• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.54 no.6
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• pp.644-663
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• 2021

Purpose: This study was conducted to evaluate the safety of iodine intake based on ingestion levels and urinary iodine excretion of women of childbearing age (15-45 years old) using data from the 2013-2015 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Methods: Iodine intake was calculated using the 24 hours dietary recall method and urinary iodine excretion. The iodine nutrition database for the analysis of dietary iodine intake was constructed using the food composition database of the Rural Development Administration (RDA), the Korean Nutrition Society (KNS), the Ministries of Food and Drug Safety, China and, Japan. The World Health Organization (WHO) evaluation criteria and hazard quotient (HQ) calculated using biomonitoring equivalents (BE) were applied to evaluate the safety of the iodine intake. Results: Of the study subjects, 15.22% had a urinary iodine concentration level of less than 100 ㎍/L, which was diagnosed as deficient, and 48.16% had an excessive iodine concentration of over 300 ㎍/L. Urinary iodine concentration was 878.71 ㎍/L, iodine/creatinine was 589.00 ㎍/g, and iodine/creatinine was significantly higher at the age of 30-45 years. The dietary iodine intake was 273.47 ㎍/day, and the iodine intake calculated from the urinary iodine excretion was 1,198.10 ㎍/day. Foods with a high contribution to iodine intake were vegetables, seafood, seaweed and processed foods. The HQ was 1.665 when the urinary iodine content was > 1,000 ㎍/L. Conclusion: The results of this study implicate that the urinary iodine concentration, rather than the dietary iodine intake, is more appropriate to evaluate the iodine status under the current situation that a comprehensive iodine database for Koreans has not been established.

• Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.144-155
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• 1997

In December 1990, Occupational Safety and Health Law was amended to reinforce employer's responsibilities on employees' health and safety. Among the amended law it was important to expand the role of an occupational health nurse to the role of an occupational health manager. An occupational health manager should take charge of coordinating periodic health examination and environmental hazard evaluation, providing primary care, monitoring employees' health status, giving the workplace walk-through, selecting safe protection equipment, providing health information, counseling and health education, independently. This position of occupational health nurse is equivalent to the role of doctors or occupational hygienists. In 1991, government made a master plan to prevent occupational disease and injury. Under the plan, Korea Industrial Nursing Association (KINA) was established in 1994 with the purpose of improving health services and upgrading career opportunities for members. Therefore, this study was designed to analyze the transition of occupational health nursing education with the changes of law and policy in Korea between 1991 and 1996. In details, it was to analyze the rate of school providing occupational health nursing practice based lecture, lecture hours, lecture contents in undergraduate curriculum, program contents of graduate school, kinds of continuing education, etc. For this purpose, we conducted survey two times. In February 1991, baseline study was conducted with all nursing programs in Korea (19 BSN programs and 43 nursing departments of junior college). From April to May in 1996, the second survey was conducted with all nursing programs (38 BSN programs and 69 junior colleges). The first response rate was 66.1% and the second was 40.6%. Structured questionnaires were mailed to the deans or the community health nursing faculties. In the case of graduate school, telephone survey was conducted with 10 school of public health or environmental health area. Data from the yearbook of Industrial Safety Training Institute (ISTI), the history of Korea Industrial Health Association, and the journals of KINA were also included in the analysis. As the results, we found that there were remarkable improvement in undergraduate and graduate programs, obligatory as well as voluntary continuing education in terms of occupational health nursing expertise between 1991 and 1996. 1) The number of school providing occupational health nursing practice-based lecture was increased with the rate from 7.3% to 25.6%. The rate of school giving over 15 class-hours was increased from 33.3% to 46.6%. 2) Content areas were composed of introduction of occupational health, occupational epidemiology, industrial hygiene, occupational disease and injury, law and policy, health education, concept of occupational health nursing, role of occupational health nurse, occupational health nursing process, etc. Of content areas, occupational health nursing process was more emphasized with the increased rate from 43.9% to 88.4%. 3) In the case of graduate school, occupational health programs were increased from 4 to 10. One of them has developed occupational health nursing program as an independent course since 1991. 4) The law increased educational hours from 28 hours to 36 hours for introductory course at the time of appointment, and from 14 hours to 24 hours every 2 years for continuing education. Course contents were Occupational safety and health law, introduction of occupational health, health education methodology, planning and evaluation, periodic health exam, occupational disease care, primary care, emergency care, management, industrial environment evaluation, etc. In 1996, Korea Industrial Nursing Association has begun to provide continuing education after Industrial Safety Training Institute. 5) Various educational programs in voluntary base were developed such as monthly seminar, CE articles, annual academic symposium, etc. It was shown that changes of law and policy led rapid growth of occupational health nursing education in various levels. From this trend, it is expected that occupational health nurse expertise be continuously to be enhanced in Korea. Legal and political supports should proceed for the development of occupational health nursing in early stage.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.10
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• pp.1497-1507
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• 2016

