• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.203-211
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• 2007

This study was conducted in cut rose cultivation field in Goyang to evaluate pesticide exposure of farmers and the relationship between the exposure and work environment/method for cut rose farmers. Dermal exposure was assessed with patch (thin chromatography layer paper), cotton glove by body parts during mixing and spraying works in which pyrethroid, organophosphate, carbamate pesticide were used in 4 cut rose greenhouses located in Goyang province, checking characteristics of environment/working method at the same time. Body parts assessed were as follows ; glove : hand, patch : head, neck(front/back), chest, back, shoulder(right/left), upperarm(right/left), forearm(right/left), thigh(right/left), shin(right/left). Pesticides were analyzed using gas chromatography(NPD/FID) after extracting with ethyl acetate. Exposure amount differed according to pesticide type. But after standardizing with total net weight of pesticide sprayed, there were no significant difference among pesticides. There were significant difference in exposure amount among body parts(especially exposure amount of thigh, shin were more than the others), which means exposure happen not by pesticide dispersion in air but by contact with cut rose(leaf, branch) indirectly. Walking forward during spraying made farmers more exposed than waling backward, these results means contacts with leaves/branches made exposure happen in cut rose greenhouse also. As a result, pesticide exposure in cut rose greenhouse was related with contact of leaf/branch which pesticide remained in, which made exposure pattern (especially exposure amount) differ by body parts

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.105-115
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• 2017

Background: The goal of this study is to develop a general population job-exposure matrix (GPJEM) on asbestos to estimate occupational asbestos exposure levels in the Republic of Korea. Methods: Three Korean domestic quantitative exposure datasets collected from 1984 to 2008 were used to build the GPJEM. Exposure groups in collected data were reclassified based on the current Korean Standard Industrial Classification ($9^{th}$ edition) and the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations code ($6^{th}$ edition) that is in accordance to international standards. All of the exposure levels were expressed by weighted arithmetic mean (WAM) and minimum and maximum concentrations. Results: Based on the established GPJEM, the 112 exposure groups could be reclassified into 86 industries and 74 occupations. In the 1980s, the highest exposure levels were estimated in "knitting and weaving machine operators" with a WAM concentration of 7.48 fibers/mL (f/mL); in the 1990s, "plastic products production machine operators" with 5.12 f/mL, and in the 2000s "detergents production machine operators" handling talc containing asbestos with 2.45 f/mL. Of the 112 exposure groups, 44 groups had higher WAM concentrations than the Korean occupational exposure limit of 0.1 f/mL. Conclusion: The newly constructed GPJEM which is generated from actual domestic quantitative exposure data could be useful in evaluating historical exposure levels to asbestos and could contribute to improved prediction of asbestos-related diseases among Koreans.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.290-295
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• 2018

Background: There is little information on the dose-response relationship between exposure to occupational carcinogenic agents and mesothelioma. This study aimed to investigate this association as well as the existence of agents other than asbestos that might cause mesothelioma. Methods: The Swedish component of the Nordic Occupational Cancer (NOCCA) study consists of 6.78 million individuals with detailed information on occupation. Mesothelioma diagnoses recorded in 1961-2009 were identified through linkage to the Swedish Cancer Registry. We determined cumulative exposure, time of first exposure, and maximum exposure intensity by linking data on occupation to the Swedish NOCCA job-exposure matrix, which includes 29 carcinogenic agents and corresponding exposure for 283 occupations. To assess the risk of mesothelioma, we used conditional logistic regression models to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals. Results: 2,757 mesothelioma cases were identified in males, including 1,416 who were exposed to asbestos. Univariate analyses showed not only a significant excess risk for maximum exposure intensity, with a hazard ratio of 4.81 at exposure levels 1.25-2.0 fb/ml but also a clear dose-response effect for cumulative exposure with a 30-, 40-, and 50-year latency time. No convincing excess risk was revealed for any of the other carcinogenic agents included in the Swedish NOCCA job-exposure matrix. Conclusion: When considering asbestos exposure, past exposure, even for short periods, might be enough to cause mesothelioma of the pleura later in life.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.191-199
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• 2012

