• 한국대기환경학회지
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.378-389
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• 2013

In Korea, studies on the indoor air quality have been conducted since mid of 1980s. The turning point occurred in 2003 by establishing the act of the indoor air quality management for public facilities. According to the law, the basic plan for indoor air quality management is prepared by government every five years, affecting greatly governmental policy and related academia and industries. Indoor air quality survey was mostly carried out among indoor air quality researches. After then, assessment of health effect and air cleaning technology were studied. Although various control technologies for particle, bioaerosol, odor, and hazardous chemicals have been applied to indoor environments, breakthrough technologies are needed to solve real problems facing at the applied environments. In the future, issue of indoor air quality is more interested and both management policy and control technology are key factors in order to realize comfort and healthy indoor environments.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.138-142
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• 2016

Background: Household waste collectors (HWCs) are exposed to hazardous conditions. This study investigates the patterns of workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs. Methods: This study uses cases of workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs that occurred between 2010 and 2011. We analyzed 325 cases of injuries and 36 cases of illnesses according to the workers' age, length of employment, size of workplace, injured part of body, day and month of injury, type of accident, agency of accident, and collection process. Results: There were significant differences in the effect of workers' length of employment, injured part of body, type of accident, agency of accident, and collection process. Results show that most injuries occur in workers in their 50s and older. This study also shows that 51.4% of injuries occur at businesses with 49 employees or fewer. Injuries to waste collectors happen most often when workers are electrocuted after slipping on the ground. The second most prevalent form of injury is falling, which usually happens when workers hang from the rear of the truck during transportation or otherwise slip and fall from the truck. Work-related illnesses amongst waste collectors are mostly musculoskeletal conditions due to damaging postures. Conclusion: These findings will be instructive in devising policies and guidelines for preventing workplace injuries and work-related illnesses of HWCs.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.176-184
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• 2017

Objectives: Excluding in their homes, children spend most of their time at an elementary school, daycare center, and/or kindergarten. For educational or recreational purposes, they make use of many children's goods at these places. Some children's goods contain phthalates and heavy metals with polyvinyl chloride (PVC), so due to their physiological and behavioral characteristics children are exposed to high concentrations of phthalates and heavy metals. This study aims to measure PVC and heavy metals, which are harmful substances in children's goods which can have an effect on children's health. Methods: Six samples of children's goods were selected through cases of detected harmful substances and the results of previous research, including assembly blocks, model toys, household toys, bags, indoor play equipment, and floor mats. The selected items were measured using X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF), and the presence and content of environmentally harmful substances such as PVC or heavy metals in the materials of children's goods were examined. Results: The highest detection rate for PVC was observed in floor mats, and bags and indoor play equipment were higher than other goods in this regard. The highest detection rate for heavy metals was found in bags, followed by indoor play equipment, assembly blocks, household toys, model toys and floor mats. Except for bags containing heavy metals, five goods showed the highest level of Pb compared to other heavy metals. Floor mats contained the highest level of Pb, Cr, and Cu among all goods. Conclusion: Many children's goods contain PVC and heavy metals, and high levels of heavy metals have been detected in some goods. It is necessary to manage children's goods to support their health.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제45권6호
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• pp.353-363
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• 2012

Methylmercury is a hazardous substance that is of interest with regard to environmental health, as inorganic mercury circulating in the general environment is dissolved into freshwater and seawater, condensed through the food chain, ingested by humans, and consequently affects human health. Recently, there has been much interest and discussion regarding the toxicity of methylmercury, the correlation with fish and shellfish intake, and methods of long-term management of the human health effects of methylmercury. What effects chronic exposure to a low concentration of methylmercury has on human health remains controversial. Although the possibility of methylmercury poisoning the heart and blood vessel system, the reproductive system, and the immune system is continuously raised and discussed, and the carcinogenicity of methylmercury is also under discussion, a clear conclusion regarding the human health effects according to exposure level has not yet been drawn. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives proposed to prepare additional fish and shellfish intake recommendations for consumers based on the quantified evaluation of the hazardousness of methylmercury contained in fish and shellfish, methylmercury management in the Korea has not yet caught up with this international trend. Currently, the methylmercury exposure level of Koreans is known to be very high. The starting point of methylmercury exposure management is inorganic mercury in the general environment, but food intake through methylation is the main exposure source. Along with efforts to reduce mercury in the general environment, food intake management should be undertaken to reduce the human exposure to methylmercury in Korea.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제26권2호
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• pp.80-90
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• 2000

