• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제44권2호
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• pp.107-114
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• 2018

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to describe strategy for exposure assessment of humidifier disinfectant (HD) used in the national program to associate the use of HD with lung injury. Methods: Strategy and method employed to evaluate HD use characteristics were developed to associate health effects including HD associated with lung injury (HDLI). We developed HD-specific questionnaire to assess potential HD exposure, which was consistently used in the national program. Trained environmental health scientists visited the residences of registered subjects and investigated HD use characteristics. Results: Major HD exposure related variables were type of HD brand/s used; HD volume added to the humidifier, frequency of HD addition, and time spent in room/s with the humidifier; duration of HD use in the household in average months/year, weeks/month, and days/week; average sleeping hours in a room with an operating humidifier containing a disinfectant; number of HD brands used and type of HD; average distance of the bed from the humidifier in meters. Conclusions: We concluded that estimated airborne HD concentration was significantly associated with the risk of HDLI.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제12권2호
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• pp.174-183
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• 2021

Background: Toluene diisocyanate (TDI) is a highly reactive chemical that causes sensitization and has also been associated with increased lung cancer. A risk assessment was conducted based on occupational epidemiologic estimates for several health outcomes. Methods: Exposure and outcome details were extracted from published studies and a NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation for new onset asthma, pulmonary function measurements, symptom prevalence, and mortality from lung cancer and respiratory disease. Summary exposure-response estimates were calculated taking into account relative precision and possible survivor selection effects. Attributable incidence of sensitization was estimated as were annual proportional losses of pulmonary function. Excess lifetime risks and benchmark doses were calculated. Results: Respiratory outcomes exhibited strong survivor bias. Asthma/sensitization exposure response decreased with increasing facility-average TDI air concentration as did TDI-associated pulmonary impairment. In a mortality cohort where mean employment duration was less than 1 year, survivor bias pre-empted estimation of lung cancer and respiratory disease exposure response. Conclusion: Controlling for survivor bias and assuming a linear dose-response with facility-average TDI concentrations, excess lifetime risks exceeding one per thousand occurred at about 2 ppt TDI for sensitization and respiratory impairment. Under alternate assumptions regarding stationary and cumulative effects, one per thousand excess risks were estimated at TDI concentrations of 10 - 30 ppt. The unexplained reported excess mortality from lung cancer and other lung diseases, if attributable to TDI or associated emissions, could represent a lifetime risk comparable to that of sensitization.

• 한국환경독성학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경독성학회 2003년도 추계국제학술대회
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• pp.121-123
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• 2003

The registration of a pesticide for use in the gardens or a farmer's field requires assessment of the potential negative effects of that pesticide on human health. To anticipate how a pesticide might impact human health, laboratory animals such as mice and rats are exposed to varying dosages in their foods -from very minimal to extremely high levels. Toxicologists then evaluate the observable effect(s) of consuming known quantities of that specific pesticide on acute, subchronic, chronic, mutational, reproduction and neurological effects. Information gained from such test is evaluated by toxicologists and medical experts to determine potential human effects

• Toxicological Research
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• 제18권2호
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• pp.107-116
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• 2002

Arsenic (As) is a ubiquitous element found in several forms in foods and water. Although certain foods, such as marine fish, contain substantial levels of organic arsenic forms, they are relatively low in toxicity compared to inorganic forms. in contrast, arsenic in drinking water is predominantly inorganic and highly toxic. Chronic ingestion of arsenic-contaminated drinking water is therefore the major pathway posing potential risk to human hearth. since the early 1990s in Bangladesh ozone, arsenic exposure has caused more than 7,000 deaths and uncounted thousands shout symptoms of long-term arsenic poisoning. Significant portion of world populations are exposed to low to moderate levels of arsenic of parts per billion (ppb) to hundreds of ppb. As a consequence, the World Health Organization (WHO) and U.S. environmental health agencies, such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) made arsenic their highest priority. Recently, the WHO, European Union (EU), and US. EPA lowered an acceptable level of 10 ppb for arsenic in drinking water In this article, various health effects of arsenic in drinking water were reviewed and the current status for risk assessment to regulate arsenic in drinking water was discussed.

• 환경영향평가
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• 제27권2호
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• pp.194-202
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• 2018

국내 법적인 건강영향평가로서 환경영향평가 내 위생 공중보건 항목의 평가는 특정 개발 사업에서 배출되는 유해대기오염물질 배출량 및 주변 주요 지점의 노출농도 산정, 이를 활용한 위해성 평가로 진행되고 있다. 하지만 개발 사업부지 주변의 노출 가능한 인구집단 규모를 고려하지 못하는 등 개발 사업부지 주변의 수용체 특성은 해당 위해성 평가에서 제대로 반영되지 못하고 있다. 본 논문의 목적은 개발 사업부지 주변의 노출 가능한 인구수를 산정 반영한 위해성 평가를 위해 잠재노출 인구수의 산정 및 이를 실제 위생 공중보건 항목 작성 시 활용하는 방안을 제안하는 것이다. 개발 사업부지 주변의 인구수 산정 관련한 국내 자료 현황을 파악하고 이를 고려한 잠재노출 인구수 산정 알고리즘을 제안하였다. 나아가 산업단지 개발 시 유해대기오염물질 배출을 가정한 사례 분석을 수행하였다. 잠재노출 인구수를 활용한 위해성 평가는 인구집단 위해도 개념이 적용되어야 함을 제시하였으며, 향후 연구로 평가결과에 대한 건강영향 여부의 판단기준 설정이 요구됨을 제안하였다. 또한 본 논문의 잠재노출 인구수 산정방법을 통해 개발사업의 입지제한 도구로의 활용가능성을 제안하였다. 이번 논문은 위생 공중보건 항목 작성 시 개발 사업부지 주변의 수용체 특성을 반영한 위해성 평가를 수행하는 방안을 제시했다는 것에 의미가 있다.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.193-198
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• 2020