Objectives: The study aim was to evaluate the application of a chemical exposure assessment tool for the Korean workplace. The Ministry of Employment and Labor in Korea (KMOEL) introduced the need for workplace risk assessments in 2011, requiring the Korean chemical industry to consider both domestic and international chemical regulation policies (e.g., estimations of exposure scenarios). Exposure scenarios are required in the European Union as part of material safety data sheets (MSDS) under the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) system. Methods: Although many programs for the estimation of exposure have been developed worldwide, to date there is no standard for the Korean workplace. To develop programs suitable for the Korean workplace, we examined the applicability of the European Center for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals target risk assessment (ECETOC TRA), which is recommended by the European Chemical Agency (ECHA). Results: To investigate the applicability of the ECETOC TRA to Korean industry, this study simulated 15 industrial processes. The predicted respiratory exposures for four processes using origin input parameters were underestimated compared to the measured respiratory exposure. Using calibrated input parameters, results for two processes were underestimated compared to the measured respiratory exposure. This result suggests that the use of calibrated input parameters reduces the differences between predicted and measured respiratory exposure. Conclusions: we developed applicable exposure estimating method by modifying the ECETOC TRA program; one suggested the development of exposure estimating program that explains Korea domestic workplace exposure scenario.This study will support the introduction of exposure scenario in MSDS system and protect health of worker from hazardous chemical.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.131-136
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• 2010

The time-dependent changes in cadmium (Cd) concentration were studied in Female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats during and after Cd exposure via drinking water (10 and 50 ppm) for 30 days. The cadmium concentration in muscle, liver, kidney, blood plasma, and urine, and the metallothionein concentration in blood plasma were determined every 10 days during exposure and every 7 days after exposure for 3 weeks. The muscle Cd concentration did not change during, and neither after, exposure. The liver Cd concentration increased from 1.4 to 3.3 (at 10 ppm) and from 6.1 to 10.1 folds (at 50 ppm) during exposure and remained higher than those of controls in both groups even during post-exposure period. The kidney Cd concentrations were 2.3 to 5.1 (at 10 ppm) and 4.9-14.0 folds (at 50 ppm) higher than those of controls during exposure and also remained elevated during the post-exposure period. Plasma Cd concentrations were not significantly different from those of controls in both groups. Urine Cd concentrations were more than 2 folds (at 10 ppm) and 6.5 to 12.6 folds (at 50 ppm) higher than those of controls but rapidly decreased over the 7 days of withdrawal. Blood plasma metallothionein concentrations were more than 2.4 folds (at 10 ppm) and 3.1 to 7.4 folds (at 50 ppm), and they remained elevated till 7 days (10 ppm) and 14 days (at 50 ppm) after exposure. Our data support that Cd in urine could be a useful biomarker during Cd exposure period and metallothionein in blood plasma could be as a supportive biological marker for during and post Cd exposure.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.409-415
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• 2023

Although pediatric X-ray examinations are continuously increasing, there are not many studies on the radiation exposure to children and X-ray examination assistants according to X-ray Exposure conditions. Accordingly, we measured the radiation exposure dose of pediatric and X-ray examination assistants according to the standard guidelines and clinical average X-ray Exposure conditions when X-ray examination 10-year-old children. The effective dose and organ dose to pediatric were measured using an Dose area production meter and Monte Carlo-based PCXMC program, and the exposure dose of X-ray examination assistants was measured using an ion-chamber. When performing abdominal supine AP projection, the effective dose to children was up to 2.38 times higher under clinical average X-ray Exposure conditions than the standard guidelines. In addition, during abdominal supine AP projection, the radiation exposure dose to the X-ray examination assistants was highest on the hands at 0.0148 ~ 0.0709 mSv, and exposure dose could be reduced by up to 35% when wearing protective gloves. In conclusion, because the X-ray Exposure conditions used in clinical are unnecessarily high, unnecessary medical radiation exposure could be reduced if appropriate X-ray Exposure conditions and the radiation field area were minimized and the assistant wore shielding gloves.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.47-55
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• 1991

