• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.226-236
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• 2013

Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the levels of serum 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) and evaluate their association with age, body mass index, smoking, military record-based variables, and estimated exposure to Agent Orange in Korean Vietnam veterans. Methods: Serum levels of TCDD were analyzed in 102 Vietnam veterans. Information on age, body mass index, and smoking status were obtained from a self-reported questionnaire. The perceived exposure was assessed by a 6-item questionnaire. Two proximitybased exposures were constructed by division/brigade level and battalion/company level unit information using the Stellman exposure opportunity index model. Results: The mean and median of serum TCDD levels was 1.2 parts per trillion (ppt) and 0.9 ppt, respectively. Only 2 Vietnam veterans had elevated levels of TCDD (>10 ppt). The levels of TCDD did not tend to increase with the likelihood of exposure to Agent Orange, as estimated from either proximity-based exposure or perceived self-reported exposure. The serum TCDD levels were not significantly different according to military unit, year of first deployment, duration of deployment, military rank, age, body mass index, and smoking status. Conclusions: The average serum TCDD levels in the Korean Vietnam veterans were lower than those reported for other occupationally or environmentally exposed groups and US Vietnam veterans, and their use as an objective marker of Agent Orange exposure may have some limitations. The unit of deployment, duration of deployment, year of first deployment, military rank, perceived self-reported exposure, and proximity-based exposure to Agent Orange were not associated with TCDD levels in Korean Vietnam veterans. Age, body mass index and smoking also were not associated with TCDD levels.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.17-26
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• 2014

Background: Despite children's unique characteristics that distinguish them from adults, relatively few attempts have been made to measure exposure factors for characterization of children's exposure to hazardous chemicals in child-specific products (CSP). This study was conducted to establish the child-specific exposure factors for exposure and risk assessment of hazardous substances in CSP. Methods: We investigated the exposure factors (e.g., time use of child-products, time and frequency of object-to-body contact, time and frequency of object-to-mouth contact) influencing children's exposure to CSP (e.g., toys, playmats, oil pastels, etc.) in 650 children through a parent-completed questionnaire using a web-based survey. Participants were recruited in five age groups, <1, 1-2, 2-3, 3-6, and 6-12 years of age. Results: The child-specific exposure factors were presented as the mean, median, $95^{th}$ percentile, minimum, and maximum values. Time activity for play mats was the longest among CSP and infants spent more time on them than did elder age groups (189.3-224.7 min/day for <1-2 years vs. 91.2 min/day for 6-12 years). It is apparent that time and frequency of toy block- and plastic toy-to-mouth contact significantly decreased as a function of age. When the variation of CSP use patterns was compared by gender, the only variable that was statistically different between genders was time activity in child-products exposure space. Conclusion: We believe the five child-specific exposure factors suggested in the present study will be valuable for reducing uncertainty in the estimation of chemical exposure during risk assessment of CSP and furthermore, in the appropriate regulations to protect children's health.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.38-46
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• 1993

This study is to analyze effect of exposure environment and mode of ASR on the engineering properties of synthetic lightweight aggregate concrete, such as dynamic modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic pulse velocity. The results of this study are summarized as foflows ; 1. The expansion rate of each exposure environment in 380$^{\circ}$C and NaCI 4% solution was shown higher than in 20$^{\circ}$C and normal water. The expansion rate of each exposure mode was largely shown in order of fjill immersion, wetting/drying, half immersion. 2. The dynamic modulus of elasticty and ultrasonic pulse velocity of each exposure environment in 38$^{\circ}$C and NaCl 4% solution was shown less than in 20$^{\circ}$C and normal water. The dynamic modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic pulse velocity of each exposure mode was shown smaller in order of full immersion, wetting/drying, half imersion.3. The relation between dynamic modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic pulse velocity was highly significant. The dynamic modulus of elasticity was increased with increase of ultrasonic pulse velocity. The decreasing rate of the dynamic modulus of elasticity was shown 2.1~3.4 times higher than the ultrasonic pulse velocity at each age, exposure environment and mode, respectively. 4. The expansion of each exposure environment and mode was increased with increase of curing age. The dynamic modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic pulse velocity of those concrete was increased with increase of curing age. At the curing age 28 days, the highest properties was showed at each type concrete, it was gradually decreased with increase of curing age. Specially, at the curing age 98 days of full immersion, the rate of expansion of type D was shown 3.95 times higher than the type A. But the dynamic modulus of elasticity and ultrasonic pulse velocity was decreased 17% and 8.3%.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.573-583
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• 2015

