• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.28 no.1
• /
• pp.100-107
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study examines exposure to hazardous substances in the working environment caused by exposure to toxic substances produced in the aluminum die casting process in the automobile manufacturing industry. Materials and Methods: The exposure concentration levels, detection rates and time-trend of 15 hazardous factors in the aluminum die casting process over 10 years(from 2006 to 2016) were used as a database. Results: The study found that hazardous factors in the aluminum die casting process were mostly metals. The rate for detected samples was 70.6%(405 samples), and that for not detected samples was 29.4%. The noise for an eight-hour work shift showed a 49.7% exceedance rate for TLV-TWA. Average noise exposure was 89.0 dB. The maximum exposure level was 105.1 dB. Conclusion: The high numbers of no-detection rates for hazardous substance exposure shows that there is no need to do a work environment measurement. Therefore, alternatives are necessary for improving the efficiency and reliability of the work environment measurement. Moreover, to prevent noise damage, reducing noise sources from automation, shielding, or sound absorbents are necessary.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.393-405
• /
• 2018

Objective: This study examines the types of hazardous factors in the working environment and the time-trend for their exposure levels over 10 years (2007 to 2016). Study Design and Method: The types of hazardous factors and exposure levels were drawn from the 19 measurement reports on the working environment over 10 years at a shock absorber manufacturing facility. Risk assessment of the types of factors and time-trend of exposure levels were evaluated using the factors and exposure levels. Results: A total of 34 hazardous factors were evaluated. The types were noise, 15 organic compounds, seven kinds of acid sand alkalis, eight kinds of heavy metals, and three other compounds. Special management materials used were nickel, hexavalent chrome, and sulfuric acid. Human carcinogens (1A) used were trichloroethylene, nickel, and sulfuric acid. There were six types of substances belonging to the IARC's 2B (body carcinogens) classification or higher, including, methyl isobutyl ketone, ethyl benzene, and trichloroethylene. No detection was found for 627 out of the 2065 total measurements in 19 exposure survey reports, representing 30.4%. Organic solvents, acid and alkali products, and heavy metals showed continuous low exposure concentrations. Noise, welding fumes, and the evaluation of mixed solvents show a gradual decrease in geometric mean and maximum over the time-trend of 10 years. Conclusions: In the case of a shock absorber manufacturing facility, the hazardous factors of noise and the evaluation of mixed solvents still indicate high concentrations exceeding the exposure limits and necessitate reduction studies. These two factors and welding fumes showed a continuous decrease in their ten-year tendency. Organic compounds, acids/alkalis, and heavy metals were managed smoothly in a work environment of continuous low concentrations.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.40 no.5
• /
• pp.425-434
• /
• 2014

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to introduce the establishment process and results of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's road map on environmental health policy. Methods: The process consisted of expert group meetings, civic participation, research, and questionnaire survey for priority environmental health policy agenda items in Seoul. Results: The announced vision for the environmental health policy was "a healthy environment, safety in Seoul". This policy was established in order to define environment health policy initiatives for a period of five years with an aim to protect Seoul citizens' health from hazardous environmental factors. The resulting Seoul environmental health policy consisted of four areas and 16 key agenda items. The four areas were "Protection for children against hazardous materials", "Enhancement of health and safety of all", "Carcinogen-free and endocrine-disrupting chemical-free Seoul (reducing environmental exposure to hazardous materials), and "Establish the foundation of environmental health policy". Sixteen key agenda items include the enhancement of management of spaces for children, certification of environmental health status at schools, establishment of a unit responsible for the environmental health of children, strengthening environmental health management for susceptible populations (children, the aged, and the socioeconomically vulnerable), management of hazardous materials, physical hazardous factors (noise, radiation, etc.), indoor air quality, and the enhancement of monitoring, research, and regulation of environment health. Conclusion: The Seoul Metropolitan Government established an environmental health policy road map for a five-year period (2013-2017). To implement this environmental health policy, budget allocation, and detailed execution plans are required.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.75-100
• /
• 2013

