• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.119-142
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• 2013

It is not easy to regulate the amount of radiation used for the medical purpose as there usually is more good than harm to the patient's health and life caused by the medical exposure to the radiation. However, the rapid increase of the use of diagnostic radiation involves a high possibility of increasing the radiation hazard exposure. Therefore, it is imperative to implement effective regulations in order to secure the safety of diagnostic radiation. The one and only rule we currently have for the diagnostic radiation is "Medicine Act" with only one clause dedicated to regulate the safety management that does not include any rules for the medical radiation. A set of inclusive rules for the whole medical radiation inclusive of diagnostic radiation and therapeutic radiation need to be based on the "Medicine Act" rather than "Nuclear Safety Act" in order to protect the medical professionals, patients and the guardians of patients from the hazards of diagnostic and/or therapeutic radiation that was not used the purpose of medical treatment. If there is an administrative measure to be imposed to secure the safety of diagnostic radiation, it is considered as exertion of governmental authority of administrative agency. There must be clear and realistic legal guidelines for in-fringe on people's interests. The administrative measures for the safety management of the diagnostic radiation must be clearly and specifically based on the law and the detailed standards for the administrative measures must be dele-gated by the presidential decree or departmental ordinance. Accordingly, the restrictions imposed by the administrative measures to the "Safety Inspection Institute of Radiation along with Radiation Exposure Measuring Institutes" should have clear legal basis as well and the detailed standards for the administrative measures should be regulated by the Ministry of Health and Welfare decree instead of the notification by the Director of Korean Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While securing the safety of radiation on one side, careful review and up-grade on our legal system for the safety management of the diagnostic radiation is required on the other side to guarantee the legality, interest balance and reliability of the administrative measures.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.497-507
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• 2011

This research studied human health risk assessment of benzene from industrial complexes of Chungcheong Province (Seosan industrial complex) and Jeonla Province (Iksan industrial complex and Yeosoo industrial complex). The residents near the industrial complexes areas can be often exposed to volatile organic compounds (e.g., benzene, toluene, xylenes) through a number of exposure pathways, including inhalation of the organic pollutant via various environmental matrices (air, water and soil), contaminated water, and soil intake. Benzene is well known to be a common carcinogenic and toxic compound that is produced from industrial and oil refinery complexes. In this study, a number of samples from water, air, and soil were taken from the residential settings and public school zones located near the industrial complex sites. Based on the carcinogenic risk assessment, the risk estimates were slightly above $10{\times}10^{-6}$ at all three industrial sites. According to deterministic risk assessment, inhalation was the most important route. The distribution of benzene in the environment would be dependent on vapor pressure, and the physical property influencing the extent of the potential risks. Non-carcinogenic risk assessment of benzene shows that the values of Hazard Index(HI) were much lower than 1.0 at all industrial complexes. Therefore, benzene was not a cause of concern in terms of non-carcinogenic risk posed to the residents near the sites. When compared to probabilistic risk assessment, the CTE(central tendency exposure) cancer risk values of deterministic risk assessment were close to the mean values predicted by the probabilistic risk assessment. The RME(reasonable maximum exposure) values fell within the range of 95% to 99.9% estimated by the probabilistic risk assessment. Since the values of carcinogenic risk assessment were higher than $10{\times}10^{-6}$, further detailed monitoring and refined risk assessment for benzene may be warranted to estimate more reliable and potential inhalation risks to receptors near the industrial complexes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.51-60
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• 2018

Objectives: Currently, there is only limited knowledge regarding the hazard of low-level exposure to CMR materials in workplaces. To overcome this limitation, a reference concentration for workers($RfC_w$) from among the risk assessment tools proposed by the US EPA is widely used to set a provisional workplace exposure level(PWEL) for CMR materials for which there are no established Korea Occupational Exposure Limits(KOELs) or subjective chemicals for work environment measurements as regulated by Korea Ministry of Employment and Labor(KMOEL). A simple European calculator of derived no effect level(SECO-DNEL) as proposed by REACH can also be used in place of $RfC_w$ to set the PWEL for chemicals. This study was performed to test the acceptability of using SECO-DNEL as an alternative to $RfC_w$ when setting a PWEL for low-level exposures. Methods: The $RfC_w$ and DNEL for the five CMR materials of dinitrogen oxide, catechol, 2-phenoxy ethanol, carbitol, and carbon black were calculated using the dose-response assessments of the US EPA for $RfC_w$ and REACH guidance for SECO-DNEL, respectively. They were compared using paired t-tests to determine the statistical differences between them. Results: For the five chemicals, the $RfC_w$ were 2.53 ppm, 0.10 ppm, 1.73 ppm, 1.66 ppm, and $0.05mg/m^3$, respectively, while the SECO-DNEL were 2.01 ppm, 0.11 ppm, 1.83 ppm, 1.77 ppm, $0.14mg/m^3$, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference between $RfC_w$ and SECO-DNEL. Conclusions: This study suggests that the SECO-DNEL could be applied in place of $RfC_w$ to set a PWEL for low-level exposure to chemicals, especially CMR materials. To further ensure the reliability of SECO-DNEL as an alternative tool, more chemicals should be applied for calculation and comparison with $RfC_w$.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.137-145
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• 2002

