• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.366-377
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• 2021

Background: Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are generated in petrochemical complexes, can spread to residential areas and affect the health of residents. Although harmful PAHs are mainly present in particle phase, gas phase PAHs can generate stronger toxic substances through photochemical reaction. Therefore, the risk assessment for PAHs around the petrochemical complex should consider both particle and gas phase concentrations. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the concentration characteristics of particle and gas phase PAHs by season in residential areas around petrochemical complexes, and to assess the risk of PAHs. Methods: Samples were collected for 7 days by seasons in 2014~2015 using a high volume air sampler. Particle and gas phase PAHs were sampled using quartz filter and polyurethane foam, respectively, analyzed by GC-MS. Chronic toxicity and probabilistic risk assessment were performed on 14 PAHs. For chronic toxicity risk assessment, inhalation unit risk was used. Monte-Carlo simulation was performed for probabilistic risk assessment using the mean and standard deviation of measured PAHs. Results: The concentration of particle total PAHs was highest in autumn. The gas phase concentration was highest in autumn. The average gas phase distribution ratio of low molecular weight PAHs composed of 2~3 benzene rings was 85%. The average of the medium molecular weight composed of 4 benzene rings was 53%, and the average of the high molecular weight composed of 5 or more benzene rings was 9%. In the chronic toxicity risk assessment, 7 of the 14 PAHs exceeded the excess carcinogenic risk of 1.00×10^-6. In the Monte-Carlo simulation, Benzo[a]pyrene had the highest probability of exceeding 1.00×10^-6, which was 100%. Conclusions: The concentration of PAHs in the residential area around the petrochemical complex exceeded the standard, and the excess carcinogenic risk was evaluated to be high. Therefore, it is necessary to manage the air environment around the petrochemical complex.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.425-437
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• 2015

Objectives: Risk assessment is a tool for predicting and reducing uncertainty related to the effects of future activities. Probability approaches are the main elements in risk assessment, but confusion about the interpretation and use of assessment factors often undermines the message of the analyses. The aim of this study is to provide a guideline for systematic reduction plans regarding uncertainty in risk assessment. Methods: Articles and reports were collected online using the key words "uncertainty analysis" on risk assessment. Uncertainty analysis was conducted based on reports focusing on procedures for analysis methods by the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). In addition, case studies were performed in order to verify suggested methods qualitatively and quantitatively with exposure data, including measured data on toluene and styrene in residential spaces and multi-use facilities. Results: Based on an analysis of the data on uncertainty, three major factors including scenario, model, and parameters were identified as the main sources of uncertainty, and tiered approaches were determined. In the case study, the risk of toluene and styrene was evaluated and the most influential factors were also determined. Five reduction plans were presented: providing standard guidelines, using reliable exposure factors, possessing quality controls for analysis and scientific expertise, and introducing a peer review system. Conclusion: In this study, we established a method for reducing uncertainty by taking into account the major factors. Also, we showed a method for uncertainty analysis with tiered approaches. However, uncertainties are difficult to define because they are generated by many factors. Therefore, further studies are needed for the development of technical guidelines based on the representative scenario, model, and parameters developed in this study.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.9-19
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• 2012

Objectives: The aim of this study is to critically review the exposure surrogates and estimates used to associate health effects in wafer fabrication workers such as spontaneous abortion and cancer, as well as to identify the limitations of retrospective exposure assessment methods Methods: Epidemiologic and exposure-assessment studies of wafer fabrication operations in the semiconductor industry were collected. Retrospective exposure-assessment methods used in cancer risk and mortality and reproductive toxicity were reviewed. Results: Eight epidemiologic papers and two reports compared cancer risk among workers in wafer fabrication facilities in the semiconductor industry with the risk of the general population. Exposure surrogates used in those cancer studies were fabrication(vs. non-fabrication), employment duration, manufacturing eras, job title (operator vs. maintenance worker) and qualitative classifications of agents without assessing specific agent or job-specific exposure. In contrast, specific operation, job title and agents were used to classify the exposure of fabrication workers, contributing to finding a significant association with spontaneous abortion (SAB). Conclusion: Further epidemiologic studies of fabrication workers using more refined exposure assessment methods are warranted in order to examine the associations between fabrication work, environment, and specific agents with cancer risk or mortality as used in SAB epidemiologic studies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.304-316
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• 2021

Objectives: By comparing and analyzing the legal system for risk assessment in South Korea with other advanced countries, the study is designed to identify the key elements of risk assessment and seek improvement measures while focusing on solutions to the execution of risk assessment violations. Methods: The study started with an awareness of the need to improve the legislation on the risk assessment of businesses in Korea. In order to reflect this problem consciousness in Korea's industrial safety and health legislation, risk assessment legislation in Japan, Britain, Germany, and Korea was analyzed in comparative terms through the literature. Results: Unlike the other advanced countries, the concept of risk assessment is defined in Korea in a broad sense that includes measures to reduce risk, and risk assessment in the manufacturing and design stages is not institutionalized. In the case of worker participation, there is a problem regarding effectiveness. It is problematic that compared to the other foreign countries there is a possibility that general risk assessment will be neutralized because it is recognized as a uniform general risk assessment for a particular risk assessment, as well as inadequate risk assessment. Conclusions: The areas diagnosed with problems compared to the legislation in other advanced countries should be improved by revising laws and administrative rules and supplementing the explanatory guidelines, etc. by referring to the legislation of these countries. In particular, the issue of enforcement for violations of risk assessment must be improved in order to ensure the effectiveness of risk assessment.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.105-112
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• 2015