Background: Medical laboratory workers are frequently exposed to a wide range of chemicals. This exposure can have adverse effects on their health. Furthermore, a knowledge lack of the chemical risk increases the likelihood of exposure. The chemical risk assessment reduces the risk of exposure to hazardous chemicals and therefore, guarantees health and safety of the workers. Method: The chemical risk assessment was conducted using a modified INRS method, according to the new CLP Regulation, of 11 unit laboratories in a Moroccan medical laboratory. Observation of each workstation and analysis of safety data sheets are key tools in this study. Results: A total of 144 substances and reagents that could affect the health of the analytical technicians were identified. Among these products, 17% are concerned by the low priority risk score, with 55% concerned by the average priority risk score and 28% concerned by the high priority risk score. This study also enabled to better identify the chemical agents that have restrictive occupational exposure limit value and controls were conducted to this effect. On the basis of the results obtained, several corrective and preventive measures have been proposed and implemented. Conclusion: Risk assessment is essential to ensure the health and safety of workers and to meet regulatory requirements. It enables to identify all the risky manipulations and to adopt appropriate preventive measures. However, it is not a one-time activity but it must be continuous in order to master the changes and thus ensure the best safety of all.

• 한국환경보건학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경보건학회 2005년도 국제학술대회
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• pp.326-329
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• 2005

A worker who grinded the inner parts of camshafts for automobile engines using water-soluble metalworking fluid (MWF) for 14 years was diagnosed with sinusitis. We postulated that the outbreak of sinusitis could be associated with exposure to microbes contaminated in water-soluble MWF during the grinding operation. To suggest responsible agents for this outbreak, quantitative exposure assessment for chemical and biological agents and prevalence of work-related respiratory symptoms by questionnaire were studied. The exposure ranges of MWF mist (0.59 $mg/m^3$to 2.12 $mg/m^3$) measured during grinding exceeded 0.5 $mg/m^3$ of the recommended exposure limit (REL). Grinder's exposures to bacteria, fungi and endotoxins were also generally higher than not only the proposed standards, but also those reported by several studies to identify the cause of respiratory effects. Statistical test indicated that the prevalence rate of reported symptoms related to nasal cavities showed no significant differences among the operations. Evaluation on grinding operation characteristics and quantitative exposure assessment indicated that repeated exposure to MWF mist including microbes contaminated from the use of water-soluble MWF may cause respiratory diseases like sinusitis or at least increase susceptibility to the development of sinusitis

• 한국지하수토양환경학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지하수토양환경학회 2004년도 총회 및 춘계학술발표회
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• pp.209-212
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• 2004

Soil environment has not received much attention from the environmental impact assessor community although soil contamination may affect human health and the eco-system. This study was the first trial to discuss the role and importance of soil environment in the environmental impact assessment(EIA) and suggest possible environmental impact assessment schemes for soil. The objectives of the study were to show the effects of soil contamination on human health, the environment and the social community, suggest efficient EIA schemes in Korea and establish the basic concepts of soil environment assessment involving fate and transport of contaminants and its risk.

• 보건행정학회지
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.152-161
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• 2015

We analyze the determinants of obesity and the chronic diseases using the Korea Health Panel data. Also we analyze the effect of obesity and the chronic diseases on the health care expenditures. Through this study, to reduce the health care expenditures, we suggest the policy implication that might curb the obesity and the chronic diseases. We estimate the determinants of obesity, the chronic diseases, and the health care expenditures using 2SLS (two stage least squares) estimation method under the simultaneous equations framework. Result says that obesity and chronic diseases significantly have positive effects on the health care expenditures. Also the determinants of the health care expenditures that have positive effects are age, income and health care utilization variables.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• 제11권6호
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• pp.637-662
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• 2013

The Jiangyin Bridge is a suspension bridge with a main span of 1385 m over the Yangtze River in Jiangsu Province, China. Being the first bridge with a main span exceeding 1 km in Chinese mainland, it had been instrumented with a structural health monitoring (SHM) system when completed in 1999. After operation for several years, it was found with malfunction in sensors and data acquisition units, and insufficient sensors to provide necessary information for structural health evaluation. This study reports the SHM system upgrade project on the Jiangyin Bridge. Although implementations of SHM system have been reported worldwide, few studies are available on the upgrade of SHM system so far. Recognizing this, the upgrade of original SHM system for the bridge is first discussed in detail. Especially, lessons learned from the original SHM system are applied to the design of upgraded SHM system right away. Then, performance assessment of the bridge, including: (i) characterization of temperature profiles and effects; (ii) recognition of wind characteristics and effects; and (iii) identification of modal properties, is carried out by making use of the long-term monitoring data obtained from the upgraded SHM system. Emphasis is placed on the verification of design assumptions and prediction of bridge behavior or extreme responses. The results may provide the baseline for structural health evaluation.