• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.185-193
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• 2016

Background: Management and workers in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) often find it hard to comprehend the requirements related to controlling risks due to exposure to substances. An intervention study was set up in order to support 45 SMEs in improving the management of the risks of occupational exposure to chemicals, and in using the control banding tool and exposure model Stoffenmanager in this process. Methods: A 2-year intervention study was carried out, in which a mix of individual and collective training and support was offered, and baseline and effect measurements were carried out by means of structured interviews, in order to measure progress made. A seven-phase implementation evolutionary ladder was used for this purpose. Success and failure factors were identified by means of company visits and structured interviews. Results: Most companies clearly moved upwards on the implementation evolutionary ladder; 76% of the companies by at least one phase, and 62% by at least two phases. Success and failure factors were described. Conclusion: Active training and coaching helped the participating companies to improve their chemical risk management, and to avoid making mistakes when using and applying Stoffenmanager. The use of validated tools embedded in a community platform appears to support companies to organize and structure their chemical risk management in a business-wise manner, but much depends upon motivated occupational health and safety (OHS) professionals, management support, and willingness to invest time and means.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.46-54
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• 1993

This study was carried out on the stabilized/solidified treatment for the reducing leachability of hazardous heavy metals copper, lead, chromium and cadmium in the hazardous sludge which treated to be unleached heavy metals by sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate. Cement matrix was analyzed for the leachability of 24 hrs and dynamic leaching test, structure and the optimum condition for the stabilization and solidification of the hazardous sludge. In 28 days of curing time the unconfined compressive strength was 21.5 kg/cm$^2$ at the ratio of portland cement (0.5)+fly ash (0.25) and 23.5 kg/cmz at the ratio of portland cement (0.5)+fly ash (0.25) + cake (0.25). High concentration of Pb, Cr and Cd in the sea water and Cu in the distilled water were leached at the dynamic leaching test. The concentration of leaching heavy metals for specimens which were tested 24 hrs were found low leachability with decreasing pH of leachant. According to dynamic leaching test, the low level of copper, lead, cadmium and chromium were leached in the cement matrix with sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate. But the effective diffusion coefficient of unleached cement matrix which was treated sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate was decreased above 2 times than that of cement matrix. The relation of leachant renewal period (Y) and cumulative fraction ion leached (X) was the following regression equations. Solidification with unleached agent. Y$_{Cu}$ = 1413752X + 247, Y$_{Pb}$ = 223501IX + 214, Y$_{Cr}$ = 8310601X - 472, Y$_{Cd}$ = 168787X + 1061 The structure of' solidified matrix with X-ray diffraction analysis was composed more Ca(OH)$_2$, Si, Mg(OH)$_2$ and Al in the unleached cement matrix than those in cement matrix.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.199-206
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• 2008

This study was conducted to estimate nitrogen dioxide levels and health risk in various locations/situations for two groups. The nitrogen dioxide levels were measured for residents of a study group (industrial area within 5 km) and a control group (15 km farther), respectively using the nitrogen dioxide filter badge as a passive sampler from August, 2006 to September, 2006. The means of indoor, outdoor, work and personal levels of nitrogen dioxide were $34.65{\pm}1.95\;{\mu}g/m^3$, $34.83{\pm}11.78\;{\mu}g/m^3$, $34.98{\pm}19.11$ and $35.38{\pm}10.74$ respectively in the study area. Mean ratio of indoor to outdoor $NO_2$ concentration was 0.99. The means of indoor, outdoor and personal level of nitrogen dioxide were $23.66{\pm}7.19\;{\mu}g/m^3$, $18.22{\pm}4.06\;{\mu}g/m^3$ and $27.27{\pm}18.93\;{\mu}g/m^3$ respectively in the control area. Mean ratio of indoor to outdoor $NO_2$ concentration was 1.39. People spent 80.9% of their time in indoor at the study area and 76.9% at the control area. The percentages of time spent in outdoor were 14.9% and 20.9% at the study area and the control area respectively. The percentages of time spent in a car were 4.2% and 2.2% in the study and control areas respectively. The levels of indoor, outdoor, workplace nitrogen dioxide in the study area and the control area were found below the permissible level of health-hazardous effects.

• Journal of Sport and Applied Science
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.27-32
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• 2020

Purpose: This study sought to explore the effects of air pollution on professional sports in South Korea. Research design, data, and methodology: The dependent variable, the number of attendances, was comprised of 2013-2017 K-league, 2015-2017 KBO, 2014-2017 KBL regular season games, resulting in 1,063, 2,121, 810 individual match-level observations, respectively. With the actual data collected from each place across the country, we created a categorical variable which identify the air quality index divided into four categories by K-eco (i.e., good, moderate, unhealthy, hazardous). To analyze data, ANOVA was employed. Results: First, there was a significant group effect on K-league attendance. Second, there was a significant group effect of KBO attendance. Lastly, there was a significant group effect on KBL attendance. Conclusions: Summary of above results showed that each professional sport leagues' attendance was significantly different depending on the levels of air pollution. Implications were also discussed. Keywords: air pollution, sport spectatorship, professional sports.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.236-243
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• 2022

