• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.157-170
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• 2014

Objectives: Agent Orange TCDD has been related to serious diseases among Korean veterans who were exposed to it. Decades after the end of the war, however, its effects are still being debated. The object of this study was to examine various unmet needs raised among Agent Orange exposed veterans and their families and to find grounds of a new welfare policy for providing alternative legislation. Methods: Literatures concerning Agent Orange, TCDD, the associated diseases, compensation for veterans and Supreme Court sentencing were searched using PubMed, ProQuest, press news and relevant homepages. Results: Agent Orange exposed veterans are eligible for various benefits from the government, including disability compensation for diseases associated with exposure. The Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs has classified certain diseases into two categories, Agent Orange sequela diseases and sequela suspect diseases and has provided differential benefits based on separated laws. Big differences exist in benefits to veterans and their families between the two laws. The absence of definite standards to classify the Agent Orange associated diseases was confirmed by recent Supreme Court sentencing which ruled in favor of US manufacturers. Conclusion: It appears that the evidence for cause and effect of Agent Orange related diseases would never be perfect. The results suggest a need to change welfare principles from presumptive or indefinite disease basis to exposure experiences combined with integrated disability evaluation. We propose to extend eligibility by enacting a new law for Agent Orange exposed Korean veterans.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.278-288
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• 2019

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to summary controversy over health risks among semiconductor workers, to review major cancer risk results conducted in semiconductor operation and to evaluate occupational health activities in Korea for controlling hazardous agents generated in semiconductor operations Methods: Major occupational health issues that has been social controversies among semiconductor workers since 2007 were reviewed through an extensive literature, report and article review. Results: Since a female semiconductor worker aged 22 died from leukemia in 2007, job-association of a number of former semiconductor workers with various types of cancer and rare diseases have been denied by the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KWCWS), but some of them were later awarded compensation as an occupational disease by the administrative court. Two epidemiologic cancer risk studies conducted in Korea found increased risks in leukemia and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among semiconductor workers. Various legal occupational health activities taken in semiconductor industry were found to fail to assess a complex characteristics of semiconductor operations, such as drastic changes in chemical use, processes, and technology, multiple exposure. National compensation regulation also showed the limitation to evaluate job-association of semiconductor workers who had worked in semiconductor operation. Conclusions: National legal measures should be taken to improve several occupational health activities and duties for protecting workers. In addition, the KWCWS program should be revised so that all workers who meet minimal job or environment associations can be compensated.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.406-414
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• 2023

Background: This study examined age-group differences in the rate, severity, and cost of injuries among construction workers to support evidence-based worker safety and health interventions in the construction industry. Methods: Ohio workers' compensation claims for construction workers were used to estimate claim rates and costs by age group. We analyzed claims data auto-coded into five event/exposure categories: transportation incidents; slips, trips, and falls (STFs); exposure to harmful substances and environments; contact with objects and equipment (COB); overexertion and bodily reaction. American Community Survey data were used to determine the percentage of workers in each age group. Results: From 2007-2017, among 72,416 accepted injury claims for ~166,000 construction full-time equivalent (FTE) per year, nearly half were caused by COB, followed by STFs (20%) and overexertion (20%). Claim rates related to COB and exposure to harmful substances and environments were highest among those 18-24 years old, with claim rates of 313.5 and 25.9 per 10,000 FTE, respectively. STFs increased with age, with the highest claim rates for those 55-64 years old (94.2 claims per 10,000 FTE). Overexertion claim rates increased and then declined with age, with the highest claim rate for those 35-44 years old (87.3 per 10,000 FTE). While younger workers had higher injury rates, older workers had higher proportions of lost-time claims and higher costs per claim. The total cost per FTE was highest for those 45-54 years old ($1,122 per FTE). Conclusion: The variation in rates of injury types by age suggests that age-specific prevention strategies may be useful.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.178-187
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• 2016

