• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.426-432
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• 2009

Asbestos is a commercial term of natural occurring silicated minerals and forms long, thin fibers. Chrysotile, the serpentine asbestos, accounts for most use in commercial use. Asbestos is well known health hazard material and it is proved that inhalation of asbestos fibers leads to increased risk of developing several diseases such as lung cancer, mesothelioma, asbestosis. In these days, people most at risk for exposure are maintenance and construction workers and general citizens who are working on and close to the work area at which asbestos containing material is disturbing. Non asbestiform, though its chemical composition is same with regulated asbestos, is known to be less hazardous than asbestiform. Exposure guideline, 0.01 f/ml, is not safe level in terms of health risk. It is reasonable to take preventable action when asbestos is suspicious. In Korea, it is necessary to clarify the concept between hazard and risk, to differentiate asbestiform from non asbestiform, to make regulations for compensation for asbestos related patients, to manage future exposure for general citizens.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.13-27
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• 1988

Two asbestos slate manufacturing and seven asbestos textile plants in Korea were surveyed from May 20 to July 2, 1987. The purposes of this study were to evaluate 1) worker exposure to asbestos, 2) compliance to the standards and 3) the efficiency of existing local exhaust systems. Sixty-two personal samples and eighty-three area samples were collected and analyzed using "NIOSH 7400" method. Results of this study were as follows. 1. The asbesots exposure concentrations in asbestos textile plants were 1.3 - 14.3 fibers/cc(geometric mean(GM), 4.4 fibers/cc). 2. Worker exposure level to asbestos fiber in asbestos slate manufacturing industry was 0.21 fibers/cc during wet processing, which is below the Korean Standard of 2 fibers/cc. 3. Most local exhaust systems installed in asbestos textile plants were inadequately designed. 4. Ninety-six percent of the 145 samples exceeded the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Permissible Exposure Limit (PEL) of 0.2 fibers/cc and forty-nine percent of the samples exceeded the Korean Standatd of 2 fibers/cc.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2019.11a
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• pp.6-7
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• 2019

Asbestos has been widely used for construction materials due to its sound absorption and insulation properties. Despite the announcement that asbestos may cause cancer, asbestos demolition work has become more active. Asbestos was scattered by demolition work and the government started to regulate it. This study was started to predict the scattering asbestos concentration according to the research that it can cause cancer even if the concentration of asbestos meets legal standards. Therefore, in this paper, a regression analysis was conducted to derive a predictive equation after collecting and arranging the variables affecting scattering asbestos. As well as, artificial neural network analysis was used to make a more suitable prediction model.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute of Building Construction Conference
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• 2022.11a
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• pp.53-54
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• 2022

There is an increasing demand for prediction of asbestos concentration which has an fatal effect on human body. While demolishing asbestos, the dust scatters and makes workers be exposed to danger. Up to this date, however, factors that particularly influences have not considered in predicting asbestos concentration. Most of the studies could not quantify the distribution of asbestos. Also, they did not use nominal data on buildings as important factors. Therefore, this study aims to build an asbestos concentration prediction model by quantifying distribution of asbestos and using nominal data of buildings based on Artificial Neural Network (ANN). This model can give significant contribution of improving the safety of workers and be useful for finding effective ways to demolish asbestos in planning.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.8-15
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• 2009

This study was examined to find out asbestos exposure level the factors which affected the level at asbestos abatement sites. We visited a total of thirteen building demolition sites(3 apartments, 3 schools, 4 stores, and 3 houses) were visited to collect samples and related data from August to November, 2006. The results of this study were as follows 1. The results of an analysis of bulk samples to identify types of asbestos at the asbestos abatement sites showed that the kinds of the asbestos detected were chrysotile by 50.0%, were tremolite by 2.6%, and were the contents of chrysotile by 3 to 20%. 2. The geometric mean concentration of asbestos was 0.007 f/cc(range 0.001-0.34 f/cc) and its geometric standard deviation was 5.83. Of the samples, however, 12 exceeded the Korean Occupational Exposure Limit(0.1f/cc). 3. Of the materials, textile material had the highest concentration with geometric mean of 0.016 f/cc. When asbestos-containing materials were removed using T type tools, the geometric mean concentration of asbestos was 0.061 f/cc. The level by this method was much higher than by other removal methods. In analysis by the type of building, the geometric mean concentration of asbestos in stores was 0.042 f/cc and was higher than in other buildings. 4. The Poisson regression analysis was applied to find out the factors that affect the airborne asbestos concentration. As a result of the analysis, removal using a T type tool was the most important factor affecting the asbestos concentration(p<0.01). In conclusion, the airborne asbestos concentration(geometric mean) in asbestos abatement sites was 0.007 f/cc(0.001~0.34 f/cc), and 12(14.6%) of all samples were over the 0.1 f/cc. These results showed that asbestos abatement workers have been exposed to the high level of airborne asbestos because they have not been keeping asbestos removal rule. In accordance with increases of the number of building demolition sites, the better government regulation on asbestos abatement methods should be made and be performed well at building demolition sites.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.71-76
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• 2012

