• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.12-16
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• 2003

The effect of humidifying methods on the mean size of droplets ejected from humidifier and distributions of relative humidity in a graft-taking enhancement system (GTES) was investigated. The mean sizes of droplets ejected from an ultrasonic humidifier and a steam humidifier with electrodes were 7.58$\pm$0.14 and 9.01$\pm$0.06 $\mu$m, respectively. Assuming that the particles ejected from humidifiers were mutually combined with distance, the mean diameter of droplets became larger as the distance apart from the outlet of humidifiers increased. When the relative humidity in GRS was controlled at 90％ using the ultrasonic humidifiers, the average relative humidity at the height of 0.4, 1.1 and 1.8 m were 92.1$\pm$5.3, 90.9$\pm$5.6, and 89.7$\pm$6.8%, respectively. However, the average relative humidity using the steam humidifier with electrodes showed 93.4 $\pm$5.4, 90.7$\pm$5.9, and 89.3$\pm$7.0%, respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that humidification by ultrasonic humidifier would be appropriate for the uniform distribution of relative humidity in GTES.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.193-204
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• 2021

Objectives: In January 2021, the former heads of the manufacturer SK Chemical and the vendor Aekyung were acquitted for manufacturing and selling humidifier disinfectant (HD) containing 5-chloro-2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one/2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one (CMIT/MIT). In this article, we analyzed the rationale used in this judgement in the light of scientific consideration. Methods: The sentencing document for the judgements was obtained from the Korea Supreme Court Service. In particular, the judgements made by the court related to the toxicological and individual association with HD perspectives were discussed based on scientific evidence. Results: The ruling stated that the necessary conditions for causality between CMIT/MIT and such diseases were not met based on the fact that asthma and lung damage were not found in the inhalation exposure animal experiments. The judgment overlooked the inevitable limitations of using animal experiments for verifying health effects in humans, which are often inconsistent with the observations in animals. Among 11 governmentaffirmed lung injury cases with CMIT/MIT usage, three patients' humidifier disinfectant-associated lung injury (HDLI) pathology proved that CMIT/MIT could cause lung injury similar to that caused by PHMG and PGH. In addition, five children showed decreased lung function related to damage caused by humidifier disinfectant exposure. Conclusions: We conclude that there is sufficient evidence supporting the assertion that HDs containing CMIT/MIT cause lung injuries, including asthma, contrary to the court's decision.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.4
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• pp.303-309
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• 2021

Background: Humidifier disinfectant is a biocidal product used in the water tanks of humidifiers to prevent the growth of microorganisms. Although there are a huge number of cases of reported humidifier disinfectant-related health effects across the entire Korean population, their numbers are distributed differently depending on the region. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the regional distribution of enrollment cases who reported humidifier disinfectant-related health effects. Methods: This study used data on 6,240 subjects who experienced humidifier disinfectant-related health effects and who enrolled their cases which is conducted by the Korea Ministry of Environment. We examined the regional distribution of the enrolled cases based on sixteen administrative divisions and assessed the: 1) crude number; 2) proportional rate; and 3) age-standardized proportional rate of enrollment by region. Results: When we examined the crude number of enrollments by region, the highest number were in Gyeonggi-do Province (n=1,896), followed in order by Seoul (n=1,405), Incheon (n=436) Busan, Daegu, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Daejeon, Chungcheongnam-do Province, Gyeongsangbuk-do Province, Jeollabuk-do Province, Gwangju, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, Gangwon-do Province, Jeollanam-do Province, Ulsan, and Jeju-do. When we examined proportional rate of the regional enrollment (cases per 100,000 population), Daejeon (n=16.2) was the region with the highest rate, followed in order by Gyeonggi-do Province (n=16.1), Incheon-do Province (n=15.9), Seoul, Daegu, Gwangju, Jeollabuk-do Province, Chungcheongnam-do Province, Busan, Chungcheongbuk-do Province, Gangwon-do Province, Gyeongsanbuk-do Province, Gyeongsangnam-do Province, Ulsan, Jeju-do, and Jeollanam-do Province, which is inconsistent with the order in terms of crude numbers. However, when we examined the age-standardized proportional rate of regional enrollment (cases per 100,000 population), their ranked distribution is consistent with the crude rate. Conclusions: This study observed that the regional distribution of the enrolled cases who reported humidifier disinfectant-related health effects is inconsistent with the regional distribution of the proportional rate of enrollment cases, which may be caused in part by the volume of the inherent population of each region.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.31
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• pp.25.1-25.9
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• 2016

