• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.69-83
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• 1991

The management and disposal of harzardous chemicals from the middle school science class was studied for the safety of student and for the protection of the environment. This study was undertaken by analysis of 5 kinks of current middle school science text book and questionnaire survey, and reviewed on the recommended methods for the disposal of harzardous chemical wastes from science class. There are 237 chemicals determined in the middle school science text books and 87 among them actually used in middle school science laboratory. 51 chemicals are classified as harzardous ones and 49 highly hazardous according to the 'Law of Toxic Chemicals management'. 116 chemicals are defined as water pollutants and 10 are highly hazardous water pollutants according to the 'Water Quality Control Law' as well are 91 chemicals as air pollutants and 19 are highly hazardous air pollutants according to the 'Air Quality Control Law' Questionnaire survey results the identification of toxic chemicals, need for education, awareness of toxic effects and current problems in the management. Disposal of toxic chemicals in middle school science class has been undertaken without any treatment, which could be caused of environmental pollution. Most of science teacher wanted to have opportunities to attend supplement courses for the management and disposal of chemicals for the safety and environmental protection. Simple and applicable methods for the management and disposal of chemicals at middle school science level should be strongly recommended to be installed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.58-71
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• 2015

Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate the classification system of chemical substances in the Occupational Safety and Health Act(OSHA) and Chemical Substances Control Act(CSCA) and to compare several health indices (i.e., Time Weighted Average (TWA), Lethal Dose ($LD_{50}$), and Lethal Concentration ($LC_{50}$) of chemical substances by categories in each law. Methods: The chemicals regulated by each law were classified by the specific categories provided in the respective law; seven categories for OSHA (chemicals with OELs, chemicals prohibited from manufacturing, etc., chemicals requiring approval, chemicals kept below permissible limits, chemicals requiring workplace monitoring, chemicals requiring special management, and chemicals requiring special heath diagnosis) and five categories from the CSCA(poisonous substances, permitted substances, restricted substances, prohibited substances, and substances requiring preparation for accidents). Information on physicochemical properties, health indices including CMR characteristics, $LD_{50}$ and $LD_{50}$ were searched from the homepages of the Korean Occupational and Safety Agency and the National Institute of Environmental Research, etc. Statistical analysis was conducted for comparison between TWA and health index for each category. Results: The number of chemicals based on CAS numbers was different from the numbers of series of chemicals listed in each law because of repeat listings due to different names (e.g., glycol monoethylether vs. 2-ethoxy ethanol) and grouping of different chemicals under the same serial number(i.e., five different benzidine-related chemicals were categorized under one serial number(06-4-13) as prohibited substances under the CSCA). A total of 722 chemicals and 995 chemicals were listed at the OSHA and its sub-regulations and CSCA and its sub-regulations, respectively. Among these, 36.8% based on OSHA chemicals and 26.7% based on CSCA chemicals were regulated simultaneously through both laws. The correlation coefficients between TWA and $LC_{50}$ and between TWA and $LD_{50}$, were 0.641 and 0.506, respectively. The geometric mean values of TWA calculated by each category in both laws have no tendency according to category. The patterns of cumulative graph for TWA, $LD_{50}$, $LC_{50}$ were similar to the chemicals regulated by OHSA and CCSA, but their median values were lower for CCSA regulated chemicals than OSHA regulated chemicals. The GM of carcinogenic chemicals under the OSHA was significantly lower than non-CMR chemicals($2.21mg/m^3$ vs $5.69mg/m^3$, p=0.006), while there was no significant difference in CSCA chemicals($0.85mg/m^3$ vs $1.04mg/m^3$, p=0.448). $LC_{50}$ showed no significant difference between carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxic chemicals and non-CMR chemicals in both laws' regulated chemicals, while there was a difference between carcinogens and non-CMR chemicals in $LD_{50}$ of the CSCA. Conclusions: This study found that there was no specific tendency or significant difference in health indicessuch TWA, $LD_{50}$ and $LC_{50}$ in subcategories of chemicals as classified by the Ministry of Labor and Employment and the Ministry of Environment. Considering the background and the purpose of each law, collaboration for harmonization in chemical categorizing and regulation is necessary.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.179-182
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• 2023

