• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.386-391
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• 2007

Mercury contamination and its health effects have become major concern of environmental health study in Korea. Mercury exposure of some group were investigated to get the accurate data for policy making and study. About 2,000 children at 26 elementary schools participated in this survey to evaluate the exposure levels and to investigate main exposure source of mercury. Analysis of mercury levels in the whole blood and urine samples were conducted and questionnaire survey was done about the factors influencing exposures simultaneously. Mercury exposure levels of domestic children were N.D. to 17.26 ppb in blood, 0.17 to $21.67{\mu}g/g$-creatinine in urine. The mean(arithmetic) levels are 2.42 ppb in blood and $2.53{\mu}g/g$-creatinine in urine. Both of them were below the recommendation levels of US EPA and German CHBM I $5.8{\mu}g/l$ and $5{\mu}g/l$ in blood, $5{\mu}g/g$-creatinine of German CHBM I in urine. But 1%, 0.51% of levels in blood exceed the level of CHBM I and US EPA, 8%, 0.85% of children were over the level of CHBM I and CHBM II in urine. Multi-valuable regression analysis showed that the existence of road near the residence in addition to the preference for fish have significance with blood mercury exposure level of domestic children. The existence of factory near the house and the experience of dental amalgam treatment had statistical relations with urine mercury level.

• Journal of Medicine and Life Science
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.52-54
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• 2019

While sustainability is seen in terms of social, economic and environmental dimensions, securing longterm financial costs and planning long-term strategic perspective among policy-makers are needed to maintain a healthcare system sustainability. Thus, the networking and cooperation between policy makers and health care workers should be tightened and strengthened in order to keep and enhance the healthcare system sustainability.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1994.02a
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• pp.450-468
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• 1994

Scientists have long used conventional toxicological methods to establish 'safe levels of exposure' for chemicals presumed to have threshold health effects or doses below which significant effects are unlikely to occur. These same methods cannot be used to establish safe levels of exposure for non-threshold pollutants. such as carcinogens. Therefore. Federal regulatory agencies in the United States are using risk assessment methods to provide information for public health policy decisions concerning increases in risk associated with increases in exposure to carcinogenic and other non-threshold pollutants. Acceptable exposure/risk levels are decided by policymakers who consider descriptions and estimates of risks together with social and economic benefits from the uses of the chemical. 1bis paper focuses on the development of quantitative risk assessment approaches by Federal regulatory agencies in the United States, and identifies the mathematical models currently being used for risk extrapolation. including their inherent uncertainties. The uncertainties and limitations of these methods have led some scientists to question the utility of quantitative risk extrapolation. The experience of the; U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). as summarized in this paper. can provide a realistic basis for evaluating the pros and cons. Finally. shortcomings in current risk assessment methods and their use in policy decisions are explored. and areas for possible improvement. given current scientific knowledge. are identified.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.229-235
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• 2015

Objectives: We checked hepatitis A virus antibody(anti-HAV IgG) and hepatitis B virus antibody(HBsAb) in three large companies. The result could be a guideline to establish proper health policy for Hepatitis A and B virus preventive plan in company. Methods: We investigated the seroprevalence of anti-HAV IgG and HBsAb, and demographic characteristics of employee volunteer in three companies in southern area of Korea. Company was divided three according to health policy for hepatitis A and B. Results: The seroprevalence rate of anti-HAV IgG in company A, B, and C was 53.6%, 25.8%, and 17.7%(P<0.001), respectively. The seroprevalence rate of HBsAb in workplace A, B, and C was 79.7%, 82.4%, and 70.9%(P<0.001), respectively. Anti-HAV IgG showed more considerable difference among the companies. Conclusions: The results confirmed that low rate of IgG anti-HAV and HBsAb, particularly in the company that had low level of hepatitis education and vaccination program. This study was important for establishing hepatitis education policies, to prevent and control outbreaks in companies.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.139-169
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to compare accreditation criteria of environmentally-friendly hospitals in the USA, UK and Australia and find out the implications for Korean hospitals. The comparison was made in terms of 11 categories : sustainable site, water efficiency, energy & atmosphere, transportation, indoor environmental quality, health, material & resources, management, waste, innovation, and regional priority. Literature review of the study revealed that most of the environmentally-friendly hospitals have experienced such positive effects as cost saving, health promotion of patients & employees and good reputation etc. The study result implies that the following factors are so critical to settle environmentally-friendly hospitals in Korea: 1) CEO's interest & support, 2) education for employees, 3) efficient renovation of existing facility and 4) data accumulation on the effectiveness of environmentally- friendly hospitals by scientific methods.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.5
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• pp.349-359
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• 2017

