• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.54 no.7
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• pp.2736-2747
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• 2022

The operations in the design lifecycle of a nuclear power plant targeted to be decommissioned lead to neutron activation. Operations in the decommissioning process include cutting, decontamination, disposal, and processing. Among these, cutting is done close to the target material, and thus workers are exposed to radiation. As there are only a few studies on pressurizers, there arises the need for further research to assess the radiation exposure dose. This study obtained the specifications of the AP1000 pressurizer of Westinghouse and the distribution of radionuclide inventory of a pressurizer in a pressurised water reactor for evaluation based on literature studies. A cutting scenario was created to develop an optimal method so that the cut pieces fill a radioactive solid waste drum with dimensions 0.571 m × 0.834 m. The estimated exposure dose, estimated using the tool VISIPLAN SW, in terms of the decontamination factor (DF) ranged from DF-0 to DF-100, indicating that DF-90 and DF-100 meet the ICRP recommendation on exposure dose 0.0057 mSv/h. At the end of the study, although flame cutting was considered the most efficient method in terms of cutting speed, laser cutting was the most reasonable one in terms of the financial aspects and secondary waste.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.157-166
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• 2017

Objectives: Exposure to hazardous air pollutants could be affected by sociodemographic factors such as age, gender and more. Information on time spent in microenvironments has a critical role in exposure assessment. The purpose of this study was to analyze the exposure pathways which influence personal exposure through time-activity patterns and sociodemographic factors. Methods: A total of 379 subjects were collected from the second term of the Korean National Environmental Health Survey. A questionnaire survey in relation to sociodemographic factors and a time-activity diary were carried out for personal exposure to toluene. Focusing on personal exposure to toluene, factors affecting personal exposure were analyzed using multiple regression analysis. Results: Participants spent their time in an indoor house for $16.8{\pm}4.0hr$, workplace or school $2.3{\pm}3.5hr$, and other indoor $2.1{\pm}2.2hr$. Sociodemographic factors were significantly different among each personal exposure and microenvironment. Time of staying at an office turned out to be a main factor from point of exposure in exposure pathway using multiple regression analysis. As a result, this means that exposure may be different according to the time of staying in each microenvironment. Conclusions: Personal exposure to air pollutants might be decided by time-activity pattern indicating when, where, and which activities people pursue, as well as individual sociodemographic factors.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.4 s.91
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• pp.268-274
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• 2006

In this study in order to evaluate the growth of RF propagation exposure rate generated according to the enhancement of its use, it is proposed for the ground to be able to examine and to contemplate the correlation between the human health and RF propagation exposure rate by measuring and analyzing the RF exposure source and exposure rate in an indoor environment. As a result of research, it is analyzed that the main exposure source of critically making effect in indoor environment is the frequency hand if radio broadcasting, mobile communication, wireless LAN, digital broadcasting, home appliance, etc., including the TV broadcasting. Among these, it is shown that the TV broadcasting and mobile communication band are the highest. And it is the concluded that RF exposure rate of the environmental sensitive equipment, like an institution for the aged, has lower possibility to exceed the human RF protection criteria by this evaluation.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.230-237
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• 2021

Background: Noise-induced hearing loss is a well-known occupational disease that affects many fish harvesters from many fisheries worldwide, whose risk factor is prolonged exposure to hazardous noise levels. To date, academic research activities and regulatory bodies have not provided any comparative analysis among the existing methods to assess noise exposure levels of fish harvesters. This paper provides a comparison of four relevant assessment methods of noise exposure, examining the results of a measurement campaign performed onboard small fishing vessels from Newfoundland and Labrador. Methods: We traveled onboard 11 vessels engaged in multiple fisheries from Newfoundland and Labrador and performed extensive noise exposure surveys using the simplified International Maritime Organization method, the full-day measurement method, and the two methods provided by ISO 9612:2009, the task-based method and job-based method (JBM). Results: The results showed that the four methods yield similar values when the noise components are dominated by the engine and auxiliaries (steady-state sources); when noise components are dominated by the fishing gear, task-based method and the simplified International Maritime Organization method estimates are less accurate than JBM, using full-day measurements as baseline. Conclusion: The JBM better assesses noise exposure in small-scale fisheries, where noise exposure has significant variance and uncertainties on the exposure levels are higher.

• Korean Journal of Digital Imaging in Medicine
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.76-84
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• 1997

We tried to find any factor to reduce the exposure dose with ST-VA type generator which has the higher exposure dose. The guideline recommended by the provisions of IAEA regulation is being used at the time of radiation exposure and almost of those equipments used for this study had less amount of doses than those in the guideline. The FCR may be possible to decrease a certain amount of dose with effective applications of it's automatic image compensation utilities and the verifying function in PACS. Next time, it is required to add a great number of hospitals for wide range of studios and measurements, and make standard exposure Control table which will bing in practice, material decrease of dose volumes when radiation exposure.