The Chemical Substances Control Act has been legislated to counter the risks posed by chemical substances to public health and the environment, but a number of small- and large-scaled incidents related to hazardous chemicals continue to occur every year. The Korean Ministry of Environment takes legal responsibility for prevention, preparedness, and response to nationwide chemical accidents under the Chemical Substances Control Act. The determination of chemical accidents that occur during hazardous chemical handling processes is based on the Article 2 (Definitions) of the law and the administrative criteria for judgement of chemical accidents. However, there are certain ambiguities in the scientific basis for determining chemical accidents under the current regulations. Whether or not a chemical accident has a direct influence on penalties and administrative measures for a workplace where an accident occurred, it is necessary to find reasonable criteria for determining chemical accident based on legal and scientific evidence.

• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.221-237
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• 2006

Domestic laws such as Korea Marine Pollution Prevention Law which has been made and amended according to the conclusions and amendments of various international conventions, especially by MARPOL 73/78, were reviewed and compared with major contents of international conventions, and several alternative measures for legislating new laws or amending existing laws such as Korea Marine Pollution Prevention Law in accordance with new contents and recent amendments of existing and new international conventions were proposed. Annex VI of MARPOL 73/78 has been recently accepted in Korea Marine Pollution Prevention Law which should be applied to ships which are the moving point sources of air pollution at Sea rather than in Korea Air Environment Conservation Law which should be applied to automobiles and industrial installations which are the line and/or point sources of air pollution in land. International Convention for Ship's Ballast Water/Sediment Management should be accepted in Korea Marine Pollution Prevention Law or by a new law in order to prevent domes marine ecosystem and costal environment from the invasion of harmful exotic species through the discharge of ship's ballast water. International Convention for the Control of Harmful Anti-Fouling Systems on the Ships should be accepted in Korea Marine Pollution Prevention Law which should be applied to ships which are navigating in open sea and coastal waters rather than in Korea Noxious Chemicals Management Law. Basel Convention which shall regulate and prohibit inter-nations movements of noxious chemical substances should be accepted in Korea Marine Pollution Prevention Law in order to prevent the movement and transfer of scrap-purpose tanker ships containing bilge water of oil/water mixtures and chemicals remained on board from advanced countries to developing and/or underdeveloped countries and to conserve global marine environment after all.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.30-41
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• 2017

Although chemical substances have greatly contributed to prosperous human life and industrial development and made a great contribution to humanity, some dangerous substances are harmful to health and the environment. Thus, so long ago developed countries have also established strict safety standards. Korea is growing into a major chemical market, accounting for 3.4% of the global chemical market. The domestic laws related to chemical substances are similar to foreign countries, but there are many differences in detail, posing a lot of risks to safety, health and the environment as well as causing many problems in industry. In order to improve these problems, this study carried out to unify the domestic chemical law and the international standardization system (GHS) and to solve the trade barriers in the export and import by industry. In addition, researchers proposed a unified approach to classification and division of physical hazards, as advanced as developed nations, as a basis for prevention and response to accidents in dangerous goods.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.331-345
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• 2014

Objectives: The exponential growth of chemicals, an area of high concern in developed countries like the US (i.e., the Gore Initiative) and in the EU (i.e., REACH), as well as recent chemical accidents in Korea, have provoked nationwide concerns and resultant legal enforcement. This study aims to compare the laws of the Ministry of Environment (the Chemical Substances Control Act (CSCA), Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (ARECS)) with those of the Ministry of the Employment and Labor (Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA)). Methods: Each law pertaining to the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of the Employment and Labor was downloaded from the official legal information system (www.law.go.kr). The objectives of each law and the major contents related to chemical management were compared and summarized. Results: The CSCA and the ARECS are focused on the protection of people and the environment, while the OSHA relates to the protection of workers. The right to know of people and workers has been reinforced. The former two laws emphasize prevention, but the OSHA contains both preventive and post-accident measures. The role of the Ministry of Employment was reinforced with the promulgation of the CSCA and ARECS, which contain regulations such as adjacent area impact evaluation, risk control planning, chemical statistical survey and construction and operation of information, provision of risk control plans, response to chemical accidents and registration of chemical substances. Conclusion: We found that the three laws discussed here have several similar clauses designed to protect people and the environment from risks that may be caused by the use of chemicals, even though there are some differences among them in terms of objectives and contents. This review concluded that several clauses that can be regarded as double regulation should be unified in order to minimize the waste of government administrative resources and socio-economic losses.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.84-90
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• 2007