Tributyltin compounds have been increasingly used in the form of plastic stabilizers, catalytic agents, industrial agricultural biocides, antifouling paint, and pesticides. Among these organotin compounds, large amounts of tributyltin(TBT) and triphenyltin(TPT) have been used as antifouling agents because they have a superior ability to prevent marine organism from being encrusted on ship bottoms and in culturing nets. Environmental pollution by these organotin compounds in the aquatic environment were undertaken. The international maritime Organization's established a provisional tolerable daily intake(TDI) of 1.6[micro]g TBTO/kg/ B.W. The Food and Agiculture Organization (of the United Nations)/world Health Organization's (FAO/WHO) proposed a TDI of 0.5ug TPT/kg BW/d. This study is conducted monitoring of TBT on seafoods in Korea and risk assessment for exposure on TBT in seafoods. Total hazard index(using Reference Dose : 0.3 ug TBTO/kg B.W/day) of intake exposure on seafoods is 0.04 as the 50th percentile, 0.08 as the 95th percentile. This value is estimated by Monte-Carlo simulation using Crystal Ball(Decisioneering Co., 2001).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.192-202
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• 2019

Objectives: According to the central limit theorem, the samples in population might be considered to follow normal distribution if a large number of samples are available. Once we assume that toxicity dataset follow normal distribution, we can treat and process data statistically to calculate genus or species mean value with standard deviation. However, little is known and only limited studies are conducted to investigate whether toxicity dataset follows normal distribution or not. Therefore, the purpose of study is to evaluate the generally accepted normality hypothesis of aquatic toxicity dataset Methods: We selected the 8 chemicals, which consist of 4 organic and 4 inorganic chemical compounds considering data availability for the development of species sensitivity distribution. Toxicity data were collected at the US EPA ECOTOX Knowledgebase by simple search with target chemicals. Toxicity data were re-arranged to a proper format based on the endpoint and test duration, where we conducted normality test according to the Shapiro-Wilk test. Also we investigated the degree of normality by simple log transformation of toxicity data Results: Despite of the central limit theorem, only one large dataset (n>25) follow normal distribution out of 25 large dataset. By log transforming, more 7 large dataset show normality. As a result of normality test on small dataset (n<25), log transformation of toxicity value generally increases normality. Both organic and inorganic chemicals show normality growth for 26 species and 30 species, respectively. Those 56 species shows normality growth by log transformation in the taxonomic groups such as amphibian (1), crustacean (21), fish (22), insect (5), rotifer (2), and worm (5). In contrast, mollusca shows normality decrease at 1 species out of 23 that originally show normality. Conclusions: The normality of large toxicity dataset was not always satisfactory to the central limit theorem. Normality of those data could be improved through log transformation. Therefore, care should be taken when using toxicity data to induce, for example, mean value for risk assessment.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.22-31
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• 2019

The flammable liquid conductivity is an important factor in determining the generation of electrostatic in fire and explosion hazardous areas, so it is necessary to study the physical properties of flammable liquids. In particular, the relevant liquid conductivity in the process of handling flammable liquids in relation to the risk assessment and risk control in fire and explosion hazard areas, such as chemical plants, is classified as a main evaluation item according to the IEC standard, and it is necessary to have flammable liquid conductivity measuring devices and related data are required depending on the handling conditions of the material, such as temperature and mixing ratio for preventing the fire and explosion related to electrostatic. In addition, IEC 60079-32-2 [Explosive Atmospheres-Part 32-2 (Electrostatic hazards-Tests)] refers to the measuring device standard and the conductivity of a single substance. It was concluded that there is no measurement data according to the handling conditions such as mixing ratio of flammable liquid and temperature together with the use and measurement examples. We have developed the measurement reliability by improving the structure, material and measurement method of measuring device by referring to the IEC standard. We have developed a measurement device that is developed and manufactured by itself. The test results of flammable liquid conductivity measurement and the data of the NFPA 77 (Recommended Practice on Static Electricity) Annex B Table B.2 Static Electric Characteristic of Liquids were compared and verified by conducting the conductivity measurement of the flammable liquid handled in the fire and explosion hazardous place by using Measuring / Data Acquisition / Processing / PC Communication. It will contribute to the prevention of static electricity related disaster by taking preliminary measures for fire and explosion prevention by providing technical guidance for static electricity risk assessment and risk control through flammable liquid conductivity measurement experiment. In addition, based on the experimental results, it is possible to create a big data base by constructing electrostatic physical characteristic data of flammable liquids by process and material. Also, it is analyzed that it will contribute to the foundation composition for adding the specific information of conductivity of flammable liquid to the physical and chemical characteristics of MSDS.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.293-303
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• 2020