Objectives After the initial investigations by the Korea Centers for Disease Control in 2011, over 1000 suspicious cases of humidifier disinfectant (HD) victims were subsequently reported by 2015, and numbers are still increasing dramatically in 2016 in the midst of the prosecutors' office investigation. This study attempts to summarize the current understandings of the related health effects of HD based upon a systemic review of published epidemiologic studies and toxicology investigations. Methods Published studies of HDs were searched through PubMed and TOXLINE under the search words 'humidifier disinfectant,' and related reports were identified from the references and published report list of regulatory agencies including the Korean National Institute of Environmental Research, US Environmental Protection Agency, and EU European Chemicals Agency. Results Case reports and epidemiologic studies have reported the clinical features of severe forms of HD lung damage, together with epidemiologic findings of seasonal occurrence and demographic variations, including the heightened susceptibility of young children. Toxicological studies have reported inhalation toxicities together with positive findings of in vitro genotoxicity studies. Conclusions This study examined unsolved issues based on cases of upper respiratory diseases and diseases of other organs, including cancers, among suspected victims of HDs. These issues should be clarified in future research for the management and prevention of health effects from HDs and chemicals of other related household products.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.365-374
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• 2016

Objectives: Studies are needed to examine the characteristics of health effects reported by people who used humidifier disinfectant (HD), including the distribution of victims. Methods: We analyzed the distribution of health effects including lung injury that were asserted by a total of 699 individuals who registered with the first through third national programs to determine health effects associated with the use of HD. Results: We found that HD-associated lung injury (HDLI) occurred every year from 2002 through 2011, and in 2011 for 37.2% (n=96) of the total of 258 clinically evaluated HDLI victims. More than half of the victims responded that they were victimized between 2010 and 2011. This was consistent among all classifications by sex, age, HD brand and HD chemical ingredient. Conclusion: This study assumed that the major reason for the outbreak of the health effect between 2010 and 2011 could be the variations in concentrations and physical properties related to polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG). Further studies are necessary to examine if some factors related to the chemical disinfectants contained in HD brands may have caused the massive outbreak of health effects including HDLI.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.17 no.11
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• pp.1246-1251
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• 2004

This paper is investigated about the effect of carrier gas type and the humidity for generating hydrogen gas. The vibration of the water surface is more powerful with increasing applied voltage. In this experimental reactor which is made of multi-needle and plate, the maximum acquired hydrogen production rate is about 3500 ppm. In the experimental result of generating hydrogen gas by non-thermal plasma reactor, the rate of generating hydrogen gas is different with what kind of carrier gas is. We used two types of carrier gas, such as $N_2$ and He. $N_2$ as carrier gas is more efficient to generate hydrogen gas than He because $N_2$ is reacted with $O_2$, which is made from water dissociation. In comparison with water droplet by humidifier and without water droplet by humidifier, the generation of hydrogen gas is decreased in case of water droplet by humidifier. That is the result that the energy for water dissociation is reduced on water surface because a part of plasma energy is absorbed at the small water molecular produced from humidifier.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.63 no.7
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• pp.251-258
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• 2020

