• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.304-311
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the self-reported symptoms of occupational asthma, occupational rhinitis, and respiratory symptoms between a direct exposure to flour dust group and a non-exposure group from the bakery industry. Methods: The participants were 62 workers directly exposed to flour dust and 30 non-exposed workers. The survey was composed of questions related to general characteristics. Korean self-reported respiratory symptoms(SNU-93), occupational asthma, and occupational rhinitis data was collected from April to July 2017. Results: The smoking rate among the direct exposure to flour dust workers was 67.7% and the mean of working hours(11-12) was 96.8%. The SNU-93 questionnaire revealed that respiratory symptoms in the chest and wheezing or whistling were significantly higher among the direct-exposure group than non-exposure group. The response for occupational asthma symptoms was significantly higher in the direct exposure group(2.4 points) than in the non-exposure group(1.6 points). Conclusion: In order to decrease the symptoms of these respiratory diseases among bakery workers exposed to flour dust, it is necessary to reduce working hours and the smoking rate. The performance of periodic medical examinations is needed to find abnormal respiratory diseases. In addition, workers who have been diagnosed with asthma and rhinitis should consider switching to a process that is not exposed to flour dust.

• Culinary science and hospitality research
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.233-246
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• 2010

This study investigates the effects of occupational asthma and rhinitis on job performance in order to maintain the health of bakery workers and to increase manufacturing productivity. Hotel bakery workers, small bakery businesses, bakery franchises and bakeries in large discount stores, located in Seoul, Kyungki and Incheon were sampled for the study over the period of December 1 to 15, 2008. A total of 245 samples were used for the final analysis. To verify the hypothesis established for the study, we conducted frequency analysis, factorial analysis, reliability analysis, correlation analysis and regression analysis using SPSS 12.0, a statistical package, to derive a conclusion. As a result of this study, it turned out that occupational asthma and rhinitis in bakery workers does affect job performance as well as motivating the intention to quit job. It is recommended that in order to increase the job performance of bakery workers and reduce their desire to quit job, their work environment should be improved and that training about occupational asthma and rhinitis should be provided for the prevention and reduction of disease.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.1-12
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• 2007

We have reviewed all cases and epidemiological studies that have reported the association between worker's exposure to metalworking fluids(MWF) and non-malignant respiratory diseases. The followings are main conclusions we critically reviewed. Exposure to MWF was believed to be significantly related to the risk of cough and phlegm. Relative risk caused by straight MWF was found to be higher in exposure to straight MWF than water-soluble MWF. We also found that exposure to water-soluble MWF significantly caused hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) and occupational asthma. The main culprits that cause the development of HP and asthma are believed to be microbes contaminated in MWF, ethanolamine and biocides. HP and asthma could be developed at even exposure to lower than $0.5mg/m^3$, exposure level recommended by NIOSH. Most epidemiological studies have reported that relationship between chronic bronchitis and exposure to MWF was significant. Although there were several studies that suggested the significant association between exposure to MWF and the development of rhinitis and sinusitis, we could not conclude the causal relationship because of lack of evidences.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.13.1-13.12
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• 2023

Background: Indoor air pollution can cause and exacerbate asthma. We report a previously undescribed case of occupational asthma related to indoor air pollution in a worker at an indoor air gun shooting range and highlight the potential risk of developing occupational asthma in this environment. Case presentation: A 31-year-old man presented with dyspnea, cough, and sputum and was diagnosed with asthma complicated by pneumonia. Objective evidence of asthma was obtained by performing a methacholine bronchial provocation test. It was suspected that the patient had occupational asthma, which began one month after changing jobs to work within the indoor air gun shooting range. The highest peak expiratory flow (PEF) diurnal variability on working days was 15%, but the highest variation was 24%, with 4 days out of 4 weeks having a variation of over 20% related to workplace exposure. Conversely, the diurnal variability on the rest days was 7%, and no day showed a variation exceeding 20%. The difference in the average PEF between working and rest days was 52 L/min. PEF deterioration during working days and improvement on rest days were noted. Conclusions: The results obtained from the in-depth analysis of the PEF were adequate to diagnose the patient with occupational asthma. Exposure to indoor air pollution and lead and the patient's atopy and allergic rhinitis may have contributed to the development of occupational asthma.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.478-490
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• 2017

