• Health Policy and Management
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.78-98
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to categorize the contribution evasion and develop the expected models for contribution arrears in National Health Care System. The modified logistic regression model in non-payments was used as logistic regression model based on the statistical method. By using this model, we arranged non-payment types and typical branches those are appeared by statistical technique. First fact, sex and age branches those are able to take a part in economy had effect mostly. Also they had difference in non-payment probability by existence of their incomes and property. Especially people who didn't have their own house and car were appeared in high non-payment probability, disease and reduction characteristic(rare diseases, reduction of seniors, handicaps, numbers of medical treatments) didn't effect much in probability. The reason for some characteristic of non-payment which is higher than the correct threshold value of Logistic Regression Model (a suggested model for predicting non-payment)'s distribution of probability was mostly moral hazard. Living difficulty was the bigger reason for non-payment, but moral slackening was the bigger reason for non-payment. But it is careless to decide that moral hazard is just the reason, there is a necessity to examine on the side of sociology based in family. By the reason, the member's non-payment reason can be classified by economy, population, and psychology, but there was a comprehension that losing of work desire could be one reason. So we analyzed informations for composition of family of members. In conclusion, we grasped that family conflict makes non-payment and conversion of member in the National Basic Livelihood Protection System difficult.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-10
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• 2001

The purposes of this study were to identify patients' perceptions toward regulations of smoking in general hospitals and hazards caused by smoking. Moreover this study also identified smoking behaviors and punishment experience due to in-hospital smoking and education experiences of smoking in general hospitals. Around 88.0％ of all respondents regardless of either smokers or non-smokers knew that hospitals are non-smoking area. However, 71.6％ of smokers smoked during their hospital visits. For their smoking, only 51.0％ of smokers utilized smoking rooms or areas for their smoking. Only 55.1％ of smokers experienced punishments or notifications of warning due to their smoking. Around 93.0％ of inpatients and outpatients acknowledged hazards toward their health caused by smoking. However, smokers did not realize the dangerous effects of passive smoking to other persons. Only 38.1％ of smokers said that passive smoking causes hazard of others' health. 63.8％ of smokers hoped for secession of smoking but only 42.8％ of them sustained their non-smoking periods over 5 moths. Based on these results, this study insists that a more enforced smoking policy in general hospitals be desperately needed for protecting patients' health and controlling smoking at unapproved areas. Moreover hospitals should take proactive actions to prevent smoking in hospitals. A health education program in hospitals should promote patients' self-efficacy to stop smoking and patients' understanding of the hazardous effects of passive smoking in hospitals.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.428-436
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• 2019

Background: Metalworking fluids (MWFs) are mixtures with inhalation exposures as mists, dusts, and vapors, and dermal exposure in the dispersed and bulk liquid phase. A quantitative risk assessment was performed for exposure to MWF and respiratory disease. Methods: Risks associated with MWF were derived from published studies and NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluations, and lifetime risks were calculated. The outcomes analyzed included adult onset asthma, hypersensitivity pneumonitis, pulmonary function impairment, and reported symptoms. Incidence rates were compiled or estimated, and annual proportional loss of respiratory capacity was derived from cross-sectional assessments. Results: A strong healthy worker survivor effect was present. New-onset asthma and hypersensitivity pneumonitis, at 0.1 mg/㎥ MWF under continuous outbreak conditions, had a lifetime risk of 45%; if the associated microbiological conditions occur with only 5% prevalence, then the lifetime risk would be about 3%. At 0.1 mg/㎥, the estimate of excess lifetime risk of attributable pulmonary impairment was 0.25%, which may have been underestimated by a factor of 5 or more by a strong healthy worker survivor effect. The symptom prevalence associated with respiratory impairment at 0.1 mg/㎥ MWF was estimated to be 5% (published studies) and 21% (Health Hazard Evaluations). Conclusion: Significant risks of impairment and chronic disease occurred at 0.1 mg/㎥ for MWFs in use mostly before 2000. Evolving MWFs contain new ingredients with uncharacterized long-term hazards.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.187-193
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• 2012

