• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.203-213
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• 2005

Purpose: To assess the environmental hazards of falling accident in the homes of the elderly. Method: 222 homes of the elderly were assessed by the home environmental Checklist from May to July in 2003. Results: The mean score of home environmental hazards for fall were 13.19 with the highest score being 49, ranging from 4 to 24. The bathroom was the most hazardous place in the home, porch came next bedroom, kitchen, living room and stair followed them. The floor surface such as finishes and non-skid mats was the most hazardous interior factor in the home, using bathroom came next furniture and illumination followed them. The floor surface such as finishes and non-skid mats in the bathroom, kitchen, living room and porch, illumination of bedroom and stair were the most prevalent hazards in the home of interior. Of the 49 potential hazards, bathroom grab bar was the most prevalent one with 89.9%, and non-skid rugs in the porch, bathroom and kitchen, safety of dinner table, the threshold and furniture of porch, and illumination of bedroom were prevalent more than half of the home under assessing. Men, living in the separate house or villa with stairs were in more hazardous environments. Conclusion: To reduce the potential hazards of fall accident in the home, improving hazards relating to floor surface such as slip resistance surface and mats is important specially those of the separate house or villa with stairs.

• 한국노년학
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.377-395
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• 2012

This study was conducted to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of Multifactorial Fall Prevention Program (MFPP) for local low-income elderly people on physical·psychological, and home environmental hazards, and falling frequency. The selected elderly people was provided the MFPP during an eight-week period of time, once a week, 70 to 90 minutes per each section. The design of this study was non-equivalent control-group with repeated measuring by quasi-experimental study. Data were collected before treatment, 8 week after treatment and 4 week after retention from July to October, 2010. Data were analyzed with numbers, percentage, Fisher's exact test, x²-test, repeated measures ANOVA, ANCOVA and Logistic regression. There were significant differences in fall frequency, balance, fear of falling, fall efficacy, home environmental hazards between the experimental group (EG) and control group (CG). This study showed that the multifactorial fall prevention program(MFPP) was useful nursing intervention for strengthening physical·psychological and environmental functions of the low-income elderly people, as well as preventing fall.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.70-79
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• 2000

This study was done for the purpose of investigating the status of the use and perceptions of pesticides among the farmers who spray them in person. And it was also done to provide the basic statistics for the Agricultural Health Policy and study. Over the part of agricultural area in Kyungju and Ulsan City, Korea, from July to September 1999, 1032 questionnaires were distributed and 561 of them were collected and 447 were analysed. Major results of this study are as follows. The proportion of those who have special location for pesticides storage was only 5.3%, and that of those who lock hte storage location was only 13.6%. As to the treatment of bottles after use, most common response was 'burn in home'(47.7%). Most farmers purchase pesticides through 'pesticide store' or 'Agricultural Cooperatives'. The knowledge and Usage of pesticides depends in large part on experiences. The farmers who cultivate orchard spray pesticides more frequently than those cultivate paddy rice mainly. Most common pesticides in use are oganophosphates and carbamates. And also the pesticides that contains so-called 'Environmental Hormone' are used. The perception about the hazards of pesticides is rather superficial and insufficient. 'Herbicide(Gramoxon·Paraco)'(38%) is accepted as the most hazardous by farmers.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.164-173
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• 2012