To determine the effect of air pollutants in Taejon City, we used medical insurance claim data for asthma and the data monitored from telemetry system of Ministry of Environment for air pollutants and meteorological factors. From November 1st, 1997 to October 31th, 1998, 95,629 asthma patients were covered by medical insurance at Taejon City. Subjects were composed of 49,563 males (51.8%) and 46.336 females(48.2%), and among the subjects, the proportion under 15 years old was 62.8% of the total. During the study period, daily mean concentrations of each air pollutants-So2, No2, CO, O3 and TSP-were 9.8 ppb, 17.6 ppm, 1.414 pp, 17.3 ppb and 60.6 $\mu\textrm{g}$/㎥, respectively, which were lower than each of the environmental recommended exposure levels, Through the simple correlation analysis between each air pollutants and meteorological factors, O3 was positively correlated with temperature, but negatively with relative humidity. TSP, SO2, NO2, CO were negatively correlated with meteorological factors, and these air pollutants except O3 were positively correlated with each other, O3 was correlated with TSP positively but the others negatively. Estimating relative risks of each air pollutant with the baseline general additive model, daily mean concentrations of TSP(Lag 0, 1, 4, 5day) were significantly associated with the increase of the asthma admission. Two age subgroups, under 15 and 15~54 have shown various association of all air pollutants concentration with the asthma admission. However, in case of over 54 age subgroup, only TSP(Lag 0 day) among all air pollutants was associated with the asthma admission. Each of ambient outdoor pollutant concentrations in Taejon City are significantly associated with the admission of asthma patients even though all concentrations in Taejon City are significantly associated with the admission of asthma patients even though all concentrations were much lower than the environmental recommended exposure levels. Therefore, continuous effort lowering air pollutant concentration and introducing an active environmental conservation policy should be implanted for preventing hazardous health effects. Considering major proportion of asthma admissions, high susceptibility and less confounding factors among the age subgroup under 15 will be a useful target population for assessing such health effect monitoring.

• 설비공학논문집
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.335-343
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• 2006

Indoor air pollution has been significantly aggravated due to hazardous pollutants emitted from petrochemical finishing materials in new apartments. Pollutants emitted into indoor environment have significant effects on the health of occupants, causing undesirable symptoms related to sick building syndrome such as headache, dizziness, difficulty in concentration, etc. Therefore, this paper attempted to investigate the reduction effect of bake out on VOCs emission in new apartments. Experiments were carried out in three households, one of which was naturally ventilated. The naturally ventilated showed the lowest indoor pollutant concentration and also showed the highest reduction rate by the use of bake out. The most desirable result was observed when the household was naturally ventilated after bake out. More detailed experiments are expected to be carried out afterwards on the prediction of reduction rate of each pollutant.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제43권4호
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• pp.273-279
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• 2017