Exposure level of respirable coal dust of underground coal mines in Taebaek area was evaluated. Personal air samplers with 10-mm nylone cyclones were attached to the coal workers including drillers, coal cutters, their assistants, haulers, and separators. Log-normality of respirable dust exposure concentration were tested by Kolmogorov-Smirnov one-sample test. Differences of means of respirable dust exposure concentration between work sites were tested by one-way ANOVA test and multiple comparison(Scheffe) test. And differences of respirable dust exposure concentration of principal and assistant workers in drilling sites and in coal faces were tested by paired t-test. Relation of respirable dust exposure concentration for the principal workers and their assistants in drilling sites and in coal faces were tested by regression analysis. The results were as follows : 1. All of the respirable dust concentration were log-normally distributed. 2. There were not only significantly different means of exposure concentration between drillers and coal cutters but between coal cutters and haulers. 3. Means of exposure concentration of drillers and drilling assistants were not significantly different. And means of exposure concentration of coal cutters and coal cutting assistants were not different.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.359-364
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• 2007

The aim of this study were to assess the personal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and to estimate the personal exposure using time-weighted average model. Three target VOCs (benzene, toluene, xylene) were analyzed in personal exposure samples and residential indoor, residential outdoor and workplace indoor microenvironments samples in the iron mill 30 workers during working 5 days. Personal exposure to VOCs significantly correlated with workplace concentration p<0.05), suggesting workplace had strong source and major contribution to personal exposure. Personal exposure could be estimated with time activity pattern and time weighted average (TWA) model of residential indoor and workplace concentrations measured. Time weighted mean microenvironments concentrations were close approximately of personal exposure concentrations. Total exposure for participants can be estimated by TWA with microenvironments measurements and time activity pattern.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.301-310
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• 1998

Recently, bathes have been suspected to an Important source of indoor exposure to volatile organic compounds(VOCs). Two experiments were conducted to evaluate chloroform exposure and corresponding body burden by exposure routes while bathing. Another experiment was conducted to ekamine the chloro- form dose during dermal exposure and the chloroform decay In breath after dermal exposure. The chioroform dose was determined based on exhaled breath analysis. The ekamine breath concentration measured after normal baths (2.8 Vg/$m^3$) was approxidmately 13 tomes higher that measured prior to normal bathes (0.2 ug/$m^3$). Based on the means of the normalized post exposure chloroform breath concentration. the dermal exposure was estimated to contribute to 74% of total chloroform body burden while bathing. The Internal dose from bathing (Inhalation plus dermal) was comparable to the dose ostimated Srom dally water Ingestion. The rusk associated 10 a weekly, 30-min bath was estimated to be 1 x 10.5, while the rusk firom dally Ingestion of tap water was to be $0.5{\times}0^{-5} for 0.151 and 6.5{\times}10^{-5}$ for 2. 0 1. Chloroform breath concentration Increased gradually during the 60 minute dermal exposure. The breath decay after the dermal exposure showed two-phase mechanism, with early raped decay and the second slow decay. The mathematical model was developed to describe the relationship between water and air chloroform concentrations, with $R^2$ : 0.4 and p<0.02.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.253-257
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• 2014

Arsenic is a ubiquitous, naturally occurring metalloid that may be a significant risk factor for cancer after exposure to contaminated drinking water, cigarettes, foods, industry, occupational environment, and air. Among the various routes of arsenic exposure, drinking water is the largest source of arsenic poisoning worldwide. Arsenic exposure from ingested foods usually comes from food crops grown in arsenic-contaminated soil and/or irrigated with arsenic-contaminated water. According to a recent World Health Organization report, arsenic from contaminated water can be quickly and easily absorbed and depending on its metabolic form, may adversely affect human health. Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration regulations for metals found in cosmetics to protect consumers against contaminations deemed deleterious to health; some cosmetics were found to contain a variety of chemicals including heavy metals, which are sometimes used as preservatives. Moreover, developing countries tend to have a growing number of industrial factories that unfortunately, harm the environment, especially in cities where industrial and vehicle emissions, as well as household activities, cause serious air pollution. Air is also an important source of arsenic exposure in areas with industrial activity. The presence of arsenic in airborne particulate matter is considered a risk for certain diseases. Taken together, various potential pathways of arsenic exposure seem to affect humans adversely, and future efforts to reduce arsenic exposure caused by environmental factors should be made.