• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.105-110
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• 2009

Yellow sand (or Asian dust) occurs mainly in spring in East Asia. Yellow sand from China and its surrounding regions transports air pollutants, such as aerosols, ozone, and heavy metals. The outdoor workers are frequently exposed to heavy metals during yellow sand phenomenon. This study was carried out to investigate the heavy metal levels in blood among 75 outdoor workers (exposed group) and 86 indoor workers (controled group) in Gyeonggi province from March 2008 to May 2009. Heavy metal levels in blood were analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Mean blood lead levels in exposed group and controled group were $5.19{\pm}1.64{\mu}g/dL$, $4.24{\pm}1.34{\mu}g/dL$, respectively. Mean blood cadmium levels in exposed group and controled group were $1.28{\pm}0.89{\mu}g/dL$, $0.90{\pm}0.59{\mu}g/dL$, respectively. Lead and Cadmium levels in blood of exposed group were significantly higher than those of controled group. In the comparison of smoking status, lead and cadmium levels of smokers were significantly higher than those of non-smokers. In conclusion, the heavy metal levels of outdoor workers were significantly higher than those of indoor workers. And smoking was hazardous factor to elevate heavy metal levels in blood.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.445-451
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• 2021

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the self-administered questionnaire for Korean radiation workers. Methods: From May 24, 2016, to June 30, 2017, 20,608 participants completed the questionnaire, providing information on sociodemographics, lifestyle, work history and practices, medical radiation exposure, and medical history, which was linked to the National Dose Registry and the National Cancer Registry. The validity of the questionnaire was evaluated using the responses of 20,608 workers, and reliability was evaluated using the responses of 3043 workers who responded to the survey twice. Results: Responses concerning demographic characteristics and lifestyle showed reliability with a moderate-to-high agreement (kappa: 0.43-0.99), whereas responses concerning occupation and medical radiation exposure had a wide range of agreement (kappa: 0.05-0.95), possibly owing to temporal variability during employment. Regarding validity, responses to the question about the first year of employment had an excellent agreement with the national registry (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.9); however, responses on cancer history had a wide range of agreement (kappa: 0.22-0.85). Conclusion: Although the reliability and validity of the questionnaire were not distinguished by demographic characteristics, they tended to be low among participants whose occupational radiation exposure was minimal. Overall, the information collected can be reliable for epidemiological studies; however, caution must be exercised when using information such as medical exposure and work practices, which are prone to temporal variability.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1994.02a
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• pp.549-559
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• 1994

A subgroup or workers from a secondary lead smelter was defined to include those with blood lead levels not exceeding $80{\mu}g/100\;ml$ and with no pest history of elevated blood lead. Central nervous system symptoms (tiredness, sleeplessness, irritability, headache) were reported by 55% of the group and muscle and joint pain by 39%. Zinc proteporphyrin (ZPP) levels were elevated in 71% or cases. Low hemoglobin levels (less than 14 gm/l00 ml) were round in more than a third of the workers. While BUN and creatinine were mostly in the normal range, there - nevertheless n correlation between ZPP and both BUN and creatinine. Reduced nerve-conduction velocities were present in 25% or the group; this was not significantly different from findings in Ii control group. The data indicate that n blood level of $80{\mu}g/100\;ml$ is an inappropriate biological guide in the prevention or lead disease.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.310-316
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• 2021

Mobile phones used by healthcare workers are not only an indicator of the contamination of healthcare associated bacteria, but can also be another source of infection. The number and time of handwashing, mobile phone operation time and disinfection were highly relation with the bacterial contamination on the surface of mobile phone. Healthcare associated bacteria isolated from the mobile phone surface were 28 MRCoNS (48.3%), 14 S. aureus (24.2%), 3 MRSA (5.2%), 5 A. baumannii (8.6%), 3 MRAB (5.2%), 3 Entrococcus spp. (5.1%), 2 Pantoea spp. (3.4%), 2 A. lowffii (3.4%), 1 E. cloacae (1.7%), 1 P. stutzeri (1.7%), and P. mirabillis (1.7%). For isolation according to department, 2 MRAB from the emergency room and 1 MRSA from intensive unit, the radiology team and the rehabilitation medical team, respectively were isolated. As a result of the relation of isolates from the department of patient contact (ER, RT, GW, CP, ICU, RMT), the bacterial isolation rate was 75% and the department of patient non-contact (MRT) was 10%.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.67-75
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• 2009

