• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.3.1-3.10
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• 2018

Background: Vibrio parahaemolyticus is one of the most common causes of seafood-borne illnesses in Korea, either directly or indirectly, by consuming infected seafood. Many studies have demonstrated the antibiotic susceptibility profile of V. parahaemolyticus. This strain has developed multiple antibiotic resistance, which has raised serious public health and economic concerns. This article reviews the food-borne outbreaks, distributions, virulence, and antibiotic resistance profiles of V. parahaemolyticus in Korea during 2003-2016. Main body: V. parahaemolyticus infections appeared to be seasonally dependent, because 69.7% of patient infections occurred in both August and September during 2003-2016. In addition, the occurrence of V. parahaemolyticus in marine environments varies seasonally but is particularly high in July, August, and September. V. parahaemolyticus isolated from aquaculture sources on the Korean coast varied in association with virulence genes, some did not possess either the tdh (thermostable direct hemolysin) or trh (tdh-related hemolysin) genes, and a few were positive for only the trh gene or both genes. The high percentage of ampicillin resistance against V. parahaemolyticus in the aquatic environment suggests that ampicillin cannot be used to effectively treat infections caused by this organism. Short conclusion: This study shows that the observed high percentage of multiple antibiotic resistance to V. parahaemolyticus is due to conventionally used antibiotics. Therefore, monitoring the antimicrobial resistance patterns at a national level and other solutions are needed to control aquaculture infections, ensure seafood safety, and avoid threats to public health caused by massive misuse of antibiotics.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.84-91
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• 2009

It is well known that Korea has got in an aged-society, and the speed of ageing is remarkably fast that has never seen before in the world. In spite of that, government officers and managers who are in charge of industrial safety seldom have interest in ageing workers, and much less ageing workers for themselves in the industrial fields. In the meanwhile the number of injured aged workers keeps going on and even increasing. Therefore this research was carried out to investigate the characteristics of aged workers on one hand, and to grasp the self-consciousness level of industrial workers on the problem of ageing. Furthermore, to develop countermeasures, opinions and hopes of middle managers in small- and medium-sized enterprises who were in charge of industrial safety and health were collected also. Though the reply rate was not so high as expected, opinions of safety and health managers were somewhat appropriate. They replied that the most urgent counterplan for ageing would be improvements of work environments followed by work assignments based upon personal aptitude. On the other hand, the self-consciousness level of aged workers was lower than middle managers, and they mainly complained of surgical disorders such as musculoskeltal disorders including lower back pains. However, they did not seem to recognize they are getting lose their physical function in maintaining body equilibrium.

• Journal of the Korean housing association
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.27-36
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• 2009

A person's residence is the primary environment which affects physical and emotional-gratification. Residential environments are very important to a person's quality of life. Because the age of society has rapidly increased, we must take a profound interest in the welfare and residences of the aged. While the government has begun to prepare for an aging society, the residential environments of the aged has not been fully considered. Because the welfare of the aged begins in the house, the term 'residence for the aged' is not limited to the physical space. Because residences for the old aged are included in various social policies such as family relations, social security, health care, safety etc, relevant policies for these residences must be prepared as rapidly as possible. This study-focused on both the importance of residences for the aged and the residential desires of the aged, and aims to propose planning criteria for the residences of the aged.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.302-309
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• 2020

Human Coxsackievirus B5 (HuCoxV-B5) infection has been associated with various diseases such as myocarditis, aseptic meningitis, hand-foot-and mouth-disease, and insulin-dependent diabetes. HuCoxV-B5 is a virus transmitted through the fecal-oral route and is detected in clinics, aquatic environments, food, shellfish, etc. and is one of the more important viruses in public health because of its incidence rate reported worldwide. In this study, a combination of SYBR Green-based real-time PCR primers for molecular diagnosis including monitoring of HuCoxV-B5 was selected and the optimal reaction conditions were established. Compared with the previously reported TaqMan probe-based real-time PCR method, assessments including a sample applicability test were performed. Results showed that the real-time PCR method developed in this study was suitable for a molecular diagnostic technique for detecting HuCoxV-B5. This study is expected to contribute to efforts in responding to safety accidents in public health because the proposed method facilitates rapid diagnosis of clinical patients. It can also be used as a specific monitoring tool of HuCoxV-B5 in non-clinical areas such as aquatic environments among others.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.218-227
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• 2023