The objective of this study is to review the safety and health information displayed on containers of humidifier disinfectants (HD). We summarized not only general characteristics related to the marketing and manufacturing of HD, such as the duration sold and the name of the company, but also the safety and health information, such as identification of disinfectants, recommended use volume, and precautions. All of this information was reviewed by HD brand. We collected safety and health information from 31 HD brands. We found that companies that sold and manufactured HD brands differ. Two companies were found to sell their HD without permission after 2011 when the health effects caused by HD were widely known. The name of the disinfectants were not identified on the container of HD. The recommended volumes were found not to be based on toxicological evidence and set without consideration of the level of susceptibility of users. Most companies displayed phrases such "this HD is safe for humans, even children" on the front of the container. No inhalation and skin toxicity precautions were provided. In conclusion, most HD did not properly display information related to safety and health to protect the health of HD users. There has been no official investigation to evaluate the risks posed by HD, such as the sales volume by HD, identification of chemical disinfectants, or their concentration, nor have there been actions to control the chemical quality of HD. In addition, government actions to punish the malicious practices of companies that manufactured and sold HD were found to inappropriate.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.78-89
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• 2013

This study empirically analyze efficiency and productivity changes of public hospitals of Korea using data envelopment analysis/Window model and global Malmquist indices model. We use the ten-year data from 2001 to 2010 of 30 regional public hospitals listed database from the Association of Korean Regional Public Hospitals. The main focuses are to reveal whether the technical inefficiency are improved as time goes by, and efficiency and productivity are affected by environmental factors. The results can be summarized as follows. First, the efficiencies of public hospitals rise in trend as time passes. Second, regional public hospitals show the different average efficiencies according to their regional type, hospital type, operational type, medicaid type, and demand and supply conditions by Mann-Whitney U-tests. Third, technical efficiency changes mainly contribute to 4.4% annual average growth rate of productivity of regional public hospitals during that period. Our findings have some policy implications. It is confirmed that there exist some environmental inefficiencies, and those inefficiencies can not be overcome through just improving the inner management system. Thus, policy and institutional changes are necessary for regional public hospitals to improve efficiency and productivity overall.

• Child Health Nursing Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.207-214
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• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to identify differences in physiological· psychological environmental behavioral characteristics between obese and control children participating in a health camp and to identify the factors related to childhood obesity. Methods: Two hundred eighty seven children aged 6 to 12 years were recruited from a health camp for elementary students in D city, Korea. Data collection was done on November 28 and 29, 2009. Anthropometric measurements, blood tests, and self-report surveys were conducted. Chi-square test, independent t-test, ANCOVA, and multiple logistic regression were performed using PASW statistics 18.0. Results: Obese children had adverse conditions for both physiological and psychological characteristics. In terms of environmental and behavioral characteristics, high maternal BMI and more than two hours of TV watching were significantly associated with high risk of childhood obesity (OR=1.11, 95% CI=1.02-1.21; OR=2.05, 95% CI=1.23-3.41). Conclusion: Through a multi-factorial approach, the current study identified the differences between obese and control children participating in a health camp and risk factors of childhood obesity. These findings provide preliminary data and perspectives on intervention research for prevention and management of childhood obesity.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.81-93
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• 2011

Although pesticides have increased crop production and controlled disease, they have produced a number of adverse health effects. Pesticides have potential human toxicity and a variety of groups, such as farmers or industrial workers, as well as the general population, are exposed to pesticides. The purpose of this article, therefore, is to provide an overview of pesticide exposure and health through a literature review, focusing on exposure assessment, acute poisoning, chronic health effects, and future research needs. The exposure types and levels of pesticides vary by study subjects and need to be assessed by integrating several methods focused on the epidemiological purpose. Acute pesticide poisoning is a major public health problem in the world. Paraquat is the main causative pesticide for acute poisoning in Korea and should be banned in order to save several thousands of lives every year. Occupational pesticide exposure also causes numerous chronic diseases among farmers and industrial workers, including cancers, respiratory diseases, depression, retinal degeneration, diabetes, and abnormal menstrual cycle. However, controversy exists regarding the long-term effects of low-dose environmental pesticide exposure. The area of pesticide study is relatively new with broad study populations and it has received little academic and policy attention, particularly in Korea. More detailed studies investigating the risk of pesticide-related health effects and intervention efforts to reduce the problems are needed in Korea.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.51-62
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• 2014

Objectives: The objective of study was to calculate the municipal level environmental burden of disease (EBD) due to heat wave. Methods: The data used were Korea National Health Insurance 2011 claim data and 2011 death registry. Heatwave related diseases included hypertensive heart diseases, ischemic heart diseases, cerebrovascular disease, and heat related illness. According to the method that WHO proposed, the study computed population-attributable fraction with relative risk which come from previous study and proportion of exposure which the study calculated with historical meteorology data. Results: The Average of 251 municipal EBD was 2.11 per thousand persons. The value of years lost due to disability was 11 times higher than that of years of life lost. On average EBD of county and southern geographical areas tended to be higher than those of District or city areas. The relationship between municipal deprivation index (composite deprivation index) and EBD showed the positive association, which means that the worse deprived municipal is, the higher EBD takes. Conclusions: Climate change is getting one of the major risk factors of cardio-cerebrovascular disease, which is the second leading cause of death. The study results suggested the urgent policy planning and reaction of climate change adaptation.