• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제41권2호
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• pp.82-89
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was performed to investigate the effect of cooking time on the internal temperature and color of cutlets and the reduction of indicator organisms in cutlets by cooking. Methods: Three kinds of commercially packed frozen cutlets (pork, chicken and fish cutlets), were purchased from local markets. The cutlets were cooked in a frying pan at $180^{\circ}C$ for four minutes. Internal temperature was measured with a food thermometer. Color was measured using a Hunter spectrocolorimeter. Aerobic colony counts, coliforms, and Escherichia coli were determined according to the Food Code of Korea. Results: The internal cooked temperature of every cutlet reached over $74^{\circ}C$, the temperature considered safe, after three minutes, while external temperature reached this level in two minutes (p < 0.001). The instrumental color value as lightness (L) in the cooked cutlets significantly changed (p < 0.001) after one minute. The level of aerobic colony counts of fresh cutlets was under the specification and was reduced to one tenth its level in the cooked cutlets. Coliforms and E. coli were not detected in all samples. The internal temperature of the cutlets was significantly affected by cooking time and weight (p < 0.001). The interaction effect of time and weight was also significant (p < 0.001), and time was the more influential factor. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that the sampled cutlets should be cooked for a minimum of three minutes or more in order to ensure food safety. The results also indicate that if consumers cease cooking based on external temperature or color, there will be a risk of inadequate cooking.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제39권1호
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• pp.71-82
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• 2013

Objectives: This study was performed in order to investigate hand hygiene practices among food-service businesses employees based on the awareness of hand-washing and load of indicator bacteria on their hands. It focused on the comparison of full-time and part-time workers in food-service workplaces. Methods: A direct-interview questionnaire survey and microbiological analysis were carried out with sixty workers each. Samples for microbiological analysis were collected through a modified glove-juice method from the hands of the food-service workers and were analyzed for aerobic plate count, total coliform, fecal coliform, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp. Microbiological analysis was done according to the Food Code of Korea. Results: Significant differences (p<0.01) were found in the survey between the full-time and part-time workers in hand-washing frequency, use of hand-washing agents, and hand-drying methods. More full-time workers responded to washing their hands after preparing food, after visiting outside, after handling raw materials, and before putting on gloves/when changing gloves than did part-time workers (p<0.05). No remarkable difference was found in bacterial load on the hands except in the aerobic plate count between the two groups. The detection of E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp. on the hands of some food-service workers in both groups revealed poor hand hygiene practices. Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that there is a need for training programs in order to improve hand hygiene practices and strict hand hygiene compliance by food-service workers.

• 환경영향평가
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.93-111
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• 2020

현행 국내 건강영향평가는 환경영향평가제도 내 특정 개발사업에 한해서 수행된다. 하지만 건강영향평가가 개발사업의 시행 단계에서 수행됨에 따라 심각한 건강 악영향이 예상됨에도 불구하고 적절한 조치를 취하지 못하는 경우가 있다. 특히 산업단지 개발사업의 경우에 운영으로 인한 건강 악영향 예상 및 개발단계에서의 건강영향평가로 인해 환경갈등이 자주 발생하고 있다. 이 연구는 산업단지 개발에 있어 건강영향을 고려한 계획 적정성 평가 방법을 제안하고 이를 실제 개발사업들에 적용하고자 하였다. 이 연구는 US EPA의 CalEnviroScreen 3.0 및 US ATSDR의 Public Health Assessment를 참조해서 건강영향을 고려한 계획 적정성 평가 방법을 제안하였다. 평가 방법으로는 지역사회 특성, 배경노출, 그리고 개발부담으로 구분한 지표 사용을 제안하였다. 문헌조사 등을 통해 지역사회 특성 지표 5개, 배경노출 지표 3개, 개발부담 지표 7개를 선정하였으며, 건강영향평가 관련 전문가들에게 계층적 의사결정법 설문조사를 통해 각 지표의 가중치를 산출하였다. 과거 국가 주도의 3개 국가산업단지 개발사업에 대해 시범 적용하였으며, 이를 통해 각 지표들에 대한 활용자료 및 평가값을 세분화하여 평가 방법을 구체화하였다. 건강영향을 고려한 계획 적정성 기준은 산업단지 개발에 대한 정부의 정책방향과 연계하여 첫째 총점기준, 둘째 총점 및 지역사회 특성기준, 그리고 개발부담 지표에 예외를 둔 총점 및 지역사회 특성기준으로 제안하였다.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• 제29권4호
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• pp.319-326
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• 2007