Background: Since 2019, the Ministry of Environment has implemented a seasonal fine dust management system from December to March, targeting high PM_2.5 levels with the aim of reducing PM_2.5 concentrations and protecting public health. The focus of improving the seasonal management system lies in the atmospheric PM_2.5 levels. Considering the primary goal of protecting public health, it is necessary to analyze the policy effects from an exposure perspective rather than a concentration-based approach. Objectives: This study aims to quantitatively assess the improvement of indoor PM_2.5 levels and the health impacts of the seasonal management system by comparing the periods before and during its implementation in residential environments. Methods: PM_2.5 concentrations within residential environments in a metropolitan area were measured using an optical particle counter (IAQ-C7, K-weather, Ltd, Korea) at one-minute intervals during the pre-implementation period (November 21~25, 2022) and during the implementation period (December 19~23, 2022). Based on the measured PM_2.5 concentrations, a quantitative evaluation of cancer and mortality risks was conducted according to age and gender. Results: The results of comparing indoor and outdoor PM_2.5 concentrations before and during the implementation of the seasonal management system showed a decrease of approximately 56.6% and 47.9%, respectively. Health risk assessments revealed that both the safety-limit-based and safety-target-based Hazard Quotients (HQ) exceeded the threshold of 0.1 for children under 19 years of age, both before and after the implementation. The mortality risk decreased by approximately 47.9% after the implementation, with children aged 0-9 showing the highest mortality risk at 0.9%. Conclusions: The findings of this study confirmed the positive health impacts of the seasonal management system across all age groups, particularly children under 19 who are more vulnerable to fine dust exposure.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.429-440
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• 2021

Objectives: Standardized guidelines and reference points for a food security policy are necessary to guarantee that basic social safety nets work properly. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the basic concepts and detailed dimensions of food security, including the potential relevant indicators, and sought to establish standardized well-being baselines. Methods: A literature review and 14 expert roundtable discussions were carried out to analyze and extract the key concepts of food security. After determining these concepts and detailed dimensions of food security, a conceptual framework was modeled. Then, indicators for each local government that could be monitored and evaluated for each sub-area were suggested. Results: The concept of food security was defined as follows: Individuals should be provided with sufficient, safe, and quality food, which should be accessible to the community and available for use to achieve health and well-being. In addition, food security should be ensured sustainably in a changing environment. Four dimensions were suggested while conceptualizing food security. First, sufficient food, which means sufficient food supply in quantity, quality, and safety. Second, equitable food which includes creating environments in which high-quality and safe food can be purchased at an appropriate price and can be provided regardless of the socioeconomic gap. Third, healthy food which should be provided to promote people's health and happiness through the eco-friendly consumption of food. Fourth, sustainable food, which can be supplied in a sustainable manner and as part of an eco-friendly food system that considers the conservation of natural environments. Conclusions: The basic concepts and detailed areas of food security including the potential indicators proposed in this study, may be useful for developing and implementing various policies and programs to support food and nutrition security in the future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.90-103
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• 2005

Objective: This study was carried out to assess the status of working environments, to improve the working environments, and to be helpful to prevent occupational disease. Methods: The authors measured the noise level, concentration of dust, heavy metals, organic solvents, and other chemicals at 95 industries (22 working processes) by type of working process in manufacturing industry of parts and accessories for motor vehicles and its engines from January to December 2003. Samples were measured and analyzed by regulations of Korea Ministry of Labor, manuals of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Results: Results are as follows. 1. Major processes exceeding mean noise levels provided the American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) Threshold Limit Value (TLV) were shakeout [97.5 dB(A)]. shot-blast [94.2 dB(A)], pressing [92.9 dB(A)], crushing [91.2 dB(A)], and cleaning [90.6 dB(A)]. 2. Mean concentrations of dusts were not exceeded to the TLV. But concentration on some points of processes as like welding (6.50 mg/m3), foundry (5.24 mg/m3) were exceeded. 3. Mean concentrations of heavy metals were not exceeded to the TLV. 4. Mean concentrations of organic solvents and chemicals were not exceeded to the TLV. 5. Improving rate for working environment were significantly higher in industries with health manager than without (p<0.05), and by increasing the year of working environmental measurement (p<0.01). Conclusions: The results suggest that working processes of exceeding to the TLV will be needed rapid improvement of the working environment, and also the others will be needed positive management of the working environment. Health managers must be recommended to employ in the workplace, and further studies for relationship between working environment and health effects for the workers must be carried out.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.99-104
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• 2017