Objectives: The association of air pollution levels and land-use types with changes in the prevalence of allergic diseases (allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis) was investigated for seven metropolitan cities in Korea Methods: Data on daily hospital visits and admissions (of those under 19 years old) for 2003-2012 were obtained from the National Health Insurance Cooperation. Meteorological data on daily mean temperature, humidity, and air pressure were obtained from the Korea Meteorological Administration. Daily mean or maximum concentration data for five pollutants ($PM_{10}$, $O_3$, $NO_2$, $SO_2$, and CO) as measured at air quality monitoring sites operated by the Ministry of Environment were used. We estimated excess risk and 95% confidence intervals for the increasing interquatile range (IQR) of each air pollutant using Generalized Additive Models (GAM) appropriate for time series analysis. Results: In this study, we observed a significant association between the IQR increases of air pollutants and the prevalence risk of allergic diseases (allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis) in all metropolitan cities after adjusting for temperature, humidity, and air pressure at sea level. Among the air pollutants, $NO_2$ and $PM_{10}$ were associated with the prevalence of asthma, and $O_3$ was associated with only allergic conjunctivitis in regression analysis. However, in GAM analysis considering land-use, $O_3$ and $SO_2$ were associated with allergic conjunctivitis, PM10, O3, NO2, and CO were associated with allergic rhinitis, and $PM_{10}$, $O_3$ and $NO_2$ were associated with asthma in industrial area. Conclusion: This study found a significant association between air pollution and the prevalence of allergic related diseases in industrial areas. More detailed research considering mixed traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and conducting meta-analyses combining data of the all cities is required.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.374-380
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• 2012

Objectives: Stress is considered a causal factor in many diseases, allergic disease being one of them. The prevalence of allergic disease is increasing in Korea, but the relationship between allergic symptoms and stress is not empirically well known. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between allergy-related symptoms and stress in children and adolescents. Methods: We investigated 698 children and adolescents living in Gwangyang Bay, Korea, using a multi-stage cluster sampling method. Using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood and the Psychosocial Well-being Index, these subjects were surveyed on allergy-related symptoms and psychosocial stressors in their lives, respectively. We used a multivariate logistic analysis for odds ratios for the complaint rate of allergic symptoms, after adjusting for age, gender, household income, body mass index, and residence. Results: After adjustments, lifetime rhinitis (odds ratio [OR], 1.024), rhinoconjunctivitis (OR, 1.090), diagnosis of itchy eczema (OR, 1.040), treatment of itchy eczema (OR, 1.049), 12-month allergic conjunctivitis (OR, 1.026), diagnosis of allergic conjunctivitis (OR, 1.031), and treatment of allergic conjunctivitis (OR, 1.034) were found to be significantly associated with stress. Conclusions: Our results support the notion that there is a relationship between stress and allergic symptoms in children and adolescents. Further research into any causal relationship between stress and allergies, as well as preventative public health plans for decreasing stress in children and adolescents are needed.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.29
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• pp.17.1-17.6
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• 2014

Objectives Antimicrobial chemicals are used in a variety of household and personal care products. Exposure to antimicrobial household products has been hypothesized to lead to allergic diseases in children. Methods We investigated antimicrobial household product exposure and allergic symptoms in Korean children. An antimicrobial exposure (AE) score was derived. To examine the symptoms of allergic diseases (current wheeze, current rhinitis, and current eczema) in the past 12 months, we used a questionnaire based on the core module of the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children. Complete data for the analysis were available for 25,805 of the 35,590 (72.5%) children. Results The prevalence of current allergic diseases was as follows: wheeze, 5.6%; allergic rhinitis, 32.6%; and eczema, 17.7%. The mean (standard deviation) AE score was 14.3 (9.3) (range: 0-40). Compared with subjects with a low AE score (reference), subjects with a high AE score (fourth quartile) were more likely to have symptoms of wheezing and allergic rhinitis (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] for wheezing 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.05-1.45, p for trend=0.24; aOR for allergic rhinitis 1.30, 95% CI, 1.20-1.40, p <0.01). Conclusions These findings suggest that frequent use of antimicrobial household products was associated with current wheeze and current allergic rhinitis.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.279-291
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• 2021