Health damages such as pneumoconiosis and kidney damage, caused by environmental hazardous factors are being reported in health impact assessment conducted on environmentally vulnerable areas, including cement factories and refineries. Current legal system for relieving the environmental victims is not effective enough because the environmental health act does not specify the environmental hazardous factors to be considered for the relief. The aim of this study is to examine the problems of the existing system by making empirical analysis on health damages and afflicted people as well as on cases when afflicted people were able to be covered by remedy system. The results show that, insufficiencies of the relief system are due to the following reasons: First, current Environmental Health Act does not act well as a remedy system. Second, due to its unique nature of environmental health damage, it is hard to identify and prove the cause of health damage and unlawful actions of violators in the process of environmental dispute conciliation and lawsuits against polluters. This paper suggests following solutions on above mentioned problems. First, in defining the range and definition of environmental diseases, negative system should be used alongside with the current positive system. Second, we suggest adding the nature of public law to relief system, in order to ease the legal burden of proof. Third, in case when it is hard to identify the polluters and one cannot expect reliefs for their damage, it is possible to elevate the effectiveness of the relief measure by expanding scope of the search for possible environmental hazardous factors that caused the health damage. It is urgent to improve the relief system so as to secure the environmental rights of Koreans.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.229-237
• /
• 2008

Hazardous air pollutants emitted from the oil refinery plant were surveyed from 1993 US and 2005 Korean TRI data. Toluene, xylene, methanol, MTBE and n-hexane, relatively large in amount of fugitive emission, are considered as candidates of newly designated HAPs in Korea. The sealed oil pump, one of equipments among fugitive sources in the crude oil distillation tower was examined for the estimation of amounts of annual HAPs emissions according to several calculation methods using registered emission factors. Emission rates showed to be decreased with following calculation factors; average emission factor>pegged emission factor>concentration emission factor>correlation equation. Annual emission amounts of benzene, toluene, xylene. ethyl benzene and nhexane from the distillation tower were estimated and amounts of these HAPs calculated with TVOC concentrations obtained from LDAR program and correlation equations showed only 6% of those from using concentration factors.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.1-9
• /
• 2013

Hazardous Air Pollutants (HAPs) are difficult to measure, analyze and assess for risk because of low ambient concentrations and varieties. Types of HAPs are Volatile organic compounds (VOCs), Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAHs) and Aldehydes. HAP emissions from vehicles are a contributor to serious adverse health effects in urban areas. In this study, hazardous air pollutant emissions from road transport vehicles by Non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) weight fraction and PAHs emission factors are estimated in 2008. The top-five-most hazardous air pollutant emissions were estimated to toluene 864.3 ton/yr, acrolein 690.6 ton/yr, acetaldehyde 554.5 ton/yr, formaldehyde 498.7 ton/yr, propionaldehyde 421.6 ton/yr in 2008. The results for a cancer and non-cancer risk assessment of HAPs emissions show that the major cancer driver is formaldehyde and the non-cancer driver is acrolein.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.40 no.1
• /
• pp.17-26
• /
• 2014

Background: Despite children's unique characteristics that distinguish them from adults, relatively few attempts have been made to measure exposure factors for characterization of children's exposure to hazardous chemicals in child-specific products (CSP). This study was conducted to establish the child-specific exposure factors for exposure and risk assessment of hazardous substances in CSP. Methods: We investigated the exposure factors (e.g., time use of child-products, time and frequency of object-to-body contact, time and frequency of object-to-mouth contact) influencing children's exposure to CSP (e.g., toys, playmats, oil pastels, etc.) in 650 children through a parent-completed questionnaire using a web-based survey. Participants were recruited in five age groups, <1, 1-2, 2-3, 3-6, and 6-12 years of age. Results: The child-specific exposure factors were presented as the mean, median, $95^{th}$ percentile, minimum, and maximum values. Time activity for play mats was the longest among CSP and infants spent more time on them than did elder age groups (189.3-224.7 min/day for <1-2 years vs. 91.2 min/day for 6-12 years). It is apparent that time and frequency of toy block- and plastic toy-to-mouth contact significantly decreased as a function of age. When the variation of CSP use patterns was compared by gender, the only variable that was statistically different between genders was time activity in child-products exposure space. Conclusion: We believe the five child-specific exposure factors suggested in the present study will be valuable for reducing uncertainty in the estimation of chemical exposure during risk assessment of CSP and furthermore, in the appropriate regulations to protect children's health.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.24 no.1
• /
• pp.14-37
• /
• 2014

