• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.1
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• pp.9-18
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• 2022

In today's civilization, it can be impossible to prevent disasters that cause large-scale human and material harm, and the environmental industry is not excepted from this. Over the last 50 years, several large and small environmental health catastrophes have occurred in Korea. Notable instances include the phenol pollution accident in the Nakdong River, the Hebei Spirit oil spill in Taean, Chungcheongnam-do, and the humidifier disinfectant disaster. Looking at these instances, it is clear that the government failed to prevent similar incidents and accidents after the tragedies. The government created and executed different policies to prevent such incidents and accidents, but the majority of them were highly fragmented. It is understandable that depending on the political and social level of the society in which the environmental health hazard incident/accident happened, the investigation of the cause, countermeasures, and policy reaction may differ. To put it another way, the more authoritarian and non-democratic a political social system is, the more likely it is to cover up occurrences and accidents without a deep examination. This is in line with the members of society's level of political awareness and acknowledgment of the importance of life and safety. In 1985, when the Onsan pollution disease was discovered, and in 2011, when we recognized the realities of the humidifier disinfectant disaster, South Korea's political and social systems were entirely different.

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2005.12a
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• pp.17-22
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• 2005

• Proceedings of the Korea Environmental Mutagen Society Conference
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• 2003.05a
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• pp.23-24
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• 2003

• Proceedings of the Korean Environmental Health Society Conference
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• 2004.12a
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• pp.97-98
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• 2004

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.369.1-369
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• 2001

• Journal of Science and Technology Studies
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.107-152
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• 2010

This paper explores the historical process that created a specific understanding of and responses to atopic dermatitis(AD) in Korea. AD hardly has a status of an environmental disease in other societies but it is a representative environmental disease in South Korea in connection with various environmental pollutants, most notably with endocrine disrupting chemicals. This understanding of AD as an environmental disease led to an unprecedented legislation of the Environmental Health Act of 2008, a broad environmental health law with the precautionary principle and the focus on human aspect of environmental problems. In line with the growing body of works that articulate the roles of the public and culture in regulatory process, this paper argues that both the understanding of and the regulatory responses to AD owe greatly to the knowledge and political practice of the public, especially that of the 'Atopy moms'. Their knowledge practice that creatively appropriated scientific uncertainty regarding AD brought unexpected epistemological and political alliances, respectively with alternative medicine and with organic coop movement and an emergent political party and generated enough dynamics for the legislation of the EHA.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.276-284
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• 2020

Objectives: This study was conducted to identify the effects of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 on hospital visits in the Incheon area over the period of 2016-2018. Methods: We applied correlation analysis and Poisson regression to perform the analysis using cardiovascular disease and respiratory disease data from the National Health Insurance Service and the daily average PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 from the Korea Environment Corporation adjusting for time lag. Results: When the daily average PM₁₀ concentration increased by 10 ㎍/㎥, the number of cardiovascular disease patients were 1.002 times higher (95% CI [Confidence Interval]; 1.000-1004) in Ganghwa County. As the daily average PM_2.5 concentration increased by 10 ㎍/㎥, the number of cardiovascular disease patients were 1.012 times higher (95% CI; 1.008-1.016) in Ganghwa County. As the daily average PM₁₀ concentration increased by 10 ㎍/㎥, the respiratory disease patients were 1.003 times (95% CI; 1.002-1.004) higher in Gyeyang and Michuhol Counties. As the PM_2.5 concentration increased by 10 ㎍/㎥, the respiratory disease patients were 1.003 times higher (95% CI; 1.002-1.005) in Bupyeong County. Conclusions: In some parts of the Incheon area there was a correlation between the number of patients with respiratory and cardiovascular conditions and the concentration of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5.

