• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.78-88
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• 2023

Background: Exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can have acute and chronic health effects on human beings in general and in working environments. In particular, VOCs are often emitted in large quantities in industrial settings. In such circumstances, there is a need to improve the indoor air quality at workplaces. Objectives: The purposes of this study were to verify the effectiveness of air cleaning devices in workplaces and provide alternative solutions for improving working environments. Methods: Personal exposure and area level of VOCs for workers were evaluated in a car-part adhesive process before and after installing an air cleaning device with a TiO₂-coated filter. Passive samplers and direct reading instruments were used to collect and analyze the VOCs, and the removal efficiency and improvement of air quality were evaluated. We also calculated the exposure index (EI) to assess the risk level in the workplace. Results: The removal efficiency for VOCs through the installation of the air cleaning device was approximately 26.9~69.0% as determined by the concentration levels before and after installation. The measured substances did not exceed the exposure limits for the work environment and the EI was less than 1. However, carcinogenic substances such as benzene, formaldehyde, carbon tetrachloride, and trichloroethylene were detected. Conclusions: The application of an air cleaning device can be a solution for controlling the indoor air quality in a workplace, particularly in cases where ventilation systems cannot be installed due to process limitations.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.389-392
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• 2019

When conducting an exposure assessment, the primary goal of the industrial hygienist is to fully characterize the worker's exposure during a work shift to compare it with an occupational exposure limit. This applies regardless of the duration of the work activity as an activity that is relatively short in duration can still present exposure in excess of the occupational exposure limit even when normalized over an 8-hr shift. This goal, however, is often impeded by the specification of a minimum sample volume in the published sampling method, which may prevent the sample from being collected or submitted for analysis. Removing the specification of minimum sample volume (or adjusting it from a requirement to a recommendation), in contrast, allows for a broader assessment of jobs that consist of short-duration and high-exposure activities and also eliminates the unnecessary practice of running sampling pumps in clean air to collect a specified, minimum volume.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.47-51
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• 1992

Volatile organic rompounds(VOCs) present in the VOCs-contaminated water are released to air while showering and their air concentrations depend on the shower parameters, resulting in the variation of the VOCs breath concentration. The present study evaluated the key shower parameters(water temperature and inhalation duration) that affect the inhalation exposure to air chloroform while showering, by determining chloroform breath concentration. The chloroform breath concentrations increased with water temperature and inhalation duration increase. The two inhalation exposure conditions which resulted in the greatest chloroform breath contentration difference were a 5 min-inhalation exposure with warm water and a 15 min-inhalation exposure with hot water. The chloroform breath concentration was almost three times higher after later exposure. The mathematical model analyzing the relationship between two key shower parameters and breath concentration normalized to water concentration fits quite Ivell with the experimental data at a probability of p : 0.0001.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.119-126
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• 2001

Air pollution epidemiologic studies are intrinsically difficult because the expected effect size at general environmental levels is small, exposure and misclassification of exposure are common, and exposure is not selective to a specific pollutant. In this review paper, epidemiologic study designs and analytic methods are described, and two nationwide projects on air pollution epidemiology are introduced. This paper also demonstrates that possible confounding issues in time-series analysis can be resolved and the impact on the use of data from ambient monitoring stations may not be critical. In this paper we provide a basic understanding of the types of air pollution epidemiologic study designs that be subdivided by the mode of air pollution effects on human health (acute or chronic). With the improvements in the area of air pollution epidemiologic studies, we should emphasize that elaborate models and statistical techniques cannot compensate for inadequate study design or poor data collection.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.20 no.4 s.58
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• pp.69-75
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• 2005

Professional taxi driver exposure to indoor air pollutants has been a subject of concern in recent years because of higher levels of air pollutants, comparing to the surrounding atmosphere. This study evaluated the potential exposure to respirable suspended particulate (RSP), nitrogen dioxide $(NO_2)$ and volatile organic compounds (VOCs; benzene and toluene) for professional taxi drivers inside each of 10 vehicles in Pusan, comparing weekday (Monday and Thursday) and weekend (Saturday). Indoor mean concentrations of RSP inside vehicle were $53.88\;ug/m^3\;and\;75.52\;ug/m^3$ on weekday and weekend, respectively. Measured indoor $NO_2$ concentrations were 28.32ppb and 40.69 ppb, respectively. Benzene and toluene mean concentrations inside vehicle were 5.41 ppb and 11.36 ppb, respectively. Considering no smoking of taxi drivers inside vehicle, closed window in winter, and increased usage of taxi on weekend, source of indoor air pollutants inside taxi might be mainly suggested from the number of passenger's carried, faulty exhaust systems, and engine and carburetor evaporative emissions.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.75-85
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• 2022