The purpose of this study was to conduct importance and performance analysis of sanitation management in workers at small and medium foodservice industries using HACCP prerequisites. Questionnaires were distributed to 500 small and medium foodservice industry workers in Seoul Gyeonggi province, and a total of 458 responses were used for analysis. Factors with relatively low comparison degree were as follows. 'Handwashing and clean uniform of employee in the workplace', 'regular checking and managing of trapped vermin and rodents', 'checking stocked raw materials', 'recording and filing the results of improved food safety factors', and 'regular cleaning and sterilizing of monitoring tools' factors must be improved along with their performance levels through sanitation education. According to the IPA results, among the 15 HACCP prerequisite factors with high importance but low performance were '2. Regular checking and managing of trapped vermin and rodents', '4. Handwashing and clean uniform of employee in the workplace', '14. Preventing food cross-contamination'. Furthermore, the small and medium foodservice industry IPA with high importance but low performance were 'Regular checking and managing of trapped vermin and rodents', 'Handwashing and clean uniform of employee in the workplace', and 'Preventing food cross-contamination' for the small foodservice industry, along with 'Vermin and rodents control' and 'Recording and filing the results of improved food safety factors' for the medium foodservice industry. Thus, there is a need for reinforced hygiene education through case studies on actual food service establishments to fulfill sanitation guidelines and set amended guides for much-needed items for small and mid-sized food service.

• Health Policy and Management
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.273-275
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• 2017

