• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제22권4호
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• pp.474-479
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• 1989

This research was conducted to evaluate the effect of improvement in work environment and of segregation in a fluorescent lamp manufacturing factory. Among the total of 80 workers, 8 workers whose mercury concentration in urine reached a hazardous level ($200-299{\mu}g/l$) were moved to mercury free workplace. The follow-up examination for their mercury concentration in urine was done three times ; on May 3, 1988, September 1, 1988 and April 3, 1989. The results were as follows : 1. Mercury concentration in the air was reduced from 0.140 to 0.107 $mg/m^3$ in 4 months, and to $0.087mg/m^3$ in one year after environmental improvement in workplace. However the level still exceeded the Threshold Limit Value. 2. The geometric mean of urinary mercury concentration among 80 workers was $173.0{\mu}g/l\;(5.1{\sim}458.6{\mu}g/l$). The distribution of workers according to urinary mercury concentration showed that 9 workers (11.2%) were above the mercury poisoning level ($300{\mu}g/l$), 24 workers (30.0%) were $200-299{\mu}g/l$, 35 workers (43.8%) were $50-199{\mu}g/l$, and 12 workers (15.0%) were below 50 ${\mu}g/l$. 3. Among the 24 workers whose urinary mercury concentration was 200-299 $50-199{\mu}g/l$, 8 were able to be followed up. Their mean urinary mercury concentration before segregation was $244.9{\mu}g/l$, but decreased to $151.4{\mu}g/l$ in four months, $128.8{\mu}g/l$ in six months, and $46.8{\mu}g/l$ in one year after segregation.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제4권2호
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• pp.198-207
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• 1994

In order to evaluate the effectiveness of environmental intervention of work place, metal mercury concentration in air and in urine of the total 43 workers for 3years from December 1991 to October 1993 in a fluorescent lamp manufacturing industry exposed to mercury, was measured before and after implementation of controls such as establishing exhaust ventilation at the department of exhaustion, coating the floor of work place with epostane, cleaning of the floor, improved housekeeping, and etc. The results were as follows. 1. Before the intervention(December 1991) 39.0% exceeded metal mercury Threshold Limit Value(TLV, $0.05mg/m^3$). After the intervention(October 1993) 10.0% exceeded TLV and geometric mean of mercury in air was $0.1mg/m^3$, and showed effectiveness rate of intervention to be 74.4% 2. After the intervention, geometric means of mercury concentrations in air were 0.013, $0.019mg/m^3$ and showed effectiveness rate of intervention to be 76.6%, 65.5% in A factory(right tube lamp)and at exhaustion department, respectively, A follow up survey fround statistically significant reductions in mercury concetration in air three years later. 3. Mercury concentration in urine of 11 workers(29.7%) exceeded warning level of $100{\mu}l/l$ before the intervention. After the intervention, of 3workers(8.8%) exceeded warning level and geometric mean of mercury concentration($26.5{\mu}l/l$) in urine was 2.4 times than that of before the intervention. Geometric means of mercury concentrations in urine of workers at exhaustion department, at sealing and aging department were 44.0, $77.7{\mu}l/l$, respectively and they decreased 2.3, 3.2 times than that of before the intervention.