Objectives: This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of noise exposure and aging on changes in hearing threshold level and the relationship between age and noise. Materials: The author selected 274 male shipyard and assembly line workers as the noise exposed group and 582 males not exposed to noise as the general population group. Data were collected from five years of consecutive annual audiometric tests performed from 2008 to 2012. Results: In the general population and noise exposed groups, there was a reverse phenomenon that hearing threshold level for 2009 was lower than that of 2008, which seemed to be due to the learning effect, but from 2010 hearing threshold level increased. In the noise exposed group, the mean hearing threshold level in the left ear was significantly higher than that for right ear. In the general population group, the older was the age, the higher was the hearing threshold level, especially at 4000 Hz. In the general population and noise exposed groups, frequency, age group and noise exposure independently affected hearing threshold level, and there was no relationship between age and noise exposure. Over all frequencies, the change of hearing threshold level was larger in the noise exposed group than in the general population group. In the noise exposed group below thirty years old, the change at 4000 Hz was remarkable. Conclusions: Age and noise exposure seem to affect hearing threshold level independently and contribute to an additive effect on hearing threshold level.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.29-36
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• 2020

Objectives: Prenatal cadmium (Cd) exposure may be associated with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children. Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine the relationship between Cd exposure during gestation and ADHD at 6 years of age. Methods: As part of an ongoing cohort study (the Environment and Development of Children study), 479 mother-child pairs from Seoul, Korea were included for analysis between 2008 and 2011. The whole blood concentration of Cd was analyzed using atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The parents were surveyed about ADHD behaviors in their children at age 6. Multivariable linear regression models were used to investigate the relationship between prenatal exposure to Cd and ADHD at 6 years of age. Results: Increased prenatal Cd concentrations were associated with increased scores for ADHD for girls, but not for boys, at age 6. A 2-fold increase in the prenatal Cd level was significantly associated with a 22.3% (95% confidence interval, 11.6 to 34.1) increase in ADHD in girls at 6 years of age, as indicated by the linear regression model. Conclusions: Our results identified significant associations between prenatal Cd exposure and ADHD scores in 6-year-old girls.

• Journal of Electrical Engineering and Technology
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.376-383
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• 2012

A number of scientific researches are currently being conducted on the potential health hazards of power frequency electric and magnetic field (EMF). There exists a non-objective and psychological belief that they are harmful, although no scientific and objective proof of such exists. This possible health risk from ELF magnetic field (MF) exposure, especially for children under 17 years of age, is currently one of Korea's most highly contested social issues. Therefore, to assess the magnetic field exposure levels of those children in their general living environments, the personal MF exposure levels of 436 subjects were measured for about 6 years using government funding. Using the measured database, estimation formulas were developed to predict personal MF exposure levels. These formulas can serve as valuable tools in estimating 24-hour personal MF exposure levels without directly measuring the exposure. Three types of estimation formulas were developed by applying evolutionary computation methods such as genetic algorithm (GA) and genetic programming (GP). After tuning the database, the final three formulas with the smallest estimation error were selected, where the target estimation error was approximately 0.03 ${\mu}T$. The seven parameters of each of these three formulas are gender (G), age (A), house type (H), house size (HS), distance between the subject's residence and a power line (RD), power line voltage class (KV), and the usage conditions of electric appliances (RULE).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.210-217
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• 2023

