• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제47권6호
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• pp.513-520
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• 2021

Background: Benzalkonium chloride (BKC) has been extensively used as a preservative in industrial products and in hygiene, medical, and cosmetic applications. Humidifier disinfectant (HD) products containing BKC have been used in South Korea. Objectives: This study was aimed to review types of products containing BKC, to summarize the regulations in the US, EU, Japan, and South Korea, and to review the health effects associated with the use of HD. Methods: We reviewed and summarized documents which were searched through PubMed and Google Scholar with the key words: BKC and asthma/contact dermatitis, humidifier disinfectant-associated lung injury (HDLI), and more. Results: Regulations in most countries including South Korea do not allow its use as disinfectants in spray-type of products for medicine, cosmetics, and household products. Two types of HD containing BKC (800~1,270 ppm) were marketed in South Korea from 1996~2003. Health effects reported from people who used products containing BKC were allergic contact dermatitis, erythema, and respiratory disease, including asthma. Two people who responded as HD users containing BKC only were confirmed to have developed asthma. HD-associated lung injury (HDLI) was reported by consumers who used both HD containing polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) and HD containing BKC. Conclusions: In conclusion, the use of BKC as a biocide has to be controlled considering the route and pattern of exposure. Products containing BKC as preservatives were reviewed with exposure routes and sites in the human body such as skin, eyes, and the respiratory tract. HD containing BKC was clinically evaluated to be associated with asthma.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• 제56권1호
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• pp.85-95
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• 2018

본 연구에서는 폐가스 가습조(유동상호기 및 무산소조)를 포함한 바이오필터공정으로 이루어진 바이오필터시스템을 구축하여, 돈사 및 계사 설비, 퇴비공장 또는 공공시설에서 발생되는 황화수소, 암모니아 및 휘발성 유기화합물을 포함한 악취폐가스에 대한 처리효율을 제고하고 적정 작업조건을 구축하였다. 복합 악취폐가스 처리실험에서, 암모니아 부하의 경우 폐가스 가습조에서 약 75%가 제거되고, 후 공정인 바이오필터에서 20%이상 제거되었다. 톨루엔 부하의 경우 폐가스 가습조에서 약 20%가 제거되고, 후공정인 바이오필터에서 70% 이상 제거되었다. 따라서 물에 용해도가 높은 암모니아의 경우에는 폐가스 가습조에서 주로 제거되었고, 용해도가 낮은 톨루엔의 경우는 바이오필터에서 주로 제거되었다. 한편 황화수소는 폐가스 가습조에서 거의 흡수되어 바이오필터에서 검출되지 않았다. 황화수소 및 톨루엔의 공급을 중단하였을 때에, 암모니아 부하는 폐가스 가습조에서 약 65%가 제거되고 후 공정인 바이오필터에서 나머지 약 35% 정도가 제거되어, 거의 100%의 암모니아 부하가 제거되었다. 폐가스 가습조에서는 암모니아 외에 톨루엔 및 황화수소의 부하가 추가된 복합 악취폐가스의 경우보다 약 10% 더 적게 암모니아가 제거되었는데, 이것은 탈질에 필요한 톨루엔과 같은 유기화합물의 공급 중단에 기인하였다. 바이오필터시스템의 feed가, 1)복합 악취폐가스일 때, 2)암모니아 폐가스일 때에; 기존 폐가스 가습조 용수에 yeast extract를 보충한 경우 또는 yeast extract를 첨가하지 않고 탄소원으로 glucose를 첨가한 경우, 각각의 경우에 폐가스 가습조에서 흡수되는 암모니아질소 흡수율은, 각각 약 0.28 mg/min, 약 0.23 mg/min 및 약 0.27 mg/min으로 산출되었다. 한편 각각의 무산소조에서 탈질율은 0.42 mg/min, 0.55 mg/min, 및 약 0.27 mg/min이었다. 또한 폐가스 가습조(유동상 호기조)의 bubble column 모델링에서 유동상 호기조 단위부피당 bubble의 비표면적(a)과 향상된 물질전달계수(E $K_y$)의 곱의 값은 0.12/hr로 평가되었다.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제31권
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• pp.13.1-13.4
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• 2016

An analysis of patients and fatalities due to exposure to polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) shows that PHMG causes mainly lung diseases such as pulmonary fibrosis. However, no research on the other organs has been conducted on this matter yet. So, an in-depth discussion on toxicological techniques is needed to determine whether or not PHMG is toxic to organs other than just the lungs. For the test of target organ toxicity by PHMG exposure, a toxicokinetic study must first be conducted. However, measurement method for PHMG injected into the body has not yet been established because it is not easy to analyze polymer PHMG, so related base studies on analytical technique for PHMG including radio-labeling chemistry must come first. Moreover, research on exposure-biomarker and effect-biomarker must also be conducted, primarily related to clinical application. Several limitations seem to be expected to apply the biomarker study to the patient because much time has passed after exposure to the humidifier disinfectant. It is why a more comprehensive toxicological researches must be introduced to the causality for the victims.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제31권
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• pp.24.1-24.7
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• 2016