In order to evaluate the physical and psychological health effects of air pollutants from new building materials, 100 employees who worked in new buildings were given a general health questionnaire, and the prevalence of their subjective complaints was measured. The collected data were classified according to age, gender, smoking status, profession, working time, sleep time, life style, and length of employment. The results obtained were summarized as follows: The THI lie scale scores were significantly higher among the older respondents. Compared to males, females showed a significantly higher level in the depression itemas well asa tendency toward high ratios of physical and psychological complaints. The smoking group showed higher scores regarding health complaints related to most physical and psychological items. Smokers showed significantly increased respiratory organ complaints compared to nonsmokers. Those with a profession showed significantly higher level of nervousness. The group of those working 7 to 10 hours group showed higher rates of complaints in the multiple subjective symptoms and mouth/anus items than the group working less than 2 hours. Those living an irregular life showed a tendency toward higher rates of complaints for most physical and psychological subjective factors. Those who were satisfied with their environments showed significantly lower scores in the mouth/anus, impulsiveness, mental irritability, depression, and nervousness items. In summary, this study shows that the health complaint scores regarding physical and psychological symptoms tended to be higher among the unsatisfied group, the irregular life group, the group who worked long hours, the elderly, smokers, and females. These results can be used to improve the psychosomatic health status and working environments of employees working in new buildings.

• Journal of the Korean Data and Information Science Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.201-209
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• 2010

Due to the dramatic increase of mortality from ischemic heart disease (IHD) during the last decade, it is highly warranted to present the effective prevention strategy. Therefore this study identified the major risk factors of IHD over 10 years of follow-up among 2,268,018 participants of National Health Insurance Exam in 1996 with Cox proportional hazard model. In men, BMI, blood pressure, smoking were significantly associated with IHD, whereas hypertension, perceived health status and ${\gamma}$-GTP were related with IHD in women.

• Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.512-525
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• 2016

Purpose: Ageing in place may improve the quality of life of frail elderly and decrease their costs of services. The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that influence the institutionalization of elderly using home care services in a Korean long-term care insurance system. Methods: This study used the data of '2009 Satisfaction survey of Korean long-term care system'. The survey proceeded to use a sampling data based on region, level of long-term care need, and insurance type among the beneficiaries between August and September 2009. The onset dates of institutionalization of 1,095 participants were ascertained from long-term care insurance claim data. This study calculated the hazard ratio through the Cox Proportional Hazard Model. Results: A total of 176 subjects who were institutionalized in nursing homes were included. There were higher risks in the group that included those who were 85 years and over, had dementia or fracture, used home-visit nursing service, and were not supported by direct family. Conclusion: The results of this study have policy implications to supplement the home care service system and postpone nursing home institutionalization of elderly.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.45-50
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• 2013

Resorcinol is widely used as a wood, tire adhesives, and a raw material of synthetic dye. This material with white crystals at room temperature, the particulates in the air can form explosive mixtures. It is known to be an explosion hazard when exposed to heat in a confined space. The study was evaluated fire and explosion characteristics of the resorcinol through thermal analysis, thermal stability, dust explosion characteristics, and the minimum ignition energy. From this study, it can be used to provide a safety information in the using and handling process of the resorcinol.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.134-145
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• 2015