Background: In the case of multiple exposures to different types of heavy metals, such as the conditions faced by residents living near a smelter, it would be preferable to group hazardous substances with similar characteristics rather than individually related substances and evaluate the effects of each group on the human body. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of factor analysis in the assessment of health effects caused by exposure to two or more hazardous substances with similar characteristics, such as in the case of residents living near a smelter. Methods: Heavy metal concentration data for 572 people living in the vicinity of the Janghang smelter area were grouped based on several subfactors according to their characteristics using factor analysis. Using these factor scores as an independent variable, multiple regression analysis was performed on health effect markers. Results: Through factor analysis, three subfactors were extracted. Factor 1 contained copper and zinc in serum and revealed a common characteristic of the enzyme co-factor in the human body. Factor 2 involved urinary cadmium and arsenic, which are harmful metals related to kidney damage. Factor 3 encompassed blood mercury and lead, which are classified as related to cardiovascular disease. As a result of multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that using the factor index derived through factor analysis as an independent variable is more advantageous in assessing the relevance to health effects than when analyzing the two heavy metals by including them in a single regression model. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that regression analysis linked with factor analysis is a good alternative in that it can simultaneously identify the effects of heavy metals with similar properties while overcoming multicollinearity that may occur in environmental epidemiologic studies on exposure to various types of heavy metals.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.11-16
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• 2005

Chemical mixtures of components, each of which are present at less than guidance concentrations, may be hazardous due to additivity, interactions, or both. Toxicological interactions may increase the health hazard above what would be expected from an assessment of each component singly, or all components additively. So chemical mixture are a particular issue in public health. There are several approach to assess whether there are additivity or interaction in assessing toxicological effects, such as, components-based approach, physiologically-based pharmacokinetic /pharmacodynamic(PBPK/PD) models, hazard index method, and weight-of evidence method. If we consider interaction or additivity effects in assessing the health effects of chemcial mixtures, we can get more accurate information about toxicological effects and dose-response relationship in chemical mixtures.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2010.04a
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• pp.41-44
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• 2010

Hazardous air pollutants such as benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), benzene, formaldehyde have been concerned about the adverse health effect of long-term exposure. Contour map is useful for finding high-concentration region, emission source, and distributions of HAPs in the ambient air. To make a contour map, we have developed simple analytical method for selected HAPs; polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons such as BaP, benzene and its derivatives such as toluene and xylene, and aldehydes and ketones. We have applied these methods to investigate air pollution by HAPs in some cities in Japan. The results show that these methods reveal actual emission sources if the PRTR emission report was not submitted.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.473-477
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• 2007

The in vitro antibacterial activity against antibiotic-resistant Propionibacterium acnes of kaempferol isolated from the Impatiens balsamina alone and in combination with erythromycin or clindamycin antibiotics was investigated. The antibiotic combination effect against antibiotic-resistant P. acnes was studied by checkerboard test. Kaempferol and quercetin demonstrated antibacterial activities against P. acnes. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) for both compounds were ${\leq}32\;{\mu}g/ml\;and\;{\leq}64{\mu}g/ml$ for clindamycin-sensitive and -resistant P. acnes, respectively. The four combination formulations (kaempferol and either erythromycin or clindamycin; quercetin and either erythromycin or clindamycin) exhibited a synergic inhibition of P. acnes growth. The combination of kaempferol with quercetin showed an indifferent effect. The combination of clindamycin with kaempferol or quercetin showed a greater synergic effect than that of erythromycin with kaempferol or quercetin. Thus, these combinations demonstrated the potential to treat acne.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.12-21
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• 2011

The objective of this study is to review retrospective exposure assessment methods used in wafer fabrication operations to determine whether adverse health effects including mortality or cancer incidence are related to employment in particular work activities and to recommend an appropriate approach for retrospective exposure assessment methods for epidemiological study. The goal of retrospective exposure assessment for such studies is to assign each study subject to a workgroup in such a way that differences in exposure within the workgroups are minimized, as well as to maximize the contrasts in exposure between workgroups. To reduce the misclassification of exposure and to determine if adverse health effects including mortality or cancer incidence are related to particular work activities of wafer fabrication workers, a minimum requirement of work history information on the wafer manufacturing eras, job and department at which they were exposed should be assessed. Retrospective assessment of the task that semiconductor workers performed should be conducted to determine not only the effect of a particular job on the development of adverse health effects including mortality or cancer incidence, but also to adjust for the healthy worker effect. In order to identify specific hazardous agents that may cause adverse health effects, past exposure to a specific agent or agent matrices should also be assessed.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.108-117
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• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between customer contact service and mental health among Korean taxi drivers. Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data collected from the 2015 Korean Working Conditions Survey. The sample included 496 taxi drivers in South Korea. The effect of customer contact service on mental health was analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The independent variables were general characteristics, working conditions, and hazardous factors in interactive service. Results: The prevalence of poor mental health was 56.3%. Taxi drivers experienced emotional involvement (17.2%), hiding feeling (32.0%), and contact with angry clients (18.3%) in their job. During the first month of their work, 33.7% experienced verbal abuse and 12.3% threats/humiliating behaviors. In bivariate analysis, verbal abuse, threats/humiliating behaviors, and physical violence were associated with mental health of taxi drivers. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed 'emotional involvement' and 'contact with angry clients' were significant predictors of mental health. Conclusion: The findings of this study may be useful in developing intervention programs to improve the mental health of taxi drivers in South Korea.