It has been forty years since the implementation of National Health Insurance (NHI) in South Korea. Following the 1977 legislature mandating medical insurance for employees and dependents in firms with more than 500 employees, South Korea expanded its health insurance to urban residents in 1989. Resultantly, total expenses of the National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) have greatly increased from 4.5 billion won in 1977 to 50.89 trillion won in 2016. With multiple insurers merging into the NHI system in 2000, a single-payer healthcare system emerged, along with separation policy of prescribing and dispensing. Following such reform, an emerging financial crisis required injections from the National Health Promotion Fund. Forty years following the introduction of the NHI system, both praise and criticism have been drawn. In just 12 years, the NHI achieved the fastest health population coverage in the world. Current medical expenditure is not high relative to the rest of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. The quality of acute care in Korea is one of the best in the world. There is no sign of delayed diagnosis and/or treatment for most diseases. However, the NHI has been under-insured, requiring high-levels of out-of-pocket money from patients and often causing catastrophic medical expenses. Furthermore, the current environmental circumstances of the NHI are threatening its sustainability. Low birth rate decline, as well as slow economic growth, will make sustainment of the current healthcare system difficult in the near future. An aging population will increase the amount of medical expenditure required, especially with the baby-boomer generation of those born between 1955 and 1965. Meanwhile, there is always the problem of unification for the Korean Peninsula, and what role the health insurance system will have to play when it occurs. In the presidential election, health insurance is a main issue; however, there is greater focus on expansion and expenditure than revenue. Many aspects of Korea's NHI system (1977) were modeled after the German (1883) and Japanese (1922) systems. Such systems were created during an era where infections disease control was most urgent and thus, in the current non-communicable disease (NCD) era, must be redesigned. The Korean system, which is already forty years old, must be redesigned completely. Although health insurance benefit expansion is necessary, financial measures, as well as moral hazard control measures, must also be considered. Ultimately, there are three aspects that we must consider when attempting redesign of the system. First, the health security system must be reformed. NHI and Medical Aid must be amalgamated into one system for increased effectiveness and efficiency of the system. Within the single insurer system of the NHI must be an internal market for maximum efficiency. The NHIS must be separated into regions so that regional organizers have greater responsibility over their actions. Although insurance must continue to be imposed nationally, risk-adjustment must be distributed regionally and assessed by different regional systems. Second, as a solution for the decreasing flow of insurance revenue, low premium level must be increased to an appropriate level. Likewise, the national reserve fund (No. 36, National Health Insurance Act) must be enlarged for re-unification preparation. Third, there must be revolutionary reform of benefit package. The current system built a focus on communicable diseases which is inappropriate in this NCD era. Medical benefits must not be one-time events but provide chronic disease management. Chronic care models, accountable care organization, patient-centered medical homes, and other systems that introduce various benefit packages for beneficiaries must be implemented. The reimbursement system of medical costs should be introduced to various systems for different types of care, as is the case with part C (Medicare Advantage Program) of America's Medicare system that substitutes part A and part B. Pay for performance must be expanded so that there is not only improvement in quality of care but also medical costs. Moreover, beneficiaries of the NHI system must be aware of the amount of their expenditure through a deductible payment system so that spending can be profiled and monitored. The Moon Jae-in Government has announced its plans to expand the NHI system; however, it is important that a discussion forum is created so that more accurate analysis of the NHI, its environments, and current status of health care system, can take place for reforming NHI.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.202-206
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• 2014

In this study, the bacteriological survey was examined on ice creams at manufacturing factories in Korea during the summer season of 2011. The nineteen selected among 166 samples by preliminary test were collected from 11 different manufacturing factories in four major manufacturers in May 2011. Samples from ice milk, ice creams, sherbets, and non milk fat ice creams were tested for the total aerobic bacteria, coliform bacteria, and five food borne pathogens, respectively. The results showed that the coliforms including E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella spp., Staphylococcus aureus, Clostridium perfringens, and Listeria monocytogenes were not detected on all the ice creams. The total aerobic bacteria of the packed samples examined ranged between $2.5{\times}10^3$ and $5.5{\times}10^5cfu/g$. One ice cream, two sherbets, and four ice milk samples exceeded the acceptable limits of total aerobic bacteria according to the Korean standards for ice cream ($1.0{\times}10^5cfu/g$) and others ($5.0{\times}10^4cfu/g$). The levels of these microorganisms from ice creams were higher in three original equipment manufacturers than seven self-manufacturers. Three of ten ice creams (30.0%), three of six ice milks (50.0%), and one of two sherbets (50%) exceeded the acceptable limits of total aerobic bacteria, respectively. The personnel hygiene procedures with chocolate and vanilla chip addition from the manufacturing process were the main sources of the microbial contamination of stick-bar type ice creams when being produced in a factory. Improvement of the hazard analysis critical control points (HACCP) system should be introduced into the ice cream factory to improve the microbial quality of the ice cream products in Korea.

• Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Venturing and Entrepreneurship
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.215-225
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• 2016