In order to provide basic data for the prevention of adverse effects of lead on health, we examined lead levels in the blood of 30 handicapped workers employed in manufacturing electronic components in Seoul from 2002 to 2008. The average lead level in the blood of all the subjects was $4.79{\pm}4.32{\mu}g/dL$ in females, $2.64{\pm}2.31{\mu}g/dL$ in males, and $3.88{\pm}3.75{\mu}g/dL$ in total. Lead levels examined in this study were significantly lower than other investigators study have reported. The average lead level from personal exposure of the subjects was $1.44{\pm}0.91mg/m^3$ in the workplace. The relation between blood lead levels and personal exposure was a simple linear regression; it's equation was "Lead level in blood = 6.04 - 1.92 lead level by personal exposure".

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.243-246
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• 2015

At present, more than 500,000 foreigner workers, most of them from Asian countries with high parasitic infection rates, are working in Korea. Since investigation into the prevalence of parasitic infections in foreigner workers has not yet been conducted in Korea, the present study was performed to determine the parasitic infection status of foreigner workers living in Cheonan City, Chungcheongnam-do (Chungnam Province) and to plan, on that basis, effective control measures. From October to December 2013, the parasitic infection status of 231 foreigner workers employed at selected Cheonan-si small businesses was investigated by both stool examination and ELISA. A total of 60 individuals (26.0%) were found to be infected with parasites. The stool examination detected 14 positive cases (6.1%), and ELISA revealed 50 positive people (21.6%), for at least a kind of parasitic disease. The most common infection was cysticercosis (8.7%), followed by toxocariasis (7.8%) and clonorchiasis (7.4%). Since it was proved that parasitic infections were prevalent among foreigner workers living in Cheonan City, more comprehensive study is urgently needed in order to understand the nationwide status of parasitic infections in foreigner workers.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.343-350
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• 2010

This study was performed to investigate laboratory workers' exposures to airborne nanoparticles at a university laboratory where acid treatment experiments were conducted on the surfaces of engineered carbon nanotubes (CNTs). The surface area concentrations, number concentrations, and mass concentrations of airborne nanoparticles were measured at personal breathing zones (PBZs) for various tasks using direct reading instruments. For all three metrics, airborne nanoparticle concentrations during the experiments were higher than background levels measured before and after the experiments for all three metrics. Among the various tasks that were performed as part of these experiments, one task that involved filtering a mixture of acid and CNTs showed the highest concentrations in all three metrics, with concentrations of $116.6\;{\mu}m^2$/cc, 24320 pt/cc, and $9.0\;{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. Nanoparticle surface area concentrations measured at a representative area fluctuated with those at the PBZs in the laboratory. This result indicates that nanoparticles generated during the experiments were not just limited to the PBZs of the workers but were also present throughout the room, potentially exposing co-located workers. CNTs were detected by a transmission electron microscope in an air sample collected while handling the CNTs. All the tasks were performed inside fume hoods, with the sliding sashes open to their required heights. It was noted that the capture velocities of the fume hoods were much lower than the American National Standards Institute (ANSI)'s recommendation level (0.4 to 0.6 m/s). In conclusion, this study showed that, due to inadequate control, laboratory researchers performing acid treatment experiments on surfaces of CNTs were exposed to airborne nanoparticles generated during the tasks.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.115-121
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• 2019