Objectives: An objective of this study was to perform a risk assessment and social cost-benefit analysis for revising permissible exposure limits for seven substances: Nickel(Insoluble inorganic compounds), benzene, carbon disulfide, formaldehyde, cadmium(as compounds), trichloroethylene, touluene-2,4-diisocyanate. Materials and Methods: The research methods were divided into risk and hazard assessment and cost-benefit analysis. The risk and hazard assessment for the seven substances consists of four steps: An overview of GHS MSDS(1st), review of document of ACGIH's TLVs (2nd), comparison between international occupational exposure limits and domestic permissible exposure limits(3rd), and analysis of excess workplace and excess rate for occupational exposure limits based on previous work environment measurement data(4th). Total cost was estimated using cost of local exhaust ventilation, number of excess workplace and penalties for exceeding a permissible exposure limit. On the other hand, total benefit was calculated using the reduction rate of occupational disease, number of workplaces treating each substance and industrial accident compensation. Finally, the net benefit was calculated by subtracting total cost from total benefit. Results: All the substances investigated in this study were classified by CMR(Carcinogens, Mutagens or Reproductive toxicants) and their international occupational exposure limits were stricter than the domestic permissible exposure limits. As a result of excess rate analysis, trichloroethylene was the highest at 11%, whereas nickel was the lowest at 0.5%. The excess rates of all substances except for trichloroethylene were observed at less than 10%. Among the seven substances, the total cost was highest for trichloroethylene and lowest for carbon disulfide. The benefits for the seven substances were higher than costs estimated based on strengthening current permissible exposure limits. Thus, revising the permissible exposure limits of the seven substances was determined to be acceptable from a social perspective. Conclusions: The final revised permissible exposure limits suggested for the seven substances are as follows: $0.2mg/m^3$ for nickel, 0.5 ppm(TWA) and 2.5 ppm(STEL) for benzene, 1 ppm(TWA) for carbon disulfide, $0.01mg/m^3$(TWA) for cadmium, 10 ppm(TWA) and 25 ppm(STEL) for trichloroethylene, 0.3 ppm(TWA) for formaldehyde, and 0.005 ppm(TWA) and 0.02 ppm(STEL) for toluene diisocynate(isomers).

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.55 no.5
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• pp.600-608
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• 2017

Hazard risk of explosion on pharmaceutical raw materials dust in pharmaceutical industry often exists when it is handled or processed in the industrial sites, and explosion accident is caused by this. In this study, the dust explosion characteristics of the three pharmaceutical raw materials samples were measured. The main explosion characteristics are as follows: $P_{max}$, MIE and MIT of loxoprofen acid having $5.31^{\circ}C$ of median diameter are obtained 8.4 bar, 1 mJ < MIE < 3 mJ and $550^{\circ}C$. $P_{max}$, MIE and MIT of camphorsulfonate having $95.63^{\circ}C$ of median diameter are obtained 7.9 bar, 30 mJ < MIE < 100 mJ and $510^{\circ}C$. $P_{max}$, MIE and MIT of rifampicine having $26.48^{\circ}C$ of median diameter are obtained 7.9 bar and 1 mJ < MIE < 3 mJ and $470^{\circ}C$. The deflagration index ($K_{st}$) and the explosion index (EI) were obtained by using these data. The explosion hazard assessment of pharmaceutical raw materials dust was compared and examined. As a result, the explosion hazard assessment according to deflagration index and explosion index were the explosion class with St 2 and the explosion hazard rating of severe for loxoprofen acid & rifampicine and St 1 and strong for clopidogrel camphorsulfonate, respectively.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.108-117
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• 2023

Background: When particles are absorbed into the human body, they penetrate deep into the lungs and interact with the tissues of the body. Heavy metals in PM_2.5 can cause various diseases. The main source of PM_2.5 emissions in South Korea's atmosphere has been surveyed to be places of business. Objectives: The concentration of heavy metals in PM_2.5 near the Ulsan Industrial Complex was measured and a health risk assessment was performed for residents near the industrial complex for exposure to heavy metals in PM_2.5. Methods: Concentrations of heavy metals in PM_2.5 were measured at four measurement sites (Ulsan, Mipo, Onsan, Maegok) near the industrial complexes. Heavy metals were analyzed according to the Air Pollution Monitoring Network Installation and Operation Guidelines presented by the National Institute of Environmental Research. Among them, only five substances (Mn, Ni, As, Cd, Cr⁶⁺) were targeted. The risk assessment was conducted on inhalation exposure for five age groups, and the excess cancer risk and hazard quotient were calculated. Results: In the risk assessment of exposure to heavy metals in PM_2.5, As, Cd, and Cr⁶⁺ exceeded the risk tolerance standard of 10^-6 for carcinogenic hazards. The highest hazard levels were observed in Onsan and Mipo industrial complexes. In the case of non-carcinogenic hazards, Mn was identified as exceeding the hazard tolerance of 1, and it showed the highest hazard in the Ulsan Industrial Complex. Conclusions: This study presented a detailed health risk from exposure to heavy metals in PM_2.5 by industrial complexes located in Ulsan among five age groups. It is expected to be utilized as the basis for preparing damage control and industrial emission reduction measures against PM_2.5 exposure at the Ulsan Industrial Complex.