Sawmilling industry remained a high risk with the average 4.73% of industrial accidents in 2010-2012 that was eight times that of general manufacturing. Sawmilling industry had 200 industrial accidents victim in average. Manufacturing process in sawmill industry contained dangerous machinery such as conveyors, roller, saw ( band saw, circular saw) etc. It may be effective to figure out the type of industrial accidents occurred in the past and extend risk assessment which can predict hazard such as near miss when implementing exposure or potential dangers in sawmill industry. This study conducted research on the actual condition on the place of industrial accident occurrence, detailed work and contact object when injured, and injured part targeting 643 businesses which had industrial accidents in 2010-2012. As the results, RPN of general sawmill industry was the highest 'ganglip saw' with 36,157. RPN of the following order were 'moving truck' with 25,454, 'special machining operations' with 22,283. Also, probability of general sawmill industry was a lots within 1 year, while risk appeared a lots within 5 years. So, risk assessment shall be needed to emphasis on accident prevention of sawmill industry. And additional work will be needed on the risk assessment in hazard prevention work of supervisors.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.10 no.1_2
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• pp.37-46
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• 1995

The purpose of this research is to estimate a safe environmental level of human exposure to thresholding-acting toxicants in drinking water and recommend the acceptable levels and management plans for maintaining good quality of drinking water' and protecting health hazard. This research has been funded as a national project for three years from 1992 to 1995. This study(the second year, 1993-1994) was conducted to monitor 39 species of noncarcinogenic chemicals such as volatile organic compounds(VOCs), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbens(PAHs), pesticides and heavy metals of drinking water at some area in six cities of Korea, and evaluate health risk due to these chemicals through four main steps (hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response assessment and risk characterization) of risk assessment in drinking water. In hazard identification, 39 species of non-carcinogenic chemicals were identified by the US EPA classification system. In the step of exposure assessment, sampling of tap water from the public water supply system had been conducted from 1993 to 1994, and 39 chemicals were analyzed. Inclose-response assessment for non-carcinogens, reference doses(RfD) and lifetime health advisories(HAs) of lifetime acceptable levels were calculated. In risk characterization of detected chemicals, the hazard quotients of noncarcinogens were less than one except those of manganese and iron in D city.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.413-424
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• 2021

Health impact assessment in the environmental impact assessment is conducted to determine whether to exceed the standard of each single substance and to establish appropriate reduction measures. In some development projects, although all substances in risk assessment meet the standard, exposure concentration is very close to it. However, considering the cumulative exposure of all substances, health effects are likely to occur considerably severer than those of individual substances, so it is necessary to prepare a concrete and improved methodology for integrating evaluation of emissions to identify the health effects actually exposed to receptors of living things. This study established the definition of cumulative risk assessment through overseas advanced cases and domestic and foreign literature reviews, and proposed a methodology for utilizing cumulative risk assessment considering health effects on multiple substances when developing industrial complexes. Applied by the proposed methodology, integrated indicators forfourtypes of hazardous heavy metals (Ni, Cr⁶⁺, Cd, As) emitted from industrial complexes were calculated, and applicability was tested with case of the industrial complex development projects conducted over the last decade (2011-2020).

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.131-133
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• 2022

• Toxicological Research
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.173-178
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• 2012

This study investigated the human health risks of trichloroethylene from Industrial Complex A. The excessive carcinogenic risks for central tendency exposure were $1.40{\times}10^{-5}$ for male and female residents in the vicinity of Industrial Complex A. The excessive cancers risk for reasonable maximum exposure were $2.88{\times}10^{-5}$ and $1.97{\times}10^{-5}$ for males and females, respectively. These values indicate that there are potential cancer risks for exposure to these concentrations. The hazard index for central tendency exposure to trichloroethylene was 1.71 for male and female residents. The hazard indexes for reasonable maximum exposure were 3.27 and 2.41 for males and females, respectively. These values were over one, which is equivalent to the threshold value. This result showed that adverse cancer and non-cancer health effects may occur and that some risk management of trichloroethylene from Industrial Complex A was needed.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.10 no.1_2
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• pp.21-35
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• 1995

Risk assessment processes, which include processes for the estimation of human cancer potency using animal bioassay data and calculation of human exposure, entail uncertainties. In the exposure assessment process, exposure scenarios with various assumptions could affect the exposure amount and excess cancer risk. We compared risk estimates among various exposure scenarios of vinyl chloride, trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene in tap water. The contaminant concentrations were analyzed from tap water samples in Seoul from 1993 to 1994. The oral and inhalation cancer potencies of the contaminants were estimated using multistage, Weibull, lognormal, and Mantel-Bryan model in TOX-RISK computer software. In the first case, human excess cancer risk was estimated by the US EPA method used to set the MCL(maximum contaminant level). In the second and third case, the risk was estimated for multi-route exposure with and without adopting Monte-Carlo simulation, respectively. In the second case, exposure input parameters and cancer potencies used probability distributions, and in the third case, those values used point estimates(mean, and maximum or 95% upper-bound value). As a result, while the excess cancer risk estimated by US EPA method considering only direct ingestion tended to be underestimated, the risk which was estimated by considering multi-route exposure without Monte-Carlo simulation and then using the maximum or 95% upper-bound value as input parameters tended to be overestimated. In risk assessment for volatile organic compounds, considering multi-route exposure with adopting Monte-Carlo analysis seems to provide the most reasonable estimations.