Background: Workers laboring in steel industries in tropical settings with high ambient temperatures are subjected to thermally stressful environments that can create well-known risks of heat-related illnesses and limit workers' productivity. Methods: A cross-sectional study undertaken in a steel industry in a city nicknamed "Steel City" in Southern India assessed thermal stress by wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) and level of dehydration from urine color and urine specific gravity. A structured questionnaire captured self-reported heat-related health symptoms of workers. Results: Some 90% WBGT measurements were higher than recommended threshold limit values ($27.2-41.7^{\circ}C$) for heavy and moderate workloads and radiational heat from processes were very high in blooming-mill/coke-oven ($67.6^{\circ}C$ globe temperature). Widespread heat-related health concerns were prevalent among workers, including excessive sweating, fatigue, and tiredness reported by 50% workers. Productivity loss was significantly reported high in workers with direct heat exposures compared to those with indirect heat exposures ($x^2=26.1258$, degrees of freedom = 1, p < 0.001). Change in urine color was 7.4 times higher among workers exposed to WBGTs above threshold limit values (TLVs). Conclusion: Preliminary evidence shows that high heat exposures and heavy workload adversely affect the workers' health and reduce their work capacities. Health and productivity risks in developing tropical country work settings can be further aggravated by the predicted temperature rise due to climate change, without appropriate interventions. Apart from industries enhancing welfare facilities and designing control interventions, further physiological studies with a seasonal approach and interventional studies are needed to strengthen evidence for developing comprehensive policies to protect workers employed in high heat industries.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.312-327
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• 2021

Background: Infection prevention and control (IPC) to manage healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) has emerged as one of the most significant public health issues in Korea. The purpose of this study is to draw implications in IPC policies by analyzing the context, process, and major actors in policy development and comparatively analyzing IPC policy contents of Korea with three other countries. Additionally, IPC policies were analyzed in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to provide implications for future pandemics and HCAI events. Methods: This study incorporates a qualitative approach based on document and content analysis, applying codes and thematic categorization. IPC policy contents are comparatively analyzed by adopting the concept model, developed by the World Health Organization, which consists of core components of IPC structure at the national and facility level. Results: National IPC policies were developed within a complex social and political context, through the involvement of various stakeholders. IPC policies in Korea place a high emphasis on establishing IPC programs and built environments in healthcare facilities, whereas there were potentials for improvement in policies involving patients and promoting a safety culture. IPC policies, which currently focus on general hospitals and certain functions of hospitals, should further be expanded to target all healthcare facilities and functions, to ensure more efficient and sustainable IPC responses in the current and future disease outbreaks. Conclusion: IPC is a complex policy arena and lessons learned from the analysis of existing policies in the context of COVID-19 should provide valuable strategic implications for future policies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Industrial and Systems Engineering
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• v.13 no.21
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• pp.29-41
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• 1990

An assessment of risk in industrial and urban environments is essential in the prevention of accident and in the analysis of situations which are hazardous to public health and safety. The risk imposed by a particular hazard increases with the likelihood of occurence of the event, the exposure and the possible consequence of that event. In a traditional approach, the calculation of a quantitative value of risk is usually based on an assignment of numerical values of each of the risk factors. Then the product of the values of likelihood, exposure and consequences called risk score is derived. However vagueness and imprecision in mathematical quantification of risk are equated with fuzziness rather than randomness. In this paper, a fuzzy set theoretic approach to risk analysis is proposed as an alternative to the techniques currently used in the area of systems safety. Then the concept of risk evaluation using linguistic representation of the likelihood, exposure and consequences is introduced. A risk assessment model using approximate reasoning technique based on fuzzy logic is presented to drive fuzzy values of risk and numerical example for risk analysis is also presented to illustrate the results.