• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.166-174
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• 2012

Introduction: After 17 years since the first production of humidifier disinfectants in Korea, Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) announced that the odds ratio of lung injury related with humidifier disinfectant usage was 47.3 (95% confidence interval 6.0-369.7) according to a case-control study with 18 adult cases, including 8 pregnant women at a university hospital in Seoul. Results: From September 2011 to April 2012, one-hundred and seventy four victim cases have been reported to an environmental non-governmental group (NGO). We summarized timetable of humidifier disinfectants accidents, analyzed health outcomes (death, lung or lung and heart transplantation, pulmonary disease) of reported victims, and classified some information for humidifier disinfectants with health outcomes, and government action for this accident. Among the victims, number of death cases are 52 (30.0%), including 26 babies less than 3 years old. Sixty-nine victims come from twenty-seven family with 2 to 4 members per family. About twenty types of humidifier disinfectant products and about 600,000 product items a year have been sold. Fifty-two death cases used 7 different types of disinfectant products, including imported goods and some private brands of well-known supermarkets. KCDC confirmed inhalation toxicity of 6 products through an animal experimental test, and based on this observation recalled disinfectants containing PHMG (polyhexamethylene guanidine) and PGH (Oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxyethyl guanidinium chloride). Discussions: The use of these biocides involved highly fatal consequences among biologically vulnerable victims, such as pregnant women, several family member victims after semi-acute exposure. This is the first biocide disaster in Korea with non-specific targets, and unknown scale of victims, warranting concerns on use of biocides in the living environment. Conclusions: Special administrative agency for chemical safety and compensation act for environmental health victims are needed to prevent similar problems.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.253-257
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• 2013

Exposure assessment for three major active ingredients used for humidifier disinfectants, polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG), oligo(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxyethyl guanidinium chloride (PGH), and 5-chloro-2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one/2-methylisothiazol-3(2H)-one (CMIT/MIT) mixture, was conducted in a bedroom using an air sampler for a refined risk assessment. The experimental site was selected to reflect consumer exposure conditions. Aerosols formed by a humidifier were sampled during 8 hr at 7.5 L/min. Absorbed PHMG and PGH by the sampler were quantified using a spectrophotometric method, and high performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet detection was used for CMIT/MIT. Three exposure scenarios were assumed for adding humidifier disinfectants to the humidifier water at 1, 2, and 10 times the volume recommended by the product suppliers, and the humidifier was on at its maximum rate of producing aerosols in order to consider reasonable worst-cases. The sampled mass of PHMG and PGH ranged 200 to $2,800{\mu}g$ and 140 to $1,900{\mu}g$, respectively, under different exposure conditions, whereas the absorbed mass of CMIT/MIT was barely detected at the detection limit of 0.11/0.29 mg/L, only at 10 times the recommended level. The resulting risk quotients for PHMG and PGH ranged 1,400 to 20,000 and 1,000 to 13,000, indicating that health risks could be significant. For CMIT/MIT mixture, risk quotients were much smaller than estimated by assuming that they are conservative in the indoor environment, probably due to oxidative reactions. The refined exposure assessment presented here may provide a useful tool for assessing risks posed by active ingredients in spray-type biocidal products.

• 환경생물
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• 제38권2호
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• pp.271-277
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• 2020

가습기 살균제 성분(PHMG, PGH, CMIT/MIT)의 노출에 의한 다양한 장기에 대한 독성들에 대해서 피해사례는 계속 증가하고 있으나, 세포모델과 동물모델에서의 연구와 보고는 아직 부족한 실정이다. 심혈관 독성, 간 독성, 배아 독성에 대해서는 최근 알려져 있으나 뇌신경 독성과 피부 독성에 대해서는 상대적으로 적게 알려져 있다. 본 연구에서는 이들 세 가지 성분들의 피부 독성과 뇌신경 독성을 사람 피부섬유세포와 제브라피쉬 동물모델을 대상으로 각각 평가하였다. 사람피부섬유세포에 세 가지의 성분들을 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 16 mg L^-1 (최종농도)로 처리하였을 때, 세포 생존율은 PHMG가 33%로 가장 낮았고, PGH가 49%, CMIT/MIT가 40%의 생존율을 보였다. 세포배양액 내의 산화물을 정량해본 결과, PHMG 처리된 세포가 28 nmol MDA로 가장 높았고, PGH가 13 nmol MDA, CMIT가 21 nmol MDA를 보였다. 제브라피쉬 사육수조에 PHMG, PGH, CMIT를 40 mg L^-1의 최종농도가 되도록 희석한 후, 제브라피쉬를 30분간 노출시킨 후 중뇌의 광시개영역(optic tectum)을 횡면 미세절단하여 산화물의 생성정도를 비교해본 결과, CMIT/MIT를 처리한 그룹에서 대조군 대비 17배 많은 산화물의 생성이 있었고, PGH를 처리한 그룹에서는 15배, PHMG를 처리한 그룹에서는 11배 많은 산화물이 관찰되어 심각한 뇌신경계 독성을 보여주었다. 결론적으로 세 가지 종류의 가습기 살균제 성분들에서 모두 심각한 피부세포 독성과 뇌신경계 독성이 나타났는데, 피부 독성은 특히 PHMG가, 뇌신경계 독성은 특히 CMIT/MIT가 가장 심각하였다. 이들 결과들은 가습기 살균제에 노출된 어린이들이 뇌신경계 독성을 통하여 언어장애, 운동장애, 발달장애 등을 겪게 될 수도 있음을 실험적으로 제시한다.