Malignant mesothelioma is an uncommon but rapidly fatal disease for which the principal aetiological agent is exposure to asbestos. Mesothelioma is of particular significance in Australia where asbestos use was very widespread from the 1950s until the 1980s. Exposure to asbestos includes occupational exposure associated with working with asbestos or in workplaces where asbestos is used and also 'take-home' exposure of family members of asbestos exposed workers. Asbestos exposure may also be nonoccupational, occurring as a consequence of using asbestos products in non-occupational contexts and passive exposure is also possible, such as exposure to asbestos products in the built environment or proximity to an environmental source of exposure, for example an asbestos production plant. The extremely long latency period for this disease makes exposure assessment problematic in the context of a mesothelioma registry. OccIDEAS, a recently developed online tool for retrospective exposure assessment, has been adapted for use in the Australian Mesothelioma Registry (AMR) to enable systematic retrospective exposure assessment of consenting cases. Twelve occupational questionnaire modules and one non-occupational module have been developed for the AMR, which form the basis of structured interviews using OccIDEAS, which also stores collected data and provides a framework for generating metrics of exposure.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.213-232
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• 2009

This document was prepared to review and summarize the analytical methods for airborne and bulk asbestos. Basic principles, shortcomings and advantages for asbestos analytical instruments using phase contrast microscopy(PCM), polarized light microscopy(PLM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), transmission electron microscopy(TEM), scanning electron microscopy(SEM) were reviewed. Both PCM and PLM are principal instrument for airborne and bulk asbestos analysis, respectively. If needed, analytical electron microscopy is employed to confirm asbestos identification. PCM is used originally for workplace airborne asbestos fiber and its application has been expanded to measure airborne fiber. Shortcoming of PCM is that it cannot differentiate true asbestos from non asbestos fiber form and its low resolution limit ($0.2{\sim}0.25{\mu}m$). The measurement of airborne asbestos fiber can be performed by EPA's Asbestos Hazard Emergency Response Act (AHERA) method, World Health Organization (WHO) method, International Standard Organization (ISO) 10312 method, Japan's Environmental Asbestos Monitoring method, and Standard method of Indoor Air Quality of Korea. The measurement of airborne asbestos fiber in workplace can be performed by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 7400 method, NIOSH 7402 method, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) ID-160 method, UK's Health and Safety Executive(HSE) Methods for the determination of hazardous substances (MDHS) 39/4 method and Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA) CODE-A-1-2004 method of Korea. To analyze the bulk asbestos, stereo microscope (SM) and PLM is required by EPA -600/R-93/116 method. Most bulk asbestos can be identified by SM and PLM but one limitation of PLM is that it can not see very thin fiber (i.e., < $0.25{\mu}m$). Bulk asbestos analytical methods, including EPA-600/M4-82-020, EPA-600/R-93/116, OSHA ID-191, Laboratory approval program of New York were reviewed. Also, analytical methods for asbestos in soil, dust, water were briefly discussed. Analytical electron microscope, a transmission electron microscope equipped with selected area electron diffraction (SAED) and energy dispersive X-ray analyser(EDXA), has been known to be better to identify asbestiform than scanning electron microscope(SEM). Though there is no standard SEM procedures, SEM is known to be more suitable to analyze long, thin fiber and more cost-effective. Field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM) imaging protocol was developed to identify asbestos fiber. Although many asbestos analytical methods are available, there is no method that can be applied to all type of samples. In order to detect asbestos with confidence, all advantages and disadvantages of each instrument and method for given sample should be considered.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.84-86
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• 2013

Despite the fact that asbestos is a known carcinogen to humans, it is still used in industrialized countries, especially Asian countries. The global incidence of asbestos-related diseases (ARDs) due to the past use of asbestos, continues to increase, although many countries have adopted a total ban on asbestos use. The implementation of effective strategies to eliminate ARDs is therefore an important challenge in Asia, where asbestos is still mined and consumed. Collaborative efforts and strategies at the local and international levels are vital, in the pursuit toward the elimination of ARDs in this region.

• Architectural research
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.31-40
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• 2011

Asbestos have been used around the world by physical and chemical characteristics that are a reliable and cost-effective. But asbestos, once called the miracle of mineral, is now a quiet time bomb. Asbestos hazards have been studied and the government has pursued 'Comprehensive Measures for Asbestos Management' jointly with related departments. As a part of plan, Ministry of Environment is to introduce legislation 'Asbestos Safety Management Act' through Environment Announcement No. 2010-108. The same Act. 24 shows as follows. Minister of Environment or governor should do survey on the actual condition targeting rural buildings with slates and partly or fully fund to dissolve, remove asbestos slate which was used in each building. However, the local survey was only conducted by each municipality regionally. And there is no actual condition data by area, application and year, and there was no data on disposal costs concerning asbestos slate buildings In this study, discharge of asbestos slate was calculated per unit area and formula was developed with regression analysis. In addition, Demolition, dismantling, disposal costs were computed via a phone survey to disposal companies and then this study proposed standards for this.

• The Korean Society of Law and Medicine
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.69-98
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• 2011

Asbestos has been used for roofing, walling and the like for the constructions since 60's~70's owing to its excellent fire resistance and heat insulative nature. However, it has banned to be used in major countries all over the world since WHO-affiliated International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) stipulated asbestos by a top carcinogen causing lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma and so on in 1986. Therefore, we had prohibited the use of asbestos on brakes for automobile since 2007 and on most of the products other than some cases of having no alternatives such as munitions from 2009. Nevertheless, diseases from asbestos have a long incubation period of 10~40 years, therefore, even if being exposed to asbestos, preliminary prevention is rather more important than instant possible damage as damages can be greater decades later. Accordingly, this thesis has a purpose to seek a plan in order to guarantee the rights of national health from harmfulness of asbestos by comparing and reviewing the policies on asbestos in advanced countries such as France, Japan, Netherlands and such like.