Objectives: Diisocyanates are a potent inducer of diseases of the airways, especially asthma. In this study, toluenediamine(TDA) and methylenedianiline(MDA) in urine were evaluated as biomarkers of exposure to tolunenediisocyanate(TDI) and methylenediphenyl diisocyanate(MDI), respectively. Methods: Workers exposed to TDI and MDI, as well as non-occupationally exposed subjects, were studied and pre- and post-shift urine samples were collected from 8 control subjects and 8 workers from a factory which manufactures polyurethane products for reducing noise and vibration in automobiles. Airborne TDI and MDI(n=8) were sampled on solvent-free glass filters impregnated with n-butylamine and detected by liquid chromatography atmospheric pressure ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Urinary TDA and MDA were detected as pentafluoropropionic acid anhydride(PFPA) derivatives by liquid chromatography electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry. Results: The median levels of urinary 2,6-TDA(p<0.001), 2,4-TDA(p=0.001), and MDA(p<0.001) of workers in post-shift samples were significantly higher than those of controls. The median levels of urinary 2,6-0TDA($0.63{\mu}g/g$ creatinine vs $0.34{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, p=0.017) and MDA($4.21{\mu}g/g$ creatinine vs $3.18{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, p=0.017) of workers in post-shift samples were significantly higher than those of the pre-shift samples. There were significant correlations between the urinary 2,6-TDA, 2,4-TDA, and MDA of workers in post-shift samples and the airborne 2,6-TDI(rho=0.952, p<0.001), 2,4-TDI(rho=0.833, p=0.001), and MDI(rho=0.952, p<0.001). Conclusions: These urinary diamines, metabolites of diisocyanates, in post-shift samples were useful biomarkers to assess occupational exposure to diisocyanates.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.286-293
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• 2021

Objectives: Inorganic dust is known to be a risk factor for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) regardless of smoking and pneumoconiosis. Adaptive and innate immunity, including lymphocyte infiltrate, are involved in the pathogenesis of COPD. The purpose of this study was to analyze the lymphocyte subsets in the blood of workers exposed to inorganic dust and confirm the influencing factors. Methods: The general characteristics of the subjects (n=107) were analyzed through a personal questionnaire. Diagnosis of COPD was established according to pulmonary function tests with FEV₁/FVC post bronchodilator lower than 70%, according to the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) guidelines. For lymphocyte analysis, blood was stained with a fluorescent CD marker and analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: The increase in CD4⁺ T lymphocytes was associated with a decrease in age (𝛽=-0.273, p=0.008) and an increase in the cumulative smoking amount (𝛽=0.205, p=0.034). The increase in NK cells was associated with an increase in age (𝛽=0.325, p=0.001) and a decrease in cumulative smoking (𝛽=-0.220, p=0.019). The period of exposure to dust, %FVC predicted and %FEV₁/FVC, and the relative population of peripheral blood lymphocytes did not show a statistically significant relationship. Conclusions: CD4⁺ T lymphocytes and CD56⁺CD16⁺ NK cells in peripheral blood were more related to age and cumulative smoking than the duration of dust exposure. Age and smoking are major risk factors for the development of COPD, so it can be predicted that peripheral blood CD4⁺ T lymphocytes and CD56⁺CD16⁺ NK cells are related to the development of COPD in workers exposed to inorganic dust.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.441-455
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• 2010

Researchers who work in science and engineering R&D laboratories are commonly exposed to a wide range of chemical, biological and physical hazards. They also may adopt ergonomically poor postures for long periods of time. These factors may increase the risk of adverse health outcomes in laboratory workers. Recently, there were several fatal accidents in the laboratories in universities and research institutes in Korea. Consequently, the 'Laboratory Safety Act' was enacted in 2006. However, there are concerns about the health risk associated with chronic exposures to hazards, as the management measures provided in this Act are very limited, focusing primarily on accident prevention and compensation for lab work-related accidents. In this article, the methods for assessing exposure to chemicals in laboratory environments are discussed. Also, epidemiological studies examining the association between laboratory exposure and health effects, including cancer and reproductive toxicity are extensively reviewed. Finally, the possible roles of environmental health professionals in this area are suggested, along with a list of critical research needs for properly assessing laboratory workers' exposure and risk.