Objectives: Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are next-generation industrial nanoparticles which possess excellent mechanical strength along with good thermal conductivity and electric properties. Given these characteristics, carbon nanotubes are being widely applied in various fields, including research and development. However, concerns have been raised over hazardous properties due to their similar fiber shape to asbestos. Recent studies have shown that CNTs pose potential hazards which may cause fibrosis and/or lung inflammation similarly to asbestos. Methods: After intratracheal instillation of SWCNTs and MWCNTs to rats, pulmonary surfactant (PS) of the SWCNTs and MWCNTs was measured and analyzed using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid collected from the lung. After a single intratracheal instillation of SWCNTs and MWCNTs, phospholipid predominantly showed a significant increase compared to the control group, while proteins exhibited a significant increase both three days and one week after instillation. Results: As a result of surface tension, MWCNTs showed a significant decrease three days after treatment compared to the control group. In the case of the total cell number three days after instillation, MWCNTs revealed a temporarily significant increase when compared to the control group. For PMN number, when compared to the control group, SWCNTs displayed a significant increase throughout the observation period, while MWCNTs showed a significant increase three days and three months after treatment. Conclusions: After exposure to CNTs, the total cell number and PNT number, which indicate inflammatory response, were significantly increased. Therefore, this study suggests fiber-shaped CNTs may have a harmful effect on the lungs.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.193-198
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• 2020

Background: Medical laboratory workers are frequently exposed to a wide range of chemicals. This exposure can have adverse effects on their health. Furthermore, a knowledge lack of the chemical risk increases the likelihood of exposure. The chemical risk assessment reduces the risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals and therefore, guarantees health and safety of the workers. Method: The chemical risk assessment was conducted using a modified INRS method, according to the new CLP Regulation, of 11 unit laboratories in a Moroccan medical laboratory. Observation of each workstation and analysis of safety data sheets are key tools in this study. Results: A total of 144 substances and reagents that could affect the health of the analytical technicians were identified. Among these products, 17% are concerned by the low priority risk score, with 55% concerned by the average priority risk score and 28% concerned by the high priority risk score. This study also enabled to better identify the chemical agents that have restrictive occupational exposure limit value and controls were conducted to this effect. On the basis of the results obtained, several corrective and preventive measures have been proposed and implemented. Conclusion: Risk assessment is essential to ensure the health and safety of workers and to meet regulatory requirements. It enables to identify all the risky manipulations and to adopt appropriate preventive measures. However, it is not a one-time activity but it must be continuous in order to master the changes and thus ensure the best safety of all.

• 한국직업건강간호학회지
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• 제15권2호
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• pp.133-143
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• 2006

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perceived job stress and work environmental factors related with socioeconomics factors and physical burden in the golf caddies. Methods: Job stress in golf caddies was estimated by using the Karasek's job content questionnaire (JCQ) and work environmental factors were estimated by self-reported questionnaire and interview. Results: The subjects were 316 woman caddies who had never been occupationally exposed to hazardous chemicals, was mean age 31.1 years. Mean work duration was 6.44 years and working hours per day on low- and high-demand season were 6.16 and 10.51, respectively. The golf caddies displayed higher scores of job stress due to multiple factors such as working hours and frequency of rounding per week, physical burden, confliction, income satisfaction and employment stability. We found that high strain group was positive correlation with age, career, working hour (including frequency of rounding) and job demand, however, showed negative correlation with job decision latitude and support of supervisor and coworker. Conclusion: In conclusion, we suggest that the golf caddies be regard divided into high strain group as appropriate. Thus, stress management and health promotion program for golf caddies should be developed.

• 한국안전학회지
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• 제30권5호
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• pp.108-113
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• 2015

Plastic injection moulding machine is widely used for many industrial field. It is classified into mandatory safety certification machinery in Industrial Safety and Health Act because of its high hazard. In order to prevent industrial accidents by plastic injection moulding machine, it is necessary for designer to identify hazardous factors and assess the failure modes to mitigate them. This study tabulates the failure modes of main parts of plastic injection moulding machine and how their failure has affect on the machine being considered. Failure Mode & Effect Analysis(FMEA) method has been used to assess the hazard on plastic injection moulding machine. Risk and risk priority number(RPN) has been calculated in order to estimate the hazard of failures using severity, probability and detection. Accidents caused by plastic injection moulding machine is compared with the RPN which was estimated by main regions such as injection unit, clamping unit, hydraulic and system units to find out the most dangerous region. As the results, the order of RPN is injection unit, clamping unit, hydraulic unit and system units. Barrel is the most dangerous part in the plastic injection moulding machine.