There is growing attention towards the performance of non-profit organizations (NPO) as cases of moral hazard have emerged as social issues and the public becomes interested in the accountability of NPOs. Social welfare is among the representative service areas of NPOs, and it is regarded as a human service because it is delivered by people. Therefore, human capital-measured by criteria such as levels of organizational commitment-significantly affects the performance of social welfare organizations. However, these organizations have a high turnover rate due to inadequate working environments, heavy workloads, intensive work, and poor remuneration. Against this background, we surveyed social welfare organizations located in Busan and examined how workers' organizational commitment affects their turnover intention and the performance of the organization. For data analysis, SPSS WIN 18.0 was used, and variable-specific frequency analysis and technical statistics were used to identify general properties. A Pearson correlation analysis and a multiple regression analysis were conducted to investigate correlations and causal relationships among main variables. The results showed that the social workers' level of organizational commitment was 3.36 for normative commitment, 3.07 for continuance commitment, and 2.75 for affective commitment. The level of normative commitment was slightly higher than moderate, continuance commitment was close to moderate, and affective commitment was lower than moderate. The surveyed social workers' turnover intention was 2.71, and organizational performance was 2.79; both of those results were slightly lower than moderate. It was observed that affective commitment, marital status, workload, and age affected social workers' turnover intention. Their affective commitment, gender, and age affected the organization's performance. These results suggest that, for launching or operating an NPO, it is important to manage human capital effectively, particularly their affective commitment, to lower workers' turnover intention and improve organizational performance.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.33-42
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• 2018

The tropical peatlands have been deforested and converted to agricultural and plantation areas in Indonesia. To manage water levels and increase the overall productivity of crops, canals have been constructed in tropical peatlands. The canals destructed the structure of the tropical peatlands, and increased the subsidence and fire hazard risks in the region. The Indonesian government enacted regulations and a moratorium on tropical peatlands, in order to reduce degradation. A practical method under the regulations of rewetting tropical peatlands was to permit a canal blocking. In this study, four canal blocking projects were investigated regarding their planning, construction priority, design, building material, construction, monitoring, time and costs associated with the canal blockings. In the protected areas, regulations restricted the development of the tropical peatlands areas that were noted as deeper than 3 m, and the administration stopped issuing new concessions for future work projects for this noted criteria of land use. A noted purpose of canal blockings in these areas was to effectuate the restoration of the lands in the region. The main considerations of the restoration efforts were to maintain a durability of the blockings, and to encourage the participation of the area stakeholders. In the case of a concession area, regulations were set into place to restrict clear-cutting and shifting cultivation, and to maintain groundwater level in the tropical peatland. The most significant priorities identified in the canal blocking project were the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the project. Nevertheless, the drainage of tropical peatlands has been continued. On the basis of a literature review on regulations and rewetting methods in tropical peatlands of Indonesia, we discussed the improvements of the regulations, and adequate canal blockings to serve the function to rewet the tropical peatlands in Indonesia. Our results would help establishing an adequate direction and recommended guideline on viable rewetting methods for the restoration of drained tropical peatlands in Southeast Asia.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.268-275
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• 2013

Many kinds of liquid spray products are used in livelihood activities these days. Spray products can be distinguished by the target to be sprayed (like into the air or on human skin (body)). Because human can be exposed to volatile organic compounds (VOC) emitted from spray products, some considerations on safety or hazard of spray products should be needed. In this study, emission characteristics of VOCs were investigated against 10 types of liquid spray products (6 skin spray and 4 air spray products). The concentrations of benzene and toluene were determined by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) equipped with a thermal desorber (TD). Their average concentrations from 6 skin spray products exhibited$ 5.64{\pm}1.95$ ($mean{\pm}S.D$) and $8.52{\pm}2.89$ ppb(w), respectively. In contrast, those of 4 air spray samples had $7.30{\pm}1.31$ and $7.19{\pm}1.78$ ppb(w), respectively. If liquid contents in spray samples are completely vaporized in one cubic meter (1 m3) after spraying for 10 seconds, their mean concentrations of skin spray products are $31.7{\pm}8.80$ (benzene) and $50.5{\pm}17.1{\mu}g/Sm^3$ (toluene). In contrast, those of air spray products are $24.0{\pm}4.30$ (benzene) and $23.6{\pm}5.83{\mu}g/Sm^3$ (toluene). The estimated concentration levels of benzene from two types of products (31.7 and $24.0{\mu}/Sm^3$) exceeded the Korean atmospheric environmental guideline ($5{\mu}g/Sm^3$). The results of this study thus suggest that some measures should be made to reduce or suppress the contents of VOC in spray products.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.810-820
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• 2012