Exposure to environmental factors can cause interstitial lung diseases (ILDs); however, such types of ILDs are rare. From 2007 to 2011, an ILD epidemic occurred in South Korea owing to inhalational exposure to toxic chemicals in humidifier disinfectants (HDs). HD-associated ILDs (HD-ILDs) are characterized by rapidly progressing respiratory failure with pulmonary fibrosis and a high mortality rate of 43.8%-58.0%. Although 18.1%-31.1% of the general population used HDs, only a small proportion of HD users were diagnosed with HD-ILDs. This finding suggests that investigation of the pathophysiologies underlying HD-ILDs is needed in addition to the identification of susceptibility to HD-ILDs. Further, there have been several concerns regarding the diverse health effects of exposure to toxic chemicals in HDs, including those that have not been identified, and long-term prognoses in terms of pulmonary function and residual pulmonary lesions observed on follow-up chest images. In this review, we summarize the clinical features, pathologic findings, and changes in radiologic findings over time in patients with HD-ILDs and the results of previous experimental research on the mechanisms underlying the effects of toxic chemicals in HDs. Studies are currently underway to identify the pathophysiologies of HD-ILDs and possible health effects of exposure to HDs along with the development of targeted therapeutic strategies. The experience of identification of HD-ILDs has encouraged stricter control of safe chemicals in everyday life.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers B
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.337-344
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• 2011

The humidification of reactant gases is crucial for efficiently operating PEM (polymer electrolyte membrane) fuel cell systems and for improving the durability of these systems. The recycle of the energy and water vapor of exhaust gas improves the system performance especially in the case of automotive application. The available humidification methods are steam injection, nozzle spray, humidification by enthalpy wheel, membrane humidifier, etc. However, these methods do not satisfy certain requirements such as compact design, efficient operation and control. In this study, a hybrid humidification system consisting of a membrane humidifier and exhaust-air recirculation units was developed and the humidification performance of this hybrid humidifier was analyzed. Finally, a new practical method for optimal design of PEM-fuel-cell humidification system is proposed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.19-26
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• 2016

Objectives: This study aimed to assess temporal changes in the level of culturable airborne fungi (CAF) in three microbiology laboratories and determine the environmental factors associated with CAF level. Methods: CAF levels were determined once per month from March 2011 to February 2012 in three microbiology laboratories. An Andersen one-stage sampler was used for five minutes, three times per day to collect the CAF. Arithmetic means of CAF concentrations and standard deviation (SD) were calculated. A Mann-Whitney test was applied to compare the differences between environmental factors such as divided room by structure of laboratory, use of humidifier, and use of air-conditioner. Correlation analysis was also applied to identify the association between CAF concentrations and environmental factors. Results: CAF levels demonstrated an increasing tendency in summer, and the three laboratories showed consistent seasonal patterns. Temperature and relative humidity (RH) were associated with CAF levels. When the humidifier was off, CAF concentrations were significantly higher in study rooms than in study rooms in which the humidifier was on. Conclusion: CAF levels in indoor microbiology laboratories varied greatly depending upon the temperature and RH and whether a humidifier was used.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.340-357
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• 2019

The purpose of this paper is to help develop a comprehensive understanding of the humidifier disinfectant disaster from diverse perspectives based on a critical review of the relevant academic research papers published so far in the fields of both natural and social science. The authors reviewed pertinent articles in the six academic areas of law, social science, humanities, medicine, toxicology, and environmental health. A proper understanding of the issue of humidifier disinfectant is a challenging task because diverse aspects of it have become related over the more than two decades since such products were first released to the market in 1994. Technical and esoteric issues such as the complex system for relief and compensation for health damages and the approval of chemical toxicity are known to be major impediments to viewing the bigger picture regarding this tragedy. The authors believe that experts need to consider a comprehensive perspective going beyond their individual research arena to gain a better understanding of this issue, especially since it was an alarm signal on ethics and the role of experts and scholars in Korean society. Besides the two professors arrested by the prosecutor's office, it should be remembered that medical doctors recommended patients use humidifiers and disinfectants, and the media was inactive in reporting on this issue. Furthermore, the current paucity of examination of the social and political implications of this tragedy calls for more active engagement by researchers in the humanities and social sciences. In this regard, this paper is a work of self-examination and self-criticism by the authors that could resonate with the overall academic community.