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), air pollution is a typical health hazard, resulting in about 7 million premature deaths each year. Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is one of the major air pollutants, and the combustion process with sulfur-containing fuels generates it. Measuring SO2 generation in large combustion environments in real time and optimizing reduction facilities based on measured values are necessary to reduce the compound's presence. This paper describes the concentration measurement for SO2, a particulate matter precursor, using a wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) of tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS). This study employed a quantum cascade laser operating at 7.6 ㎛ as a light source. It demonstrated concentration measurement possibility using 64 multi-absorption lines between 7623.7 and 7626.0 nm. The experiments were conducted in a multi-pass cell with a total path length of 28 and 76 m at 1 atm, 296 K. The SO2 concentration was tested in two types: high concentration (1000 to 5000 ppm) and low concentration (10 ppm or less). Additionally, the effect of H2O interference in the atmosphere on the measurement of SO2 was confirmed by N2 purging the laser's path. The detection limit for SO2 was 3 ppm, and results were compared with the electronic chemical sensor and nondispersive infrared (NDIR) sensor.

• Quality Improvement in Health Care
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.18-29
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• 2021

Purpose: Patients with hematologic malignancy (HM) typically have a high mortality rate when their condition deteriorates. The chronic progressive course of the disease makes it difficult to assess the effect of intervention on acute events. We investigated the effectiveness of a rapid response team (RRT) on in-hospital mortality in patients with HM. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the data of patients with HM who admitted to the medical intensive care unit between 2006 and 2015. Clinical outcomes before and after RRT implementation were evaluated. Results: A total of 228 patients in the pre-RRT period and 781 patients in the post-RRT period were included. The overall in-hospital mortality was 55.4%. Patients in the post-RRT period had improved survival; however, they required more vasopressor therapy, continuous renal replacement therapy, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. Multivariate analysis revealed that in-hospital mortality was associated with RRT activation (hazard ratio [HR], 0.634; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.498-0.807; p < .001), neurological disease (HR, 2.007; 95% CI, 1.439-2.800; p < .001), sequential organ failure assessment score (HR, 1.085; 95% CI, 1.057-1.112; p < .001), need for continuous renal replacement therapy (HR, 1.608; 95% CI, 1.206-1.895; p< .001), mechanical ventilation (HR, 1.512; 95% CI, 1.206-1.895; p< .001), vasopressor (HR, 1.598; 95% CI, 1.105-2.311; p = .013), and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (HR, 1.728; 95% CI, 1.105-2.311; p = .030). Conclusion: RRT activation may be associated with improved survival in patients with HM.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.5
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• pp.321-333
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• 2022

In this study, the concentration and distribution characteristics of BTEX (benzene toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylene) emitted from Daesan Petrochemical Industrial Complex were examined to determine their potential hazards to local residents. Residents living nearby the complex areas may be exposed to the chemicals through various media (air, water, and soil), especially by air. This study evaluated human health risks by inhalation using both deterministic and probabilistic risk assessment approaches. As a result of the deterministic risk assessment, the non-cancer risk was much lower than the regulation limit of hazard index (HI 1.0) for all the points. However, in case of cancer risk evaluation, it was found that the risk of excess cancer for benzene at point A located in the industrial complex was 2.28×10^-6, which slightly exceeded the standard regulatory limit of 1.0×10^-6. In addition, the probabilistic risk assessment revealed that the percentile exceeding the standard of 1.0×10^-6was found to be 45.3%. The sensitivity analysis showed that exposure time (ET) had the greatest impact on the results. Based on the risk assessment study, it implied that ethylbenzene, toluene, and xylene had little adverse effects on potential human exposure, but benzene often exceeded the cancer risk standard (1.0×10^-6). Further studies on extensive VOCs monitoring are needed to evaluate the potential risks of industrial complex areas.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.56 no.1
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• pp.70-85
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• 2023

Purpose: Several studies have been conducted on the relationship between green tea intake and metabolic syndrome. However, compared to the studies carried out internationally, there is inadequate research on the relationship between domestic green tea consumption and metabolic syndrome. Therefore, in this study, the general characteristics of Koreans according to their green tea intake and its association with metabolic syndrome were examined. Methods: A total of 44,611 subjects were included in the study, and analysis was carried out using data from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study (KoGES) for Korean adults aged 40 or older. Green tea consumption was estimated using 106 verified food frequency questionnaires (FFQ). Metabolic syndrome was defined using the National Cholesterol Education Program Adult Treatment Panel III (NCEP-ATP III) parameters. After adjusting for confounding variables by performing a Cox regression analysis, the association between green tea consumption and metabolic syndrome was confirmed through the hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (CI). Results: The average incidence of metabolic syndrome was 18.7% (20.8% in men and 17.8% in women). Compared to those who drank almost no green tea, in subject groups consuming more than one cup of green tea a day, the metabolic syndrome incidence was significantly reduced by 15% (HR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.74-0.96; p trend = 0.0200) among men and by 19% (HR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.73-0.90; p trend < 0.0001) among women. In addition, the biomarkers related to metabolic syndrome also tended to decrease overall in these groups. Conclusion: This study concluded that as the intake of green tea increased, the incidence of metabolic syndrome and related indicators decreased. Therefore, green tea intake is believed to have a positive effect on the prevention and management of the metabolic syndrome.