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) contents in marine sediment and edible fish (4 species) from the estuary near the Yongho wharf in Busan were determined to assess their presence and their potential health risk to the local population through fish consumption was also assessed. Levels of ${\Sigma}PCBs$ and ${\Sigma}DDTs$ in marine sediment were 3.22~197.65 and 1.77~20.27 ng/g dw, respectively. HCHs and endosulfan sulfate concentrations in bottom sediment were 1.42~6.08, 0.56~13.89 ng/g dw, respectively. The bottom sediment in the offshore of the Yongho wharf may be characterized as semi-polluted status with potential adverse marine biological effects in terms of sediment quality guidelines of US NOAA. The mean concentrations of ${\Sigma}PCBs$ in the tissues of olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus), Korean rockfish (Sebastes schlegelii), file fish (Stephanolepis cirrhifer) and abbysal searobin (Lepidotrigla abyssalis) were 67.37, 10.20, 48.26, 22.81 ng/g lw, respectively. DDTs and HCHs were also detected in all fish samples. Lifetime cancer risk and target hazard quotient to local residents due to those fish consumption were found to pose negligible cancer and non-cancer risk.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.15-25
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• 1979

A study on field bioassay test using four species of commercially important shellfish was carried out to assess the effect of pollutants and determine the extent of marine environmental pollution of the Masan Bay from 9 to 15 August 1978. Water quality analysis and planktological examination of sea water were made during the experiment and the examination gave the following results. The water temperature was so high at 31.7$^{\circ}C$ in maximum and rather subject to change on weather condition of the land than on the effect of the water mass from outer bay. The range of DO,COD and SS at the stations were 0.3-7.08cc/l, 0.07-3.31ppm and 5.5-117ppm, respectively with the high values of COD and SS at the stations 7 and 1. The concentrations of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen in sea water, NH$\sub$4/-N, NO$\sub$2/-N, NO$\sub$3/-N, and PO$\sub$4/-P were 18.90-99.80, 2.48- 19.60, 13.00-39.00 and 1.04-14.0$\mu\textrm{g}$ at/l, respectively with decrease of their values in the outer part of the Bay. The high values mentioned above were caused by the sewage and industrial activities. The effects of organic waste are increased oxygen demand, nutrient concentration, turbidity and a higher input of pathogens, leading to structural changes in the marine ecosystems and to a considerable hazard to public health. The percentage composition of phytoplankton standing crop between diatom and dinoflagellate was characterized by making a difference between the two groups in respect of location: a decrease of diatom and a increase of dinoflagellate in numerical abundance toward inner part from outer part of the bay. Namely phytoplankton organisms were composed of 80% of diatom and 20% of dinoflagellate in outer bay, on the contrary, only 4% of diatom and 96% of dinoflagellate occupied by 94% of prorocentrum micans known as tolerant species to polluted reaas in the inner bay. On the occurrence and composition of zooplankton, there are two significant communities in the bay:one is characterized by the predominance of Oithona nana and the other by Favella sp They were composed of a range from 84% to 90% of the total organisms and monotonously constituted of themselves only at most inner station 3 even small numbers. From the results mentioned above, Oithona nana, Favella and prorocentrum micans recommed themselves as valuable indicators for judging the extent of the marine pollution.During the period of the biossays Mytilus edulis showed the highest mortality and Tapes japonica the lowest one between the four test species. The highest death rate by stations was found at most inner stations 3'and 4near Masan Free Export Zone with the most sensitive response and the lowest one occured at outer station 13 where no death specimen of oyster and arkshell was found during the whole test period.As for mussel,85 percent death rate appeared after 72 hours and 100percent rate after 120hours at station 4. It was found that the significant high mortality of the test shellfish mentioned above was caused by severe pollution with mainly organic pollutants from domestic sewage and industrial wastes from the results of too much higher concentrations of dissolved inorganic nitrogen especially ammonia-N,COD,SS and lack of dissolved oxygen,and furthermore occurrence and abundance composition of Prorcentrum,Favella and Oithona nana by stations, valuable indicator species of coastal pollution by orgnic and boilogical pollutants.