Coastal marine ecosystems continue to suffer unrelenting pressures from human population growth, increased development, and climate change. Moreover, these systems' capacity for self-repair is declining with such increases in anthropogenic production of various pollutants. What is the present health status or condition of the coastal ecosystem? If our coastal areas are unhealthy, which conditions are considered serious? To answer such questions, the United States, Canada, and Australia are currently assessing coastal ecosystem health using systematic monitoring programs as well as identifying and implementing management plans to improve the health of degraded coastal ecosystems. To evaluate marine environments, Korea is currently using a limited number of factors to estimate water quality. In fact, we are ill-prepared for assessing coastal ecosystem health because no biologically specific criteria are in place to measure the responses to various pollutants. We should select ecosystem-specific indicators from physicochemical stressors and evaluate the subsequent biological responses within each ecosystem. Furthermore, a set of practical indicators should be generated by considering the characteristics and uses of a local coastal area and the key issues at hand. The values of indicators should be presented as indices that allow understanding by the general public as well as by practitioners, policy makers, environmental managers and other stakeholders.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
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• 제10권1호
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• pp.29-38
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• 2019

Microbial community and composition in stormwater runoff from mixed land use land cover (LULC) catchment with ongoing land development was diverse across the hydrological stage due different environmental parameters (hydrometeorological and physicochemical) and source of runoff. However, limited studies have been made for bacterial composition in this catchment. Therefore, this study aims to: (1) quantify the concentration of fecal indicator bacteria (FIB), stormwater quality and bacterial composition and structure according to hydrological stage; and (2) determine their correlation to environmental parameters. The 454 pyrosequencing was used to determine the bacterial community and composition; while Pearson's correlation was used to determine the correlation among parameters-FIB, stormwater quality, bacterial composition and structure-to environmental parameters. Results demonstrated that the initial and peak runoff has the highest concentration of FIB, stormwater quality and bacterial composition and structure. Proteobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Actinobacteria and Firmicutes were dominant bacteria identified in this catchment. Furthermore, the 20 most abundant genera were correlated with runoff duration, average rainfall intensity, runoff volume, runoff flow, temperature, pH, organic matter, nutrients, TSS and turbidity. An increase of FIB and stormwater quality concentration, diversity and richness of bacterial composition and structure in this study was possibly due to leakage from septic tanks, cesspools and latrines; feces of domestic and wild animals; and runoff from forest, destroyed septic system in land development site and urban LULC. Overall, this study will provide an evidence of hydrological stage impacts on the runoff microbiome environment and public health perspective.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제40권1호
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• pp.63-70
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• 2014

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of indicator organisms in essential sanitary ware in public restrooms. Methods: Twelve public restrooms were randomly selected. Samples at three locations (toilet seat, toilet flush handle/lever, and faucet handle) in the restrooms were collected with moistened-sterile cotton swabs and applied to media in order to determine aerobic colony count (ACC), total coliforms, and Escherichia coli. Results: Most of the samples taken in summer showed a higher level of ACC than those taken in winter (p<0.05). Female restrooms showed higher ACC levels on faucet handles and male restrooms on toilet flush handles/levers (p<0.05). Overall, faucet handles contained the greatest level of ACC, followed by toilet seats, whereas the least load was found on toilet flush handles/levers. The ACC level of samples in the restrooms in public parks, subway stations, and educational institutions varied. Total coliforms were identified in about 20% of toilet seats and faucet handles in male restrooms and faucet handles in female restrooms in summer. These locations were also the sites of positive results of E. coli isolation. Conclusions: The public restrooms were significantly more contaminated in summer than in winter. Overall, the most contaminated locations in the restrooms were toilet seats in male restrooms, and faucet handles in female restrooms. Poor hygienic status was indicated by the positive results of total coliforms and E. coli on samples from some sites. Therefore, sanitary control of restrooms should be improved. These results should be confirmed in a larger study that includes more public restrooms.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제26권4호
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• pp.45-48
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• 2000

