• 한국환경독성학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경독성학회 2003년도 춘계학술대회
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• pp.107-107
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• 2003

The heavy metal cadmium is a xenobiotic toxicant of environmental and occupational concern and it has been classified as a human carcinogen. Inhalation of cadmium has been implicated in the development of emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, but, the detailed mechanism by which cadmium induces adverse biological effects is not yet known. Therefore, we undertook the investigation of genes that are induced after cadmium exposure to illustrate the mechanism of cadmium toxicity For this purpose, we employed the polymerase chain reaction-based suppression subtractive hybridization technique. We identified 29 different cadmium-inducible genes in human peripheral mononuclear cells, such as macrophage migration inhibitory factor, lysophosphatidic acid acyltransferase-${\alpha}$, enolase-1${\alpha}$, VEGF, Bax, neuron-derived orphan receptor-1, and Nur77, which are known to be associated with inflammation, cell survival, and apoptosis. Induction of these genes by cadmium treatment was further confirmed by semi-quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction. Further, we found that these genes were also induced after cadmium exposure in normal human lung fibroblast cell line, WI-38, suggesting potential use of this induction profile to monitor cadmium toxicity in the lung. Next, Nur77, one of cadmium-inducible genes, was further studied since the products of Nur77 are known to be involved in the apoptotic process of lung cells. Following cadmium treatment, Nur77 gene expression was increased at protein-level in A549 cells. Consistently, the reporter containing Nur77 binding sequence was activated by 2.5-fold after exposure to cadmium in reporter gene analysis by transient transfection experiments. When the plasmid encoding dominant negative Nur77 that represses the transcriptional function of wild-type Nur77 was transfected into A549 cells, the expression of Bax was significantly reduced, suggesting that induction of Nur77 was an important process in cadmium-induced apoptosis in the cells. Cadmium induced the expression of Nur77 in vivo, confirming the relevance of the data obtained in viro. Together our results suggest that Nur77 gene expression in exposure to cadmium leads apoptosis of lung cells which may cause pathological changes in lung.

• 한국컴퓨터정보학회논문지
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• 제28권8호
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• pp.165-174
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• 2023

본 연구는 국내 근로환경조사 자료를 이용하여 조사 시기에 따른 제조업 종사자의 유해·위험요인 노출과 결근과의 관련성을 확인하였다. 이에 2011년도(3차), 2017년도(5차), 2020년도(6차)의 유해·위험요인 동일문항에 대하여 제조업 종사자 8,318명을 대상으로 분석하였다. 업무 관련 유해·위험인자와 결근과의 관련성을 보면 2011년도에 비하여 2020년도에 진동, 소음, 높은 온도, 먼지 등의 흡입, 증기흡입, 화학물질 취급, 감염물질 취급에서 노출 시간 3/4 이상이 결근에 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 결론적으로 업무 관련 유해·위험요인에 대해서는 조사시기가 증가함에 따라 비노출이 증가함을 알 수 있었고 업무 관련 유해·위험요인의 노출 시간이 결근에 영향을 미친다는 것을 확인할 수 있었다.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제43권3호
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• pp.167-175
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• 2017

Objectives: Children may be more exposed to certain environmental contaminants because they react with greater sensitivity and have different food intakes and breathing rate per unit of body weight compared to adults. The aim of this study was to determine general exposure factors such as skin surface area, period and frequency of exposure, and others among Korean children aged ${\leq}18$ years old. This study was carried out as the first of its kind in Korea. Methods: We developed 23 recommended exposure factors for Korean children aged 0 to 18 years by reclassifying raw data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Statistical Information Service, as well as through investigation by experiments in the absence of related data. Results: Reflecting the activity patterns of about 9,000 children, the daily inhalation rates for long-term exposure ranged from $9.49m^3/day$ for children from birth to <2 years to $14.98m^3/day$ for children aged 16 to <18 years. The research found that Korean children spent an average of 22.21 hours indoors, 0.67 hours outdoors, and 1.12 hours in-transit every day. Young children (${\leq}2$ years old) spent approximately 34 more minutes outdoors on weekends than they did on weekdays. Conclusion: Various physiological variables in the human body reflect characteristics of children that can directly influence risk exposure. Therefore, the identification of general exposure factors based on Korean children is required for appropriate risk assessment.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.142-148
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• 2013

Background: To elucidate the relationship between seven occupational dermatoses (ODs) and 20 types of work in Greece. Methods: This was a prevalence epidemiologic study of certain ODs among 4,000 workers employed in 20 types of enterprise, in 104 companies, in 2006-2012, using data from company medical records, questionnaires, occupational medical, and special examinations. The ${\chi}^2$ test was applied to reveal statistically significant relationships between types of enterprises and occurrence of ODs. Results: A high percentage (39.9%) of employees included in the study population suffered from ODs. The highest prevalence rates were noted among hairdressers (of contact dermatitis: 30%), cooks (of contact dermatitis: 29.5%), bitumen workers (of acne: 23.5%), car industry workers (of mechanical injury: 15%), construction workers (of contact urticaria: 29.5%), industrial cleaning workers (of chemical burns: 13%), and farmers (of malignant tumors: 5.5%).We observed several statistical significant correlations between ODs (acute and chronic contact dermatitis, urticaria, mechanical injury, acne, burns, skin cancer) and certain types of enterprises. There was no statistically significant correlation between gender and prevalence of ODs, except for dermatoses caused by mechanical injuries afflicting mainly men [${\chi}^2(1)=13.40$, p < 0.001] and for chronic contact dermatitis [${\chi}^2(1)=5.53$, p=0.019] afflicting mainly women. Conclusion: Prevalence of ODs is high in Greece, contrary to all official reports by the Greek National Institute of Health. There is a need to introduce a nationwide voluntary surveillance system for reporting ODs and to enhance skin protection measures at work.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제31권2호
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• pp.203-211
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• 2015

Trichloroacetonitrile is used as an intermediate in insecticides, pesticides, and dyes. In Korea alone, over 10 tons are used annually. Its oral and dermal toxicity is classified as category 3 according to the globally harmonized system of classification and labelling of chemicals, and it is designated a toxic substance by the Ministry of Environment in Korea. There are no available inhalation toxicity data on trichloroacetonitrile. Thus, the present study performed inhalation tests to provide data for hazard and risk assessments. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed to trichloroacetonitrile at concentrations of 4, 16, or 64 ppm for 6 hour per day 5 days per week for 13 weeks in a repeated study. As a result, salivation, shortness of breath, and wheezing were observed, and their