The UN recommends to the member of OECD to implement the GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals) that harmonized the flammable materials for classification, labelling, production, transport, storage, handling, usage and discard. There are no significant differences between UN and GHS because GHS is based on physico-chemical hazard and acute toxity of classification and labelling of UN regulation for the classification and transportation of flammable materials. In this paper it was analyzed that the classification, labelling and test method of flammable materials for GHS and the national law of safety management of flammable materials.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.73-82
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• 2013

With remarkable development of industry and technology, various chemical articles are developed to improve the quality of human life, yet some of chemicals are hazardous to human and the environment. However, safety control of chemical articles such as transportation, storage, and handling is emerging as a major issue lately. The road transportation needs well-organized safety management system, especially it has high probability of accidents. In this research, we point out problems in current state and related regulation of transportation of dangerous goods to compare the regulation in UN-RTDG. In addition, we suggest the enhancement law, the plan for standardization of classification in road transportation of dangerous goods and harmonization of labeling in transportation of dangerous goods to contribute to human health and environment protection.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.431-437
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• 2017

Objectives: To protect the health and safety of residents during chemical accidents, the governmental authorities need to provide personal protective equipment (PPE) to citizens who desire it. This study aims to investigate residents'awareness of PPE and perform an economic analysis on providing PPE to residents near chemical plants prior to the establishment of a related law. Methods: This study was carried out through a questionnaire completed by 600 residents composed of items such as residents'awareness of PPE, what type of PPE they need, and how to purchase PPE. Economic analysis (cost-benefit analysis) was conducted on providing PPE to residents near chemical plants on basis of the Gumi City hydrogen fluoride accident of 2012. Results: The results of the questionnaire showed that most residents recognized the need for PPE preparedness for chemical accidents, in particular, for respirators. The level of expense that respondents were prepared to shoulder to share the burden was $25. Except for chemicals of hazard level 2, the benefit of all kinds of chemical accident preparedness considerably exceeded costs in the cost-benefit analysis on providing PPE. An estimated government budget of $20 million per year would be required to provide PPE (hood-type mask) for all residents within a one-kilometer radius of chemical plants in Korea, but only $5.8 million when residents share the expenses. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that programs for providing PPE for residents near chemical plants should be established by law.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.15.1-15.6
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• 2016

A number of absurdities surrounding the humidifier disinfectant (HD) incident may have occurred because 1) a judicial system operates on the underlying false assumption that the involved parties are equals in knowledge, information and resource mobilization capabilities, regardless of respective real status as company or individual; 2) there is a lack of a system that mandates a company to prevent and actively manage possible catastrophes; 3) the regulatory scheme makes companies believe that as long as they are complying with the existing regulations, they have satisfied all of their responsibilities. I believe that this issue is an opportunity to bring about changes in the judicial redress system, the system of internal management of manufacturers, and the regulatory system of the government. The following regulation amendments are needed to move towards the changes stated above. First, legislation relating to victim relief that is applicable to the HD incident must be established. Second, a risk management system must be formed within the manufacturing company and to this end an institutional environment for the system must be established within regulatory framework. Furthermore, legislation must be passed that could punish companies themselves that have caused severe damage to individuals because they had failed to take necessary actions to avoid foreseeable harm. Finally, the framework of regulation must be changed so that the company, who has the necessary information regarding the product and the component chemicals used in the product, must self-directed experiment and assessment of the safety of their own products.