Objectives: Epichlorohydrin is a material that has been predicted to have high volatility and strong toxicity and is used normally in working area. Therefore, the hazardous and dangerous level and the foreign management system about epichlorohydrin should be invested at home and abroad and through hazard assessment for occupational environment measurement and exposure status of industrial workers in domestic working area. Methods: To assess risk and to suggest Development and Adoption to prevent health damage of workers owing to the epichlorohydrin exposure, the hazardousness and dangerousness of epichlorohydrin and its practical examples and regulation level for domestic and abroad health impairment are researched on the base of various references. Results: The epichlorohydrin caused skin and mucus membrane irritation, respiratory paralysis, kidney and live damage under the influence of acute toxicity and in animal study, it was confirmed as a doubtful carcinogenic substance to trigger reducement of sperm number and reproduction ability, abnormal spermatogenesis, mutagen, increase of forestomach epithelium and occurrence of papilloma and so on, as well as it induced stimulus asthma and allergic contact dermatitis for exposure workers. Conclusions: Epichlorohydrin was found to occur allergic contact dermatitis, carcinogenesis doubt and reproduction toxicity and was verified as a material which would be established reinforcement of management level to care health of handlers, such as denotement dangerousness of skin absorption.

• Spatial Information Research
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.1-10
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• 2011

This research examined relationships between Scientifically Estimated Environmental Risks (SEERs) of floods, hurricanes and hazardous material releases, and household characteristics. This research showed that there were no statistically significant relationships between most of the demographic characteristics (age, household size, tenure at the present home) and SEERs of the two natural hazards (a flood and a hurricane). These results support Drabek's findings (1986) that people tend to underestimate or ignore natural hazards in selecting their residence regardless of age, household size, and house tenure. Educational attainment and yearly household income were positively correlated with hurricane risk, but not with flood risk. By contrast, SEER of hazardous materials was correlated with all demographic characteristics mentioned above. This result may show that those who are relatively poorer and have lower educational level tend to be limited to living in communities more vulnerable to human-made risk.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.9-15
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• 1972

Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the most serious health problems in Korea, because we have been encountered with the highest incidence of CO poisoning in the world due to the unique heating system in home called 'ondal'. We opened Hyperbaric chamber unit in the Seoul National University Hospital last Jan, 1969. We have treated 848 patients as of Sept. 30., 1972, around 44 months period. We collected the informations on the environmental conditions of the place where CO intoxication actually occured by filling up the questionaire from 505 patients. The following findings were obtained. 1. Age distribution showed that the highest incidence was found in the younger age group between age of 10 to age of 29 in both sex. 2. Sex ratio of the patients was 1:1.14. 3. The socio-economic level of the patient was relatively low. 4. Housewife & housemaid were the major victims of the intoxication in the female patients & in the case of the male patient, occupational backgrounds were diverse. 5. Many patients from the middle class experienced the intoxication by sleeping at newly built room. 6. Many intoxication has been occured in the structure of houses where communicating doors are existing between living room & kitchen. 7. All findings obtained taught us again that CO poisoning is the serious by-product of the national fuel policy which put emphasis on the use of coal & socio-economic status is a very important parameter in this hazards.

• Journal of dental hygiene science
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.123-131
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• 2014

Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) or second hand smoke or passive smoking has become a well-known risk factor for various health hazards in nonsmoking adults as well as active smokers. In Korea, there have been few studies concerning about the impact of ETS on periodontal health. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the association between exposure to passive smoking and prevalence of periodontitis using Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) in 2008 and 2009. The Fourth KNHANES data was employed from 2008~2009. The final sample size was 4,669 adults aged over 18 years, who were never-smoker and had the information about ETS both at home and in the workplace, urine analysis and periodontal examination by Community Periodontal Index (CPI). Periodontitis was defined as CPI codes ${\geq}3$. Data were analyzed using PASW Statistics 18.0. The sociodemographic and behavioral factors were adjusted as confounders. Overall, 17.1% (male 16.4%, female 83.6%) of the participants were exposed to ETS. The mean concentration of cotinine in those exposed ETS was significantly higher than that in unexposed people ($46.92{\mu}g/ml$ versus $19.34{\mu}g/ml$, p<0.001). Participants exposed to ETS were more likely to have periodontitis than those unexposed after adjusting for potential confounding variables. ETS is associated with the prevalence of periodontitis in Korean adults. This may suggest that patients with periodontitis or periodontal surgery should be protected from smokers or smoking places.