• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.291-302
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• 1998

The Japanese colonial authorities promulgated the 'Nurses Ordinance(Kanhoboo Kyuchick), in 1914. It was the first act that regulated nurses' licensure in Korea. The gendarme did the administrational work of the ordinance. After the Nurses Ordinance of 1914, nurses without licenses could no longer work with the name of nurse, and Korean nursing gained a more professional status. After the March 1st Movement of 1919, Japan realized that its iron rule had to be more sophisticated. The gendarme gave way to an ordinary constabulary force. The Nurses Ordinance was amended to set the nurses quality as good as that of Japanese nurses, and the nurses licensure of Korea could also be used in Japan. In 1931 the Japanese war against China began, and the Japanese imposed military rule once again. The Nurses Ordinance was amended to 'The Korea Nurses Ordinance'. After the outbreak of the Sino-Japanese War(1937) and of World War II in the Pacific(1941), the Japanese desperately needed additional manpower to re plenish the dwindling ranks of their military and labour forces. To produce more nurses, the colonial authorities amended the 'Korea Nurses Ordinance' and lowered the age and educational status of nurses to produce more numbers. Until the Japanese surrender in August 1945, Korea was under Japanese rule. Koreans had no say in the passing of these acts, and the colonial authority could make and pass any act at will.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.334-343
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• 2023

Background: South Korea's Act on Registration and Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals (known as K-REACH) was established to protect public health and the environment from hazardous chemicals. 4,4'-Methylenedianiline (MDA), which is used as a major intermediate in industrial polymer production and as a vulcanizing agent in South Korea, is classified as a toxic substance under the K-REACH act. Although MDA poses potential ecological risks due to industrial emissions and hazards to aquatic ecosystems, no ecological risk assessment has been conducted. Objectives: The aim of this study is to assess the ecological risk of MDA by identifying the actual exposure status based on the K-REACH act. Methods: Various toxicity data were collected to establish predicted no effect concentrations (PNECs) for water, sediment, and soil. Using the SimpleBox Korea v2.0 model with domestic release statistical data and EU emission factors, predicted environmental concentrations (PECs) were derived for ten sites, each referring to an MDA-using company. Hazard quotient (HQ) was calculated by ratio of the PECs and PNECs to characterize the ecological risk posed by MDA. To validate the results of modeling-based assessment, concentration of MDA was measured using in-site freshwater samples (two to three samples per site). Results: PNECs for water, sediment, and soil were 0.000525 mg/L, 4.36 mg/kg dw, and 0.1 mg/kg dw, respectively. HQ for surface water and sediment at several company sites exceeded 1 due to modeling data showing markedly high PEC in each environmental compartment. However, in the results of validation using in-site surface water samples, MDA was not detected. Conclusions: Through an ecological risk assessment conducted in accordance with the K-REACH act, the risk level of MDA emitted into the environmental compartments in South Korea was found to be low.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.19-27
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• 2017

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to analyze addiction prevention related content shown in middle school text books. Methods: Using a combination of the terms "addiction", "drug", "medicine", "personal preference", "smoking", "drinking", "sex", "misuse" or "abuse" as key words, the researchers screened the table of contents of 23 randomly selected middle school textbooks from the 2009 curriculum. Finally 13 textbooks (physical education=10, health=3) were selected for this study, and analyzed using Krippendorff's contents analysis. Results: Through indepth discussion and investigation of the relevant textbooks, content related to addiction prevention included material addiction (77.8%) and behavioral addiction (22.2%). The construction of addiction prevention in middle school textbooks included understanding addiction, rejection of peer temptation, and empowerment of self-control. Conclusion: When developing an intervention for addiction prevention that targets middle school students, education with accurate addiction information must be considered so that the students have the correct knowledge about addiction and addiction prevention. Additionally, the ability to reject peer temptation when invited to act upon related addiction behaviors should be treated seriously. The empowerment of self-control is also important, and can be promoted through strengthening self-regulation competence.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.136-138
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• 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is a newly emerging infectious disease worldwide, can be categorized as an occupational disease, because employees, particularly in the healthcare system, can be infected at the workplace. As of December 15, 2020, we summarized the occupational safety and health practices in selected countries on the recognition of COVID-19 as one of the occupational risks. The situation has differed among countries, including the recognition status and whether a specific regulation existed. International organizations, namely the International Labour Organization, World Health Organization, and European Union, should plan and conduct studies on the work-relatedness of COVID-19, propose criteria for recognition, and add the infection to the occupational disease list to provide a basis for specific country regulations. Stakeholders should also act to adjust country-level legislation.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.57-62
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• 2001

Bacterial reverse mutation assays were performed for 20 workplace chemicals in Korea, which were selected among workplace chemicals under the Korea Industrial Safety and Health Act (KISHA) with the occupational exposure levels (OELs). The assays were carried out by using the pre-incubation method ($37 ^{\circ}C$, 20 min) with and without metabolic activation using Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, TA1537 and E. coli WP2uvrA. The chemicals were tested at 5 concentrations both in the preliminary and the second assays. Despite the cell toxicities, there were no chemical-induced mutagenicities with or without metabolic activation in any of 20 chemicals.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.2983-2988
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• 2016