Background: Various types of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) exist in the public's living environment. They occur in different forms in terms of their physical and chemical properties and partition coefficients. As a consequence, indoor exposure to SVOCs occurs via various routes, including inhalation of air and airborne particles, skin contact, and dust intake. Objectives: To propose a method for assessing human exposure to the SVOCs occurring in the air of an indoor environment, the concentrations of SVOCs in house dust and organic films measured in a real residential environment were estimated in terms of gas-phase concentration using the partition coefficient. Assessment of inhalation exposure to SVOCs was performed using this method. Methods: Phthalates were collected from samples of house dust and organic films from 110 households in a real residential environment. To perform an exposures assessment of the phthalates present in organic films, gas-phase concentration was calculated using the partition coefficient. The airborne gas-phase concentrations of phthalates from the house dust and organic films were estimated and exposure assessment was performed based on the assumption of inhalation exposure from air. Results: As a result of the exposure assessment for gas-phase phthalates from house dust and organic films, preschool children showed the highest level of inhalation of phthalates, followed by school children, adults, and adolescents. Conclusions: This study includes the limitation of not considering different SVOCs exposure pathways in the health impact assessment, including those of phthalates in the indoor living environment. However, this study has the significance of performing exposure assessment based on exposure to SVOCs present in indoor air that originated from organic films in the indoor residential environment. Therefore, the results of this study should be useful as basic data for exposure and health risk assessments of SVOCs associated with organic films in the indoor environment.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.207-216
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• 1993

The concentrations of $SO_2$ and $SO_3$ were measured to estimate a new developed long time exposure $SO_2$ sampler at Onsan industrial area considering the meteorological factors from June to October, 1992. The mean concentration of $SO_3$ by $PbO_2$ method was 0.924 mg $SO_3 / 10cm^2$ $PbO_2$/day and their high values were shown in the center of the industrial area, which show potential pollution due to the increase of industrial activities and micrometeorological factors in and around the sites. As a result of statistical correlation between $SO_2$ concentration by new sampling method and $SO_3$ concentration by $PbO_2$ method in July and August, 1992, correlation coefficients were high (r=0.87, 0.91) and shown more than 0.83 value in the high concentration data set, which was arbitrarily divided into 7~10${\mu}l$$SO_2$ concentration in an attempt to further investigate these relationships. Therefore, use of new developed long time exposure TEX>$SO_2$ sampler is good for TEX>$SO_2$ measurement and valuable for estimation of air quality in the urban and industrial area. Key Words : a new developed long time exposure TEX>$SO_2$ sampler, correlation coefficients, high, $SO_2$ measurement, estimation of air Quality.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.339-346
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• 2009

The objectives of this study were to introduce spatial interpolation methods which have been applied in recent papers, to apply three methods (nearest monitor, inverse distance weighting, kriging) to domestic data (Ulsan cohort) as an example of estimating the personal exposure levels. We predicted the personal exposure estimates of 2,102 participants in Ulsan cohort using spatial interpolation methods based on information of their residential address. We found that there was a similar tendency among the estimates of each method. The correlation coefficients between predictions from pairs of interpolation methods (except for the correlation coefficient between nearest montitor and kriging of CO and $SO_2$) were generally high (r=0.84 to 0.96). Even if there are some limitations such as location and density of monitoring station, spatial interpolation methods can reflect spatial aspects of air pollutant and spatial heterogeneity in individual level so that they provide more accurate estimates than monitor data alone. But they may still result in misclassification of exposure. To minimize misclassification for better estimates, we need to consider individual characteristics such as daily activity pattern.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Clothing and Textiles
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.853-863
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• 1999

the change of physical properties (thickness, weight, air permeability) and mechanical properties(abrasion resistance breaking load and displacement) of samples were determined after heat exposure by a RPP tester. The effect of exposure time and heat flux intensity on the changes and the relationship between physical properties and mechanical properties were investigated. FR treated cotton Kevlar/PBI and Nomex with different structureal characteristics were chosen for specimens. The changes of physical properties and mechanical properties were calculated based on their initial values before heat exposure. The longer exposure time and the high heat flux intensity the more changes of those properties. Heat flux intensity was more effective on the changes, The showed to be affected by an interplay of shrinkage and pyrolysis products loss. The changes of thickness and abrasion resistance showed to be higher for plain weave fabric and those of air permeabiliyt and breaking load and displacement for twill weave fabric. While FR treated cotton which have high RPP value experienced serious and detrimental changes after heat exposure Kevlar/PBI which has low RPP value showed no high changes. In conclusion it could be confirmed that when total performance of a protective clothing is estimated retention capability of physical and mechanical properties after heat exposure as well as RPP value must be considered.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.47-52
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• 1996

Personal exposure levels of $NO_{2}$ for office workers and housewives Living in A-San and neighboring prefectures were measured in two seasons with $NO_{2}$ filter badge. $NO_{2}$ concentrations in indoor and outdoor air in their offices and houses were also measured in the same periods. Personal exposure levels in winter ranged from 13 to 132 ppb and its distribution pattern was remarkably different from the other seasons (15.2-17.9 ppb). This fact suggests that use of heating apparatus affects largely $NO_{2}$ indoor air pollution in winter seasons. Actually, $NO_{2}$ exposure levels of subjects used Kerosene heater (43.6ppb) and gas heater (33.4ppb) were higher than those of subjects unused heating apparatus (18.0ppb). Personal exposure levels of $NO_{2}$ for man and woman Living in the same houses were correlated well each other. The time spent indoors for office workers and housewives were both longer than 22 hour a day. Home staying time was about 60% of total indoor staying time for office workers and 90% or more for housewives. Personal exposure levels were significantly related to indoor exposure levels at home all seasons. Furthermore, personal exposure levels could be estimated from $NO_{2}$ concentrations and staying times in various Living environment.