrations ranges. Conclusions: We concluded that crystalclear method can be used as clearing method for air-borne asbestos analysis instead of acetone/triacetine method.

• Architectural research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.31-40
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• 2011

Asbestos have been used around the world by physical and chemical characteristics that are a reliable and cost-effective. But asbestos, once called the miracle of mineral, is now a quiet time bomb. Asbestos hazards have been studied and the government has pursued 'Comprehensive Measures for Asbestos Management' jointly with related departments. As a part of plan, Ministry of Environment is to introduce legislation 'Asbestos Safety Management Act' through Environment Announcement No. 2010-108. The same Act. 24 shows as follows. Minister of Environment or governor should do survey on the actual condition targeting rural buildings with slates and partly or fully fund to dissolve, remove asbestos slate which was used in each building. However, the local survey was only conducted by each municipality regionally. And there is no actual condition data by area, application and year, and there was no data on disposal costs concerning asbestos slate buildings In this study, discharge of asbestos slate was calculated per unit area and formula was developed with regression analysis. In addition, Demolition, dismantling, disposal costs were computed via a phone survey to disposal companies and then this study proposed standards for this.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.307-320
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• 2009

This study was conducted not only to review airborne asbestos levels reported in workplaces in Korea, but also to analyze their levels according to various characteristics All asbestos concentration reported as either geometric mean (GM) and geometric standard deviation (GSD) or ranges were transformed to arithmetic mean to estimate exposure level. In addition, weighted arithmetic means (WAMs) were calculated to weigh asbestos levels based on the different number of samples. Differences of asbestos levels among several characteristics such as industry type, decade, operation and sampling and analytical methods were analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA). The number of articles studying asbestos levels from workplaces was found to be 9 including two report types. Five of those were reported prior to 1990s and rest of them after 1990s. Only several industries such as asbestos textile, asbestos cement, brake-lining repair shops were studied, while various industries using asbestos or asbestos containing materials (ACMs) were not studied. ANOVA found that asbestos exposure levels (WAM = 5.26f/cc) reported from textile industry were significantly higher than those from other industries (cement = 0.63f/cc, brake-lining = 0.2f/cc - 0.47f/cc) (p < 0.0001). Average exposure levels studied prior to the 1990s (3.13f/cc) were found to be significantly higher than that (0.86f/cc) after the 1990s (p<0.0001). All WAMs reported until the 1994 were found to be higher than the current occupational exposure limits (0.1f/cc). This study recommends that retrospective exposure to asbestos based on various industry types and operations should be assessed.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.477-483
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• 2000

Objectives : To obtain reference values for the pulmonary asbestos and non-asbestos fiber contents of residents in Korea and to compare them with similar results from Japan. Methods : The autopsied lung specimens from 22 deceased people (20 males and 2 females) in Pohang, without any known occupational history of asbestos exposure, were analyzed for incidence of asbestos and non-asbestos fibers by transmission electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis after using low temperature ashing procedures. Results : Chrysotite fiber (46.2%) was the major fiber type found in the lungs of the subjects. The asbestos fiber concentrations found in males and females were $0.09\times10^6$ fiberss(g of dry lungs) and $0.30\times10^6$ fibers/(g of dry lungs), respectively, showing a geometric mean concentration $0.09\times10^6$ fibers/(g of dry lung tissue), due to the predominance of males in the sample. The non-asbestos fiber contents in males and females were $4.61\times10^6$ fibers/(g of dry lungs) and $17.79\times10^6$ fibers/(g of dry lungs), respectively, with a geometric mean concentration $5.21\times10^6$ fibers/(g of dry lung tissue). Conclusions : Residents in Pohang had significantly lower levels of both asbestos and non-asbestos fibers than urban residents in Korea. Furthermore, Koreans had significantly lower levels of both asbestos and non-asbestos fibers than Japanese.

• Korean Medical Education Review
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.158-168
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• 2017

There is a more urgent call for educational methods of machine learning in medical education, and therefore, new approaches of teaching and researching machine learning in medicine are needed. This paper presents a case using machine learning through text analysis. Topic modeling of news articles with the keyword 'asbestos' were examined. Two hypotheses were tested using this method, and the process of machine learning of texts is illustrated through this example. Using an automated text analysis method, all the news articles published from January 1, 1990 to November 15, 2016 in South Korea which included 'asbestos' in the title and the body were collected by web scraping. Differences in topics were analyzed by structured topic modelling (STM) and compared by press companies and periods. More articles were found in liberal media outlets. Differences were found in the number and types of topics in the articles according to the partisanship and period. STM showed that the conservative press views asbestos as a personal problem, while the progressive press views asbestos as a social problem. A divergence in the perspective for emphasizing the issues of asbestos between the conservative press and progressive press was also found. Social perspective influences the main topics of news stories. Thus, the patients' uneasiness and pain are not presented by both sources of media. In addition, topics differ between news media sources based on partisanship, and therefore cause divergence in readers' framing. The method of text analysis and its strengths and weaknesses are explained, and an application for the teaching and researching of machine learning in medical education using the methodology of text analysis is considered. An educational method of machine learning in medical education is urgent for future generations.