• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.532-540
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• 2013

Background: Exposure factors for consumer products have been developed since the 1980s. Such exposure factors are important in risk assessment. Since the exposure/use patterns of consumer products in a country may reflect its respective cultural, meteorological, and socio-economic circumstances, unique Korean exposure factors for consumer products are needed. Such exposure factors are required for newly-enacted chemical regulations in Korea. For this review, published papers and survey reports on exposure factors of consumer products were examined for their assessment methodologies. Results: Investigation into exposure factors for consumer products used a variety of methods: home visit, online, telephone, and mail surveys using questionnaires; face to face interviews; modeling using a constructed database; and direct measurement. To collect more accurate exposure information or to check the reliability of the sampling method, some studies were repeated using the same questionnaire, in-home observation, direct measurement of usage, and videotaping. In Korea, nationwide exposure surveys were conducted five times over five years to obtain Korean exposure factors. However, with the exception of the $5^{th}$-year study, the surveys were online questionnaires and only the $5^{th}$-year study validated the accuracy of exposure information by re-visits and direct measurement. Conclusion: Accurate exposure factors are an essential part of risk assessment to assure safe use of consumer products. For better and safer management of consumer products, accurate exposure factors in Korea should be assessed for various exposure pathways.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.23-35
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• 2007

Present time there are many risk analysis method in the world. A hazard is an exposure that has the potential to induce and adverse event. Risk is the probability of an adverse event given exposure to hazard. The evaluation of scientific information on the hazardous properties of environmental agents and the extent of exposure to these agents. But operation risk analysis method is not enough for manufacturing industry even if it is existence, it will be separated to improve Safety. In this paper, I will develop the AHP Weighted operation risk analysis method to improve Safety.

• BMB Reports
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2003

The causative role of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in human carcinogenesis is undisputed. Measurements of PAH-DNA adduct levels in easily accessible white blood cells therefore represent useful early endpoints in exposure intervention of chemoprevention studies. The successful applicability of DNA adducts as early endpoints depends on several criteria:i.adduct levels in easily accessible surrogate tissues should reflect adduct levels in target-tissues, ii. toxicokinetics and the temporal relevance should be properly defined.iii. sources of inter- and intra-individual variability must be known and controllable, and finally iv. adduct analyses must have advantages as compared to other markers of PAH-exposure. In general, higher DNA adduct levels or a higher proportion of subjects with detectable DNA adduct levels were found in exposed individuals as compared with non-exposed subjects, but saturation may occur at high exposures. Furthermore, DNA adduct levels varied according to changes in exposure, for example smoking cessation resulted in lower DNA adduct levels and adduct levels paralleled seasonal variations of air-pollution. Intra-individual variation during continuous exposure was low over a short period of time (weeks), but varied significantly when longer time periods (months) were investigated. Inter-individual variation is currently only partly explained by genetic polymorphisms in genes involved in PAH-metabolism and deserves further investigation. DNA adduct measurement may have three advantages over traditional exposure assessment: i. they can smooth the extreme variability in exposure which is typical for environmental toxicants and may integrate exposure over a longer period of time. Therefore, DNA adduct assessment may reduce the monitoring effort. ii. Biological monitoring of DNA adducts accounts for all exposure routes. iii. DNA adducts may account for inter-individual differences in uptake, elimination, distribution, metabolism and repair amongst exposed individuals. In conclusion, there is now a sufficiently large scientific basis to justify the application of DNA adduct measurement as biomarkers in exposure assessment and intervention studies. Their use in risk-assessment, however, requires further investigation.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.137-141
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• 2011

This study was conducted to assess the exposure risk through inhalation to baby powder for babies and adults under simulated conditions. Baby powder was applied to a baby doll and the amount of baby powder consumed per application was estimated. The airborne exposure to baby powder during application was then evaluated by sampling the airborne baby powder near the breathing zones of both the baby doll and the person applying the powder (the applicator). The average amount of baby powder consumed was 100 mg/application, and the average exposure concentration of airborne baby powder for the applicator and baby doll was 0.00527 mg/$m^3$ (range 0.00157~0.01579 mg/$m^3$) and 0.02207 mg/$m^3$ (range 0.00780~0.04173 mg/$m^3$), respectively. When compared with the Occupational Exposure Limit of 2 mg/$m^3$ set by the Korean Ministry of Labor and the Threshold Limit Value (TLV) of 2 mg/$m^3$ set by the ACGIH (American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists), the exposure concentrations were much lower. Next, the exposure to asbestos-containing baby powder was estimated and the exposure risk was assessed based on the lung asbestos contents in normal humans. As a result, the estimated lung asbestos content resulting from exposure to asbestos-containing baby powder was found to be much lower than that of a normal Korean with no asbestos-related occupational history.