Background: Due to the diversification and advancement of research, researchers have become to deal with a variety of chemical and biological harmful materials in the laboratories of universities and research institutes and the risk has increased as well. Therefore, it is necessary to strengthen the social safety net for laboratory accidents by strengthening the compensation to the level comparable to that of Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service, when the researchers become physically disabled by laboratory accidents. The purpose of this study is to secure researchers' health rights and to create a research environment where researchers can work with confidence by strengthening the compensation to the level comparable to that of Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service. Method: We analyzed the laboratory accidents by year, injury type, severity of accident and disability grade with the 6 year data from 2011 to 2016, provided by Laboratory Safety Insurance. Based on the analysis result, we predicted the financial impact on Laboratory Safety Insurance if we introduce a compensation annuity by disability grade which is similar to Injury-Disease Compensation Annuity of Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service. Result :As of 2011, the insured number of Laboratory Safety Insurance was approximately 700,000. The Average premium per insured was KRW 3,339 and there were 158 claims. Total claim amount was KRW 130 million, whereas the premium was about KRW 2.3 billion. The loss ratio was very low at 5.75%. If we introduce a compensation annuity by disability grade similar to Injury-Disease Compensation Annuity of Korean Workers' Compensation & Welfare Service, the expected benefit amount for 1 case of disability grade 1 would be KRW 1.6 billion, assuming 2% of interest rate. Given current premium, the loss ratio, the ratio of premium income to claim payment, is expected 41.4% in 2017 and 151.6% in 2026. The increased loss ratio due to the introduce of the compensation annuity by disability grade is estimated to be 11.0% in 2017 and 40.4% in 2026. Conclusion: Currently, laboratories can purchase insurance companies' laboratory safety insurance that meets the standards prescribed by Act on the Establishment of Safe Laboratory Environment. However, if a compensation annuity is introduced, it would be difficult for insurance companies to operate the laboratory safety insurance due to financial losses from a large-scale accident. Therefore, it is desirable that one or designated entities operate laboratory safety insurance. We think that it is more desirable for laboratory safety insurance to be operated by a public entity rather than private entities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.17
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• pp.7105-7112
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• 2014

In this study, we investigated oxidative stress and tumor marker levels of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in 136 coke oven workers and in 60 control subjects, and evaluated the correlation between oxidative stress and tumor marker levels. Questionnaires on basic demographic information were also administered. Significant differences in employment time and percentages of alcohol drinkers were observed between the control and exposed groups. PAH exposure was assessed using urinary 1-hydroxy-pyrene (1-OHP) levels and was found to be significantly higher in workers than in the controls. Significant differences (P<0.001) of MDA, GST, LDH, NSE, Cyfra21-1, and of SCC and TNF-a (P<0.0001 and P<0.05, P<0.001, respectively) levels were observed among controls and coke-oven workers, except for bottom coke oven workers. Associations between age and risk of increased TNF-a, smoking and increased GST activities, and drinking with increased MDA concentrations, were marginal (P=0.055, P=0.048, P=0.057, respectively). The association between smoking with MDA (P=0.004), NSE (P=0.005), SCC (P=0.004) andTNF-a (P<0.001), and drinking with TNF-a levels was significant (P=0.012). In addition, a significant positive correlation between oxidative stress and tumor markers was found in the present study. These results suggest that a synergistic increase of oxidative stress and tumor markers induced by PAHs may play a role in toxic responses for PAHs in coke oven workers.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2012

This study is assessed the urinary hippuric acid (HA) concentration in toluene-exposed workers. Toluene is widely used in the coating, printing, painting and petroleum industries. We analyzed the hippuric acid level of toluene-exposed workers (males: 198, females: 63) from 2008 to 2010 and examined the relationship between hippuric acid and the characteristics of their work. The measurements of the urinary hippuric acid were confirmed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Among the subjects, males had on average more work experience than females (males: 9.17 years, females: 4.45 years), but females showed a higher hippuric acid concentration levels than males (males: 0.26 g/L, females: 0.75 g/L). The mean of the HA concentration according to the age group was 0.19 g/L in 30's, 0.30 g/L in 40's, 0.54 g/L in 50's, 1.36 g/L in 60's. Those in their 60's had the highest concentration. The mean of HA concentration according to the type of work was 0.70 g/L for the coating, 0.52 g/L for the painting, and 0.16 g/L for the printing industries, revealing that the workers in the coating industry had the highest concentration. By the highest order, the mean of HA concentration by working period was as follows; less than 5 years, ${\leq}5\;years{\sim}<10\;years$. The factors that influence the HA concentration are not only how long one is exposed to toluene but also the type of work, worker's age, and their gender.