• Journal of Sensor Science and Technology
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• v.6 no.6
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• pp.445-450
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• 1997

An ammonia gas sensor with high sensitivity using thick-film technology were fabricated and examined. The material for sensing the ammonia gas was the mixture of oxide semiconductor, $FeO_{x}-WO_{3}-SnO_{2}$. The sensor exhibits resistance increase upon exposure to low concentration of ammonia gas. The resistance of the sensor is decreased, on the other hand, for exposure to reducing gases such as ethyl alcohol, methane, propane and carbon monoxide. A novel method for detecting ammonia gas quite selectively utilizing a sensor array consisting of an ammonia gas sensor and a compensation element were proposed and developed. The compensation element is a Pt-doped $WO_{3}-SnO_{2}$ gas sensor which shows opposite direction of resistance change in comparison with that of the ammonia gas sensor upon exposure to ammonia gas. Excellent selectivity has been achieved using the sensor array having two sensing elements.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.26
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• pp.7.1-7.9
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• 2011

Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the relationship between crude oil exposure and physical symptoms among residents participating in clean-up work associated with the Hebei Spirit oil spill, 2007 in Korea. Methods: A total of 288 residents responded to a questionnaire regarding subjective physical symptoms, sociodemographic characteristics and clean-up activities that occurred between two and eight weeks after the accident. Additionally, the urine of 154 of the respondents was analyzed for metabolites of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and heavy metals. To compare the urinary levels of exposure biomarkers, the urine of 39 inland residents who were not directly exposed to the oil spill were analyzed. Results: Residents exposed to oil remnants through clean-up work showed associations between physical symptoms and the exposure levels defined in various ways, including days of work, degree of skin contamination, and levels of some urinary exposure biomarkers of VOCs, metabolites and metals, although no major abnormalities in urinary exposure biomarkers were observed. Conclusions: This study provides evidence of a relationship between crude oil exposure and acute human health effects and suggests the need for follow-up to evaluate the exposure status and long-term health effects of clean-up participants.

• Management & Information Systems Review
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.71-97
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• 2009

In this study, I compare the ability of alternative accounting method for employee stock option to reflect firm value using the Ohlson's(1995) valuation model for 200 firms. The each methods, I compare are employee stock option expense recognition based on the K-GAAP disclosures, and asset recognition at the grant date based on the SFAS No. 123 Exposure Draft: Accounting for stock-based compensation. The model include: (1) a model that uses reported earnings, equity book value, and compensation expense based on the K-GAAP disclosures; (2) a model that uses pro-forma earnings, equity book value and adds a measure of the unrecognized asset arising form granting of employee stock options. Finding form estimating equations that the K-GAAP method for calculating compensation has no explanatory power, and the SFAS No.123 Draft Exposure method for arising asset and fair value compensation better captures than market's perception of the economic impact of stock options on firm values. However, the correlation of employee stock option compensation expense is positive. These results suggest that incentive benefits derived from employee stock option plans outweigh the cost associated with plan. In addition, I couldn't find evidence that company in KOSDAQ that have high growth potential benefit more from employee stock option plan compared to lager, more mature firm in SEC.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.74-95
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• 2021

Background: A job-exposure matrix (JEM) is an important surrogate indicator to evaluate past exposure levels. Although a Korean asbestos JEM has been constructed previously, this JEM includes only a few industrial and occupational groups. This study aimed to reconstruct the JEM by integrating the latest organized data to improve its utility. Methods: We used recent Korean standard industry and occupation codes and extracted 36 articles from a systematic literature review to initiate the reconstruction of the previous Korean asbestos JEM. The resulting data consisted of 141 combinations of industrial and occupational groups. Data from the Netherlands's JEM were also reviewed and categorized into 70 industrial and 117 occupational groups by matching with the Korean data. We also utilized Germany's data, which consisted of 10 industrial and 14 occupational groups. Results: The reconstructed Korean asbestos JEM had 141 combinations of industries and occupations. The time periods are from the 1980s to the 2000s in 10-year intervals. Most of the data were distributed between the 1990s and the 2000s. Occupations with high exposure to asbestos included knitting and weaving machine operators, automobile mechanics or assemblers, ship mechanics or assemblers, mineral ore and stone products processing mechanics, and metal casting machine operators or mold makers. Conclusions: The reconstructed Korean asbestos JEM has expanded the type and duration of the occupational groups of the previous JEM and can serve as an important reference tool for evaluating asbestos exposure and designing compensation and prevention policies in Korea.