• Horticultural Science & Technology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.239-245
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• 2013

Occupational exposure and risk assessment were conducted to evaluate the safety of operators when insecticide acetamiprid was applied to apple orchard using a speed sprayer. Dermal patches, cotton gloves, socks, and masks were used to monitor the dermal exposure, and personal air pump with solid sorbent was used to measure the potential inhalation exposure. In validation to analytical methods, the limit of detection and limit of quantitation were 0.25 ng and 1 ng, respectively. Good reproducibility (coefficient variation < 4%), linearity (coefficient determination > 0.999), and recovery (85.3-118.2%) were obtained. Trapping efficiency of solid sorbent was 96.4% while breakthrough did not occur. Only hand exposure was measured on the gloves during mixing/loading to give $33-1,132{\mu}g$. Exposure amount of operator 3 among 4 workers was noticeably high. The total volumes of spray liquid for operators were $535-1,235mL{\cdot}h^{-1}$, corresponding to 0.03-0.08% of the applied spray solution. Highest contaminated parts of body were thighs, chest, and lower legs. The inhalation exposure ratio to the total application amount was significantly low. However, wind seemed to affect the inhalation exposure of operator. For risk assessment, margin of safety was calculated by the application of cloth and dermal penetration rate to obtain values of much larger than 1 in all cases. Therefore, health risk of operators during treatment of acetamiprid in apple orchard could be of least possibility.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.27
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• pp.5.1-5.10
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• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the risk of ingestion exposure of lead by particle sizes of crumb rubber in artificial turf filling material with consideration of bioavailability. Methods: This study estimated the ingestion exposure by particle sizes (more than 250 um or less than 250 um) focusing on recyclable ethylene propylene diene monomer crumb rubber being used as artificial turf filling. Analysis on crumb rubber was conducted using body ingestion exposure estimate method in which total content test method, acid extraction method and digestion extraction method are reflected. Bioavailability which is a calibrating factor was reflected in ingestion exposure estimate method and applied in exposure assessment and risk assessment. Two methods using acid extraction and digestion extraction concentration were compared and evaluated. Results: As a result of the ingestion exposure of crumb rubber material, the average lead exposure amount to the digestion extraction result among crumb rubber was calculated to be $1.56{\times}10^{-4}$ mg/kg-day for low grade elementary school students and $4.87{\times}10^{-5}$ mg/kg-day for middle and high school students in 250 um or less particle size, and that to the acid extraction result was higher than the digestion extraction result. Results of digestion extraction and acid extraction showed that the hazard quotient was estimated by about over 2 times more in particle size of lower than 250 um than in higher than 250 um. There was a case of an elementary school student in which the hazard quotient exceeded 0.1. Conclusions: Results of this study confirm that the exposure of lead ingestion and risk level increases as the particle size of crumb rubber gets smaller.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.811-816
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• 2013

Background: Pervious studies suggested occupational workers exposure to pentachlorophenol (PCP) might contribute to increased risk of cancer. However, few studies have focused on associations between PCP and cancer risk at the community level. Objective: The present study was to explore the cancer risk for the community population living long-term in a PCP contaminated area. Methods: All the cancer cases diagnosed in 2009-2011 in Tongling City were collected. The cancer patients' residencies were geo-referenced in each district. The historical PCP usage for each district of Tongling was calculated as the PCP pollution index, which was further used to divide into PCP exposure categories. Standardized rate ratios (SRRs) of cancer incidence were applied to detect the cancer risk as exposure grade elevated. Correlation analysis was performed to analyze the relationship between PCP pollution and cancer incidence. Results: A total of 5,288 cancer cases (3,451 male and 1,837 female) were identified. PCP usage was correlated with the incidence of leukemia (r=0.88, P=0.002) for males, and with cancer of the esophagus for males (r=0.83, P=0.008) and females (r=0.71, P=0.020). Compared with the low exposure category, significant SRRs for total cancer sites was obtained for high PCP exposure category (SRR=1.61, 95%CI=1.59-1.62). Most SRR values of the cancer sites were significantly increased as exposure grade elevated and exposure time extended. Conclusion: The present study found that community residents living in the PCP contaminated area had increased risk of cancers. Leukemias, lymphomas and nasopharyngeal and esophageal cancers are most possibly associated with PCP exposure.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.83-92
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• 2023