• ALGAE
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.249-265
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• 2014

As with land crops, cultivated algae are affected by various diseases ranging from large outbreaks of a disease to chronic epiphytes, which may downgrade the value of the final product. The recent development of intensive and dense mariculture practices has enabled some new diseases to spread much faster than before. A new disease is reported almost every year, and the impact of diseases is expected to increase with environmental change, such as global warming. We observed the incidence of diseases in two Pyropia sea farms in Korea from 2011 to 2014, and estimated the economic loss caused by each disease. Serious damage is caused by the oomycete pathogens, Pythium porphyrae and Olpidiopsis spp., which decreased the productivity of the Pyropia sea farms. In Seocheon sea farms, an outbreak of Olpidiopsis spp. disease resulted in approximately US $1.6 million in loss, representing approximately 24.5% of total sales during the 2012-2013 season. The damage caused by green-spot disease was almost as serious as oomycete diseases. An outbreak of green-spot disease in the Seocheon sea farms resulted in approximately US $1.1 million in loss, representing 10.7% of total sales in the 2013-2014 season in this area. However, the causative agent of green-spot disease is still not confirmed. "Diatom felt" is regarded as a minor nuisance that does not cause serious damage in Pyropia; however, our case study showed that the economic loss caused by "diatom felt" might be as serious as that of oomycete diseases. Bacteria and cyanobacteria are indigenous members of epiphytic microbial community on Pyropia blades, but can become opportunistic pathogens under suitable environmental conditions, especially when Pyropia suffers from other diseases. A regular acid wash of the Pyropia cultivation nets is the most common treatment for all of the above mentioned diseases, and represents approximately 30% of the total cost in Pyropia sea farming. However, the acid wash is ineffective for some diseases, especially for Olpidiopsis and bacterial diseases.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.127-134
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• 2016

This study is conducted to get current state of data collection and utilization of the trees damaged by pine wilt disease, and to efficiently collect and utilize of the trees damaged by the pine wilt disease and abandoned fumigation-treated trees at forecasts. The method to control pine wilt disease damaged area is mostly fumigation treatment system, and there is no collection and utilization of damaged trees because of absence of efficient collection system, lack of collection cost, and absence of policy, etc. A survey is conducted that asked about the satisfaction degree for the trees damaged by pine wilt disease collection and use divided into 6 topics. It was positively recognized that the need and problem of the trees damaged by pine wilt disease, and results and satisfaction of forestry mechanization while it was mostly negatively recognized that the policy satisfaction for prevention and collection, satisfaction of collection and use, collection and forestry mechanization, and satisfaction of foundation equipment for forestry mechanization, etc. As a result of path analysis, it is necessary to promote a high-tech forestry mechanization to improve satisfaction level of results and satisfaction of forestry mechanization for the trees damaged by pine wilt disease collection and utilization, it is also need to make an effort in various ways for improve satisfaction level of satisfaction of collection and utilization.

• The Plant Pathology Journal
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.350-362
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• 2015

A disease forecast model for bacterial grain rot (BGR) of rice, which is caused by Burkholderia glumae, was developed in this study. The model, which was named 'BGRcast', determined daily conduciveness of weather conditions to epidemic development of BGR and forecasted risk of BGR development. All data that were used to develop and validate the BGRcast model were collected from field observations on disease incidence at Naju, Korea during 1998-2004 and 2010. In this study, we have proposed the environmental conduciveness as a measure of conduciveness of weather conditions for population growth of B. glumae and panicle infection in the field. The BGRcast calculated daily environmental conduciveness, $C_i$, based on daily minimum temperature and daily average relative humidity. With regard to the developmental stages of rice plants, the epidemic development of BGR was divided into three phases, i.e., lag, inoculum build-up and infection phases. Daily average of $C_i$ was calculated for the inoculum build-up phase ($C_{inf}$) and the infection phase ($C_{inc}$). The $C_{inc}$ and $C_{inf}$ were considered environmental conduciveness for the periods of inoculum build-up in association with rice plants and panicle infection during the heading stage, respectively. The BGRcast model was able to forecast actual occurrence of BGR at the probability of 71.4% and its false alarm ratio was 47.6%. With the thresholds of $C_{inc}=0.3$ and $C_{inf}=0.5$, the model was able to provide advisories that could be used to make decisions on whether to spray bactericide at the preand post-heading stage.