• Korean Journal of Child Studies
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.101-112
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• 2005

Subjects were 279 parents of 4- and 5-year-old day care children. Statistical techniques were factor analysis, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson's correlation, and multiple regression. Major findings were that parents with higher levels of education and income showed a higher level of attitudes and coping behavior toward preschoolers' exposure to secondhand smoke. Parents who were smokers had a higher level than non-smokers of knowledge and coping with preschoolers' secondhand smoke. Parents with higher levels of knowledge and more negative attitudes about secondhand smoke were more active in dealing with secondhand smoke. Parents' knowledge and attitudes were significant predictors of their coping behavior with preschoolers' secondhand smoke. Parents' knowledge was more predictive of parents' coping behavior than their attitudes.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.532-538
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• 2020

Objectives: The study evaluated correlations among monthly PM_2.5, PM₁₀, Cd, Pb concentrations and the number of Asian dust days. Methods: Based on data from 'The annual report on air quality in Korea from 1999 to 2017', concentrations of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, Cd, Pb, and the number of Asian dust days were recalculated to mean, standard deviation, minimum, and maximum. Correlation coefficients were calculated among PM_2.5, PM₁₀, Cd, Pb, and Asian dust days. Results: Asian dust days were correlated only with PM₁₀ among the four factors of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, Cd, and Pb. The four factors of PM₁₀, PM_2.5, Cd, and Pb were very significantly correlated with each other (p<0.01). Their correlation coefficients for PM₁₀ were 0.800 for PM_2.5, 0.823 for Cd, and 0.892 for Pb. PM_2.5 was also correlated strongly with Cd (0.845) and Pb (0.830). Cd had a correlation with Pb of 0.971. The maximums of PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and Pb were shown to exceed the atmospheric environmental standard of Korea, which necessitates national continuous exposure control. Based on exposure data, Asian dust days were thought to be an exposure factor for Cd and Pb. Conclusion: Asian dust might be a factor in Cd and Pb exposure. National exposure controls are required for exposure to PM_2.5, PM₁₀, Cd, and Pb.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.13 no.7
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• pp.3179-3185
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• 2012

Background: Most of the epidemiology studies on the effects of sun exposure and prostate cancer were conducted among the temperate countries of North America and Europe. Little is known about the influence on Asian populations. The purpose of current study was to evaluate any association of sun exposure with risk of prostate cancer in Chinese, Malays and Indians who reside in the tropics. Methods: The Singapore Prostate Cancer Study is a hospital-based case-control study of 240 prostate cancer incident cases and 268 controls conducted in Singapore between April 2007 and May 2009. Detailed information on outdoor activities in the sun, skin colour, sun sensitivity and other possible risk factors were collected in personal interviews. Cases were further classified by Gleason scores and TNM staging. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using unconditional logistic regression analysis, adjusted for age, ethnicity, education, family history of any cancers, BMI and skin colour. Results: We found that prostate cancer risk was increased in subjects with black/dark-brown eyes (OR 5.88, 95%CI 3.17-10.9), darker skin colour e.g. tan/dark brown/black (OR 7.62, 95%CI 3.41-17.0), frequent sunburn in lifetime (OR 4.30, 95%CI 1.7-11.2) and increased general sun exposure in adulthood per week (OR 2.03, 95%CI 1.09-3.81). The increased risk was consistent for high grade tumours and advanced stage prostate cancers. Conclusion: The findings from this study suggest that excessive sun exposure is a risk factor for prostate cancer in Asians.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.203-214
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• 2000

Health risk assessment is applied to streamlining LCA(Life Cycle Assessment) using Monte carlo simulation for probabilistic/stochastic exposure and risk distribution analysis caused by data variability and uncertainty. A case study was carried out to find benefits of this application. BTC(Benzene, Trichloroethylene, Carbon tetrachloride mixture alias) personal exposure cases were assumed as production worker(in workplace), manager(in office) and business man(outdoor). These cases were different from occupational retention time and exposure concentration for BTC consumption pattern. The result of cancer risk in these 3 scenario cases were estimated as $1.72E-4{\pm}1.2E+0$(production worker; case A), $9.62E-5{\pm}1.44E-5$(manger; case B), $6.90E-5{\pm}1.16E+0$(business man; case C), respectively. Portions of over acceptable risk 1.00E-4(assumed standard) were 99.85%, 38.89% and 0.61%, respectively. Estimated BTC risk was log-normal pattern, but some of distributions did not have any formal patterns. Except first impact factor(BTC emission quantity), sensitivity analysis showed that main effective factor was retention time in their occupational exposure sites. This case study is a good example to cover that LCA with probabilistic risk analysis tool can supply various significant information such as statistical distribution including personal/environmental exposure level, daily time activity pattern and individual susceptibility. Further research is needed for investigating real data of these input variables and personal exposure concentration and application of this study methodology.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.437-444
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• 2019

Background: Headache/eyestrain symptoms are common health problems that people experience in daily life. Various studies have examined risk factors contributing to headache/eyestrains, and physicochemical exposure was found to be a leading risk factor in causing such symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship of headache/eyestrain symptoms with physicochemical exposure among Korean construction workers depended on worksite. Methods: This study used data from the 4th Korean Workers Conditions Survey and selected 1,945 Korean construction workers as participants. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship. Results: Exposure to vibrations among all construction workers affected the moderate exposure group [odds ratio (OR) 1.53, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01-2.32], the high exposure group (OR 1.77 95%CI 1.17-2.67), and the indoor high exposure group (OR 1.61, 95%CI 1.02-2.55) and among outdoor construction workers, the moderate group (OR 6.61, 95%CI 15.4-28.48) and the high group (OR 6.61, 95%CI 1.56-27.98). When exposed to mist, dust, and fumes, the indoor high exposure group was significantly affected (OR 1.63, 95%CI 1.07-2.47). All construction workers exposed to organic solvents were affected, high exposure group (OR 1.69, 95%CI 1.15-2.49) and indoor high exposure group (OR 1.77, 95%CI 1.08-2.89). The high exposure group in all construction worker (OR 1.70, 95%CI 1.20-2.42) and the indoor high exposure group (OR 1.83, 95%CI 1.17-2.89) also were affected by secondhand smoking exposure. Conclusion: Many physicochemical exposure factors affect headache/eyestrain symptoms among construction workers, especially indoor construction workers, suggesting a deficiency in occupational hygiene and health environments at indoor construction worksites.