Objectives: Since information on biological factors in the workplace are currently lacking, I wanted to create a handbook of these factors that would be viewable at a glance as a means to more effectively prevent occupationally-infected diseases. Proper information on biological hazards in the workplace allowing the appropriate recognition of the harmful factors is desperately needed. Methods and Results: In this study, I intended to create a high-utility handbook of biologically hazardous agents in the workplace. To ensure its effectiveness, information and references about biologically hazardous agents in the workplace were analyzed and classified and pathogen safety data sheets(PSDS) sourced from the Public Health Agency of Canada were included. I intended to make it accessible from the point of view of workers and their employers. A more effective classification system of occupational infectious diseases is presented, and biologically hazardous agents were classified according to occupations, industries, infectious diseases, and so on. The handbook consists of 60 major kinds of biologically infectious occupational factors that are expected to be generated in workplaces in Korea, and are focused on practical utility. The pathogen safety data sheets(PSDS) of 192 species were also included. To allow more effective management, domestic and foreign laws and regulations are presented. Conclusions: This case report presents general information on the history and contents of the handbook and PSDS, it will also be useful in workplaces if download from the homepage of OSHRI, KOSHA(oshri.kosha.or.kr/bridge?menuID=901).

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.25 no.3
• /
• pp.285-293
• /
• 2015

Objectives: This study was conducted in order to ascertain the important factors for SMEs in managing the risks of chemicals and to suggest a government role in strengthening the responsibility of small and medium enterprises(SMEs) as employers. Methods: About 100 enterprises were surveyed in Incheon. A questionnaire for employers and walk-through surveys by occupational hygienists were performed at each enterprise. Results: The results showed that most employers thought chemicals were not hazardous but chemical management was needed. When employers determine how to manage chemicals, they rely heavily on personal experience and rather less on information from the government or experts. However, if employers think the chemicals are hazardous, they do more to manage the chemicals. Conclusions: When employers think chemicals are hazardous, risk assessment would be an effective tool to control chemical hazards in SMEs. Employers' position on chemical hazards is very important. Since the government is the initiator, it is the government who develops messages for SMEs, such as "Chemicals are hazardous and management can reduce the risk of chemicals." Governmental messages can play an invaluable role in strengthening the responsibility of SME employers to manage chemical hazards.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
• /
• v.36 no.3
• /
• pp.100-112
• /
• 1994

This tudy is to survey and analysis the water quality phase of Agricultural reservoirs through the case study of 18 reservoirs in Kyungpook Province in preparation for prevention disasters from the environmental hazards such as water pollutions. In these cases, the most hazardous pollution acts were Domestic animals excrements firstly, Human living wastge water secondly, Tourist resort sewage and Fertilize waste etc. in regular sequences. In the analysed results, pH, EC, BOD, DO, Cu, Ph, Cd were less than standard values recommended by the Environmental Authority and so they were estimated in scope of the safety value respectively. But few of factors being gradually closed with the hazardous point in the few places. At present, the hazardous environmental acts originated from the Domestic animals ex-crements, Human living waste water and Fertilize waste etc. in case the agricultural reservoirs, have to strongly be improved much better than before and prepared safety conditions for the rural living and agricultural life sciences.