Recognizing cancer patients' preferences to obtain health information can help improve and reform the methods of communicating and providing proper services and consequently lead to effective patient education. The present cross-sectional study to prioritize the preferences of cancer patients regarding the acquisition of health informationwas conducted on cancer patients referred to hospitals affiliated to Semnan University of Medical Sciences in 2015. An anonymous self-administered questionnaire was developed. In the field of side effects of medications, 50 (46.7%) reported knowing about weight change, in the area of achieving relative health, 62(57.9%) announced awareness about diet, and 45 (42.1%) reported physical complications as a first regarding information needs. In the area of obtaining information, 50 (46.7%) tended to take their information through means outside of the hospital setting. These results can help with design of clinical information systems, as they inform the most relevant and useful coverage designed for cancer patients. Providing useful information through healthcare providers, the media and clinical information systems can act as a major source of social support for cancer patients.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.87-97
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• 2011

Objectives: The objective of this study is to analyze factors affecting intention to use a paid health promotion service by using the health belief model. Methods: A self-administered survey was conducted with 276 health check-up participants aged ${\geq}20$ at a local medical center in Korea from November 8 to November 24, 2010. Results: 53.6% of the respondents had intention to use a paid health promotion service, and around 85% of them were willing to pay for 'less than five thousand won per month'. Factors affecting the intention to use paid the service was age, education, income, and health check-up experience. In terms of health belief model constructs, people had greater intention to use a paid the service when they perceived to be sensitive to lifestyle associated diseases and recognized advantages of health promotion services. Conclusions: Approximately half of the respondents had intention to use a paid health promotion service. Reasonable price for the service was less than five thousand Korean won per month. Health promotion service act and services should consider these findings.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.99-137
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• 2018

Under the Korean law, there are two routes of involuntary civil commitment of the mentally-ill: involuntary commitment process under the Mental Health Act (MHA) and the guardian's commitment backed up by family court approval under article 947-2 (2) of the Civil Code. Despite of the recent fundamental revision of MHA in 2016, the Korean involuntary commitment law has still serious flaws, especially the lack of due process like prior notice, hearing, and independent guardian ad litem for the mentally-ill, which has been pointed out also by the Korean Constitutional Court. Thus, a re-revision is inevitable, and this time, we should proceed to rebuild the underlying structure of involuntary commitment. In this regard, it is crucial to eliminate the old-fashioned and unjustifiable burden as well as power of the so-called responsible person to protect the mentally-ill and to readjust the causes and standings to petition of the various types of involuntary commitment process. Also it is necessary to repeal involuntary commitment by guardian under the Civil Code, article 947-2 (2), which can no longer harmonize with modern involuntary commitment system.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.372-378
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• 2007

This study evaluated formaldehyde concentration in classrooms and on roofs at 4 elementary schools, 3 middle schools and 3 high schools in Incheon City. These schools were chosen based on their surrounding environments that included industrial site, landfill, railway, 8-lane road and harbor. Indoor concentration ranged between 4.65 and $56.25{\mu}g/m^3$, while that of outdoor concentration was $1.23{\sim}10.22{\mu}g/m^3$, both of which were below $100{\mu}g/m^3$, a formaldehyde criterion stipulated by the School Health Act. Indoor concentration was higher than outdoor concentration by $1.4{\sim}5.9$ times, and there was a positive correlation between indoor and outdoor formaldehyde concentrations (R=0.49). As for indoor concentration, multi-use practice rooms had an average 2.8 times higher than that of usual classrooms with a statistically significant difference (p<0.01). Indoor formaldehyde concentration had a positive correlation with the construction year (R=0.55). The school close to the industrial complex had the highest ambient formaldehyde concentration, followed by the one near a landfill. The formaldehyde concentration in school in the vicinity of the industrial complex was twice or more than that of the school located other site. In conclusion, this study suggests that it is crucial to consider surrounding environments in selecting school sites, as it can influence ambient air contamination, as well as using construction material that emit less formaldehyde, in order to protect the health of students, teachers and school staff.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.75-100
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• 2013

Health damages such as pneumoconiosis and kidney damage, caused by environmental hazardous factors are being reported in health impact assessment conducted on environmentally vulnerable areas, including cement factories and refineries. Current legal system for relieving the environmental victims is not effective enough because the environmental health act does not specify the environmental hazardous factors to be considered for the relief. The aim of this study is to examine the problems of the existing system by making empirical analysis on health damages and afflicted people as well as on cases when afflicted people were able to be covered by remedy system. The results show that, insufficiencies of the relief system are due to the following reasons: First, current Environmental Health Act does not act well as a remedy system. Second, due to its unique nature of environmental health damage, it is hard to identify and prove the cause of health damage and unlawful actions of violators in the process of environmental dispute conciliation and lawsuits against polluters. This paper suggests following solutions on above mentioned problems. First, in defining the range and definition of environmental diseases, negative system should be used alongside with the current positive system. Second, we suggest adding the nature of public law to relief system, in order to ease the legal burden of proof. Third, in case when it is hard to identify the polluters and one cannot expect reliefs for their damage, it is possible to elevate the effectiveness of the relief measure by expanding scope of the search for possible environmental hazardous factors that caused the health damage. It is urgent to improve the relief system so as to secure the environmental rights of Koreans.