When assessing the risk of radioactive wastes transportation on land, computer codes such as RADTRAN and RISKIND are used as deterministic methods. Transportation risk assessment using the deterministic method requires a relatively short assessment time. On the other hand, transportation risk assessment using the probabilistic method requires a relatively long assessment time, but produces more reliable results. Therefore, a study is needed to evaluate the exposure dose using a deterministic method that can be evaluated relatively quickly, and to compare and analyze the exposure dose result using a probabilistic method. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the exposure dose during transportation of radioactive wastes using deterministic and probabilistic methods, and to compare and analyze them. For this purpose, the main exposure factors were selected and various exposure situations were set. The distance between the radioactive waste and the receptor, the size of the package, and the speed of vehicle were selected as the main exposure factors. The exposure situation was largely divided into when the radioactive wastes were stationary and when they were passing. And the dose (rate) model of the deterministic overland transportation risk assessment computer code was analyzed. Finally, the deterministic method of the RADTRAN computer code and the RISKIND computer code and the probabilistic method of the MCNP 6 computer code were used to evaluate the exposure dose in various exposure situations during transportation of radioactive wastes. Then we compared and analyzed them. As a result of the evaluation, the tendency of the exposure dose (rate) was similar when the radioactive wastes were stationary and passing. For the same situation, the evaluation results of the RADTRAN computer code were generally more conservative than the results of the RISKIND computer code and the MCNP 6 computer code. The evaluation results of the RISKIND computer code and the MCNP 6 computer code were relatively similar. The results of this study are expected to be used as basic data for establishing the radioactive wastes transportation risk assessment system in Korea in the future.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2004

It is important to select a risk based priority area for environmental policy formation and decision-making. We estimated the health risks and associated damage costs from exposure to fine particles and assigned priority areas for twenty -five districts in Seoul. In order to estimate the theoretical mortality incidence of the health risk, baseline risks were estimated from mortality rates in two low level areas of fine particles, Seocho Gu and Cheju city To estimate the damage cost from the risk estimates, we investigated and estimated the willingness to pay (WTP) for specific risk reduction. We assumed two different locations as the reference area, Cheju city as Scenario I and Seocho gu as Scenario II. From the results, the five districts, Kwangjin, Chungnang, Kangbuk, Nowon, and Kangnam, ranked high in the categories of both health risk and economic risk. Damage costs were over twenty billion won in each of these districts. As there are uncertainties in these results, the parameter values such as PM$_{2.5}$ level, dose -response slope factor, baseline risk, exposure population and WTP should be continuously validated and refined.d.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.345-362
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• 2017

The primary purpose of this study was to determine the risk of various disease outcomes due to exposure to cyanobacteria toxin (microcystin-LR) through drinking water in a Korean watershed. In order to determine the risk in a more quantitative way, the risk assessment framework developed by the National Research Council (NRC) of the United States (US) - hazard identification, dose-response relationship, exposure assessment, and risk characterization - was used in this study. For dose-response relationships, a computer software (BenchMark Dose Software (BMDS)) developed by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was used to fit the data from previous studies showing the relationship between the concentration of microcystin-LR and various disease outcomes into various dose-response models. For exposure assessment, the concentrations of microcystin-LR in the source water and finished water in a Korean watershed obtained from a recent study conducted by the Ministry of Environment of Korea were used. Finally, the risk of various disease outcomes due to exposure to cyanobacteria toxin (microcystin-LR) through drinking water was characterized by Monte-Carlo simulation using Crystall Ball program (Oracle Inc.) for adults and children. The results of this study suggest that the risk of disease due to microcystin-LR toxin through drinking water is very low and it appears that current water treatment practice should be able to protect the public from the harmful effects of cyanobacteria toxin (microcystin-LR) through drinking water.