The humidifier disinfectant disaster (HDD) was not a simple poisoning accident by biocides, but a singular disaster in history created by chemicals in household products. This disaster was a result of the failure of a system for the management of chemical and product safety. Since the management authority for chemical usage safety is different from those for chemical safety in products, many blind areas for chemical safety management in products still remain. The 'Act on the Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemical Substances (ARECS)' or the new 'Biocidal Product Act' must not only address the blind areas in the management system for chemical and product safety, but also prevent a second HDD. To prevent another HDD, an integrated registration, evaluation, and management system for chemicals and consumer products must be incorporated into the 'ARECS' as an essential part for chemical safety in consumer products.

• 한국수소및신에너지학회논문집
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• 제21권6호
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• pp.547-552
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• 2010

In this study, we suggested an integrated humidification system for a fuel cell electric vehicle (FCEV) as an efficient method of humidification under the various driving condition of the fuel cell vehicle and system. It is improving air humidification system combined the existing membrane humidifier and water injection. As a result, we verified it through experiments and the vehicle test and could get a result of improvement of humidification performance. The results show that an integrated humidification system is a useful method for FCEV applications.

• 한국신재생에너지학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국신재생에너지학회 2008년도 추계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.6-9
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• 2008

The efficiency and life time of the proton exchange membrane (PEM) fuel cell system is critically changed with its humidity which should be maintained properly during dynamic operation. Membrane humidifier is required to regulate proper humidity level for the design point of the PEMFC system. In this study, we presented the performance of the cylindrical membrane humidifier which is operated as water-to-gas. Dry air pressure, liquid water flow temperature, and air flow rate were chosen as the operating parameters. Humidity level is expressed with dew point.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제30권1호
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• pp.4-14
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• 2020

Since the government is fully aware of the specificity and importance of the healthcare field, it operates bureaucracy and affiliated organizations composed of many government ministries and experts and is also handling the related bureaus. However, recent incidents of humidifier disinfectant not only make these government activities unreliable but also cause disappointment to many people. Why did not the government take active measures to ensure product safety? But why was the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) able to speed up the identification of the cause and the recovery of the product? The purpose of this study is to clarify the behavioral mechanisms of government intervention by comparing the behaviors of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the KCDC. Then, we will discuss the desirable government structure.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• 제20권11호
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• pp.1277-1280
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• 1999

An inexpensive ultrasonic nebulizer (USN) was developed utilizing a home humidifier. The ultrasonic transducer was taken from a commercial USN and the power supply was from a humidifier. Sample was continuously fed into the nebulizer and the detection limit was improved 3-20 times over a pneumatic nebulizer. Undesirably, noise in signal was also increased several times. 0.5 ppm of Mn was used as an internal reference and the "long-term" drift could be successfully corrected. Since the noise contained high and low frequency components, both could be effectively removed only by the real-time correction method such as the Myer-Tracy method, where the reference line was simultaneously monitored with the analytical lines. The performance of USN was tested with NIST SRMs and showed good agreement with the certified values.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.253-257
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• 2013

Exposure assessment for three major active ingredients used for humidifier disinfectants, polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG), oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxyethyl guanidinium chloride (PGH), and 5-chloro-2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one/2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one (CMIT/MIT) mixture, was conducted in a bedroom using an air sampler for a refined risk assessment. The experimental site was selected to reflect consumer exposure conditions. Aerosols formed by a humidifier were sampled during 8 hr at 7.5 L/min. Absorbed PHMG and PGH by the sampler were quantified using a spectrophotometric method, and high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection was used for CMIT/MIT. Three exposure scenarios were assumed for adding humidifier disinfectants to the humidifier water at 1, 2, and 10 times the volume recommended by the product suppliers, and the humidifier was on at its maximum rate of producing aerosols in order to consider reasonable worst-cases. The sampled mass of PHMG and PGH ranged 200 to $2,800{\mu}g$ and 140 to $1,900{\mu}g$, respectively, under different exposure conditions, whereas the absorbed mass of CMIT/MIT was barely detected at the detection limit of 0.11/0.29 mg/L, only at 10 times the recommended level. The resulting risk quotients for PHMG and PGH ranged 1,400 to 20,000 and 1,000 to 13,000, indicating that health risks could be significant. For CMIT/MIT mixture, risk quotients were much smaller than estimated by assuming that they are conservative in the indoor environment, probably due to oxidative reactions. The refined exposure assessment presented here may provide a useful tool for assessing risks posed by active ingredients in spray-type biocidal products.

• 한국정밀공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국정밀공학회 2012년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.897-898
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• 2012