Reverse osmosis filtration(RO) system and ultrafiltration(UF) system are principally use for domestic home drinking water treatment systems. The object of this study is to make a comparison between two systems in terms of theirs abilities to remove RNA coilphage QB as an indicator of pathogenic enteroviruses. The virus removal ratio of RO system was 99.999%, which was higher than EPA virus treatment guideline(99.99%). In the course of filtration, removal ratios of sediment filter, pre-carbon filter, reverse osmosis membrane and post-carbon filter were 75.000%, 93.208%, 99.997% and 99.999%, repectively. In case of UF system, virus removal ratio was 99.708%. Removal ratios of sediment filter, pre-carbon filter, post-carbon filter and ultrafiltration membration membrane were 71.038%, 91.530%, 98.283% and 99.708%, respecively, in UF steps. Therefore, RO system is more effective than UF system in virus removal.

• 생태와환경
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• 제52권1호
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

River water quality and organisms have a very close relationship with the human living environment and health, so it is very important to ensure and maintain the ecological integrity of the aquatic ecosystem. In that sense, benthic diatoms have relatively little mobility, can explain the effects of long-term exposed pollution sources, and are very suitable indicator organisms for river ecosystem evaluation. Diatom ecologists have been developed various diatom indices to assess water quality and stream ecosystem over the world. However, they so far have insufficient identification of taxa, are strongly regional, and are difficult to apply as they are domestically. Unfortunately, there has not been developed an independent diatom index suitable for the Korean stream. Therefore, management of water quality and aquatic ecosystem suitable for domestic rivers can be made, and development or improvement of comprehensive multivariate diatom index for the integrated assessment of water quality and aquatic ecosystem is urgently needed.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제38권6호
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• pp.520-528
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• 2012

Objective: This study was performed to assess bacterial distribution concerned in sanitation management of public lavatory in Seoul. Methods: In this research, bacteriological investigation on public lavatory was accomplished for bidet water, bidet nozzle, washbowl and lavatory stool in the 50 public facilities such as public institutions, subway stations, cinema, department stores, large-scale buildings and hospitals amount to 374 specimens. Results: The geometric mean of colony forming unit(CFU) in total aerobic colony count were analyzed as follows; $5.2{\times}10^2/100cm^2$ on lavatory stool, $7.2{\times}10^3/ea$ on bidet nozzle, $7.8{\times}10^3/ea$ on center ring of washbowl, $1.4{\times}10/mL$ in bidet water (ml) and 7.0/ea on doorknob. Opportunistically pathogenic germs such as Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa were isolated in 3.7%, 5.9%, 3.2% and 1.9% of total specimens, respectively. Conclusion: The result of this study shows that there were some facilities where the pathogenic germs were detected to may cause urological infection. And the CFU of general bacteria as the representative indicator of disinfection and lavatory cleaning were high enough to imply the improvement of sanitation management of public lavatories should be contrived.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제14권4호
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• pp.398-405
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• 2023

Background: Starting from March 2020 until December 2021, different phases of Covid-19 pandemic have been identified in Italy, with several containing/lifting measures progressively enforced by the National government. In the present study, we investigate the change in occupational risk during the subsequent pandemic phases and we propose an estimate of the incidence of the cases by economic sector, based on the analysis of insurance claims for compensation for Covid-19. Methods: Covid-19 epidemiological data available for the general population and injury claims of workers covered by the Italian public insurance system in 2020-2021 were analyzed. Monthly Incidence Rate of Covid-19 compensation claims per 100,000 workers (MIRw) was calculated by the economic sector and compared with the same indicator for general population in different pandemic periods. Results: The distribution of Covid-19 MIRw by sector significantly changed during the pandemic related to both the strength of different waves and the mitigation/lifting strategies enforced. The level of occupational fraction was very high at the beginning phase of the pandemic, decreasing to 5% at the end of 2021. Healthcare and related services were continuously hit but the incidence was significantly decreasing in 2021 in all sectors, except for postal and courier activities in transportation and storage enterprises. Conclusion: The analysis of compensation claim data allowed to identify time trends for infection risk in different working sectors. The claim rates were highest for human health and social work activities but the distribution of risk among sectors was clearly influenced by the different stages of the pandemic.