Background: N-nitrosamines are carcinogenic substances often found in rubber products. They are produced when certain additives of rubber products react with nitrite in saliva or air. Exposure assessment for the proper management and communication of N-nitrosamines in rubber balloons should be carried out. Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the concentrations of N-nitrosamines in rubber balloons in the South Korean market and assess exposure among Korean children. Methods: Forty eight rubber balloon products in the domestic market were purchased and a total of 68 balloons were analyzed for N-nitrosamines and N-nitrosatable substances. Chemical analysis was conducted by HPLC-MS/MS according to the method EN 71-12. For exposure assessment, an exposure algorithm and coefficients were obtained from previous studies. Results: Among the 68 rubber balloons, N-nitrosamines were detected in 18 (26.5%) with an average level of 60.77 ㎍/kg. N-Nitrosatable substances were detected in 44 products (64.7%) with an average level of 1353.33 ㎍/kg. As a result of the exposure evaluation, the exposure dose differed according to how exposure coefficients were applied. The median exposure (50th percentile) was higher in the age group of 6~12 years, and high exposure (95th percentile) was higher in the age group of 13~18. Conclusions: We evaluated the N-nitrosamines contained in rubber balloons purchased in the domestic market and assessed oral exposure among South Korean children. For integrated risk management of N-nitrosamines, further studies and discussion regarding exposure and risk assessment are required.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology
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• v.5 no.4
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• pp.195-200
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to investigate the dose of radiation exposure to radiation-related workers in a hospital setting, thus increasing awareness of the health risk to the radiation-related workers. The result of the analysis showed the average dose of radiation exposure to radiation-related workers in hospital K was $0.75{\pm}0.26mSv$ in 2008, $0.67{\pm}0.30mSv$ in 2009, and $0.92{\pm}0.33mSv$ in 2010. The average dose of radiation exposure in hospital P was $0.43{\pm}0.13mSv$ in 2008, $0.43{\pm}0.20mSv$ in 2009, and $0.33{\pm}0.85mSv$ in 2010. The average dose of radiation exposure in hospital K by age group was 13.39mSv for age 20 to 29, 8.37mSv for age 30 to 39, 1.19mSv for age 40 to 49, 0.28mSv for age 50 to 59, and 0.32mSv for age 60 to 69 The average dose of radiation exposure in hospital P by age group was 0.33mSv for age 20 to 29, 1.41mSv for age 30 to 39, 0.83mSv for age 40 to 49, 1.66mSv for age 50 to 59, and 1.12mSv for age 60 to 69. Moreover, the average radiation exposure to radiation-related workers over 3 year period by gender group in hospital K was $2.92{\pm}1.03mSv$ for male group and $0.94{\pm}0.93mSv$ for female group. The average radiation exposure over 3 year period by gender group in hospital P was $0.66{\pm}0.18mSv$ for male group and $1.80{\pm}0.60mSv$ for female group. Persons working in diagnostic radiology department received mean of $1.65{\pm}1.54mSv/year$, mean $1.17{\pm}0.82mSv/year$ in radiation oncology, mean $1.79{\pm}1.42mSv/year$ at nuclear medicine department and mean $0.99{\pm}0.51mSv/year$ at other departments. Radiation exposure was higher than that of other departments(p<0.05). Doctors and technologists received higher radiation exposure (mean $1.75{\pm}1.17mSv/year$, $1.60{\pm}1.39mSv/year$ each) than other workers(p<0.05). Measurement and evaluation of radiation exposure in radiation-related workers should be widely conducted accurately and consistently in the radiation-related occupational setting so that people in these occupational settings are more aware of the risk from radiation exposure, and thus give more attention and caution to decrease radiation exposure. It would be essential to minimize accumulated radiation dose in the radiation-related occupational setting in order to maintain and improve the health of radiation-related workers.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.397-406
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• 2014

Objectives: Perchloroethylene (PCE) is a volatile chemical widely used as a solvent in the dry-cleaning and textile processing industries. It was evaluated as Group 2 "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) of the United State Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) in 2012. In order to provide a scientific basis for establishing risk management measures for chemicals on the national priority substances list, aggregate risk assessment was conducted for PCE, included in the top-10 substances. Methods: We conducted the investigation and monitoring of PCE exposure (e.g., exposure scenario, detection levels, and exposure factors, etc.) and assessed its multi-media (e.g., outdoor air, indoor air, and ground water) exposure risk with a deterministic and probabilistic approach. Results: In human risk assessment (HRA), the level of human exposure was higher in the younger age group. The exposure level through inhalation at home was the highest among the exposure routes. Outdoor air or uptake of drinking water represented less than 1% of total contributions to PCE exposure. These findings suggested that the level of risk was negligible since the Hazard Index (HI) induced by HRA was below one among all age groups, with a maximum HI value of 0.17 when reasonable maximum exposure was applied. Conclusion: In conclusion, it was suggested that despite low exposure risk, further studies are needed considering main sources, including occupational exposure.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.18-26
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• 2014

The purpose of this study was to establish food ingestion factors needed to assess exposure to contaminants through food ingestion. The study reclassified the raw data of the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in 2001 into 12 subcategories including grain products, meat products, fish and shellfish, and vegetables for international comparability of exposure evaluation. The criteria for food intake calculation were unified according to the characteristics of food groups, and recommended values for food ingestion factors were calculated through moisture correction and recategorization of cooked, processed, and mixed foods for each group. The average intake rate for grain and grain products was 6.25 g/kg-d per capita and the men's intake rate was approximately 8% higher than that of the women. The average intake rate of meat and meat products was 1.62 g/kg-d per capita and the men's intake rate was 30% higher than that of the women, on average. The average intake rate of fish and shellfish was 1.53 g/kg-d per capita, and the age groups of 1 to 2 and 3 to 6 recorded higher capita intake rates than other age groups, 2.62 g/kg-d and 2.25 g/kg-d, respectively. The average intake rate of vegetables was 6.47 g/kg-d per capita, with the age group of 1 to 2 recording the highest per capita intake rate of 9.79 g/kg-d and that of 13 to 19 recording the lowest mean. The study also offers recommended values for food ingestion factors of other food groups by gender, age, and region. The food ingestion exposure factors will need future updates in consideration of ongoing changes in food consumption behavior.