Objectives: This study investigated the association between air pollutant levels and medical usage rates for environmental disease in a general residential area during the period 2015-2017. Methods: Air pollutant (PM₁₀, PM_2.5, SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃) data were collected from Air-Korea. Medical usage data on environmental disease (asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis) for the period 2015-2017 in a general residential area in Gyeongsangnam-do Province were provided by the National Health Insurance Corporation. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted to investigate the association between air pollutant levels and medical usage rates (SAS 9.4). In the multiple regression analysis, environmental disease was set as the dependent variable and air pollutants were set as independent variables and analyzed using the General Linear Model. Results: Except for PM_2.5, the average concentration of air pollutants in the surveyed area was below than the air environment standards of Korea. NO₂ was higher than Korea's national average, but CO was similar. The others were lower than the Korea's national average. The daily medical usage rates for environmental disease were 1.38‰ for asthma, 9.90‰ for allergic rhinitis, and 0.32‰ for atopic dermatitis. As a result of correlation analysis, PM₁₀ and SO₂, NO₂ and CO were significantly correlated with asthma, PM₁₀ and NO₂ and CO were correlated with allergic rhinitis, and PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, SO₂, NO₂ and CO were correlated with atopic dermatitis. As a result of multiple regression analysis, PM₁₀ and SO₂ were found to have a higher effect on asthma, PM₁₀ and NO₂ on allergic rhinitis, and SO₂ and NO₂ on atopic dermatitis, compared to other air pollutants. Conclusion: According to these results, air pollutants such as PM₁₀ and SO₂ and NO₂ were associated with the medical usage rates of environmental disease even in relatively low concentrations. Therefore, continuous monitoring will be required for general residential areas.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.49 no.5
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• pp.329-341
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• 2016

Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate the short-term effect of ambient air pollution on emergency department (ED) visits in Seoul for asthma according to patients' prior history of allergic diseases. Methods: Data on ED visits from 2005 to 2009 were obtained from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service. To evaluate the risk of ED visits for asthma related to ambient air pollutants (carbon monoxide [CO], nitrogen dioxide [$NO_2$], ozone [$O_3$], sulfur dioxide [$SO_2$], and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <$10{\mu}m$ [$PM_{10}$]), a generalized additive model with a Poisson distribution was used; a single-lag model and a cumulative-effect model (average concentration over the previous 1-7 days) were also explored. The percent increase and 95% confidence interval (CI) were calculated for each interquartile range (IQR) increment in the concentration of each air pollutant. Subgroup analyses were done by age, gender, the presence of allergic disease, and season. Results: A total of 33 751 asthma attack cases were observed during the study period. The strongest association was a 9.6% increase (95% CI, 6.9% to 12.3%) in the risk of ED visits for asthma per IQR increase in $O_3$ concentration. IQR changes in $NO_2$ and $PM_{10}$ concentrations were also significantly associated with ED visits in the cumulative lag 7 model. Among patients with a prior history of allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis, the risk of ED visits for asthma per IQR increase in $PM_{10}$ concentration was higher (3.9%; 95% CI, 1.2% to 6.7%) than in patients with no such history. Conclusions: Ambient air pollutants were positively associated with ED visits for asthma, especially among subjects with a prior history of allergic rhinitis or atopic dermatitis.

• Journal of Technologic Dentistry
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.9-21
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• 2007

This study was conducted to determine the cause and prevalence of occupational skin disease in dental technicians working in Seoul, Korea. and to investigate the relation between these work condition and skin disease of the hand, wrist and forearm. This study was based on the Nordic occupational skin questionnaire(NOSQ), a self-administrated questionnaire which was modified to investigate the dental technician's occupational factors in domestic circumstances. The number was distributed to 500 dental technicians who participated in annual continuing education for dental technicians of the Seoul metropolitan area in April 2006. Of the subjects, 62(30.4%) had eczema and 70(32.9%) had urticaria, as diagnosed. Of the subjects with the symptoms of urticaria, 30 complained of atopic dermatitis, 65 complained of allergic rhinitis, 56 complained of allergic conjunctivitis, and 18 complained of asthma. The group with atopic history had a higher frequency of eczema or urticaria than the group without atopic history. From multiple regression analysis, the group who had a history of atopic dermatitis also had high symptom rates of eczema. The group who had a history of allergic rhinitis and allergic conjunctivitis had high symptom rates of urticaria. The urticaria symptom rates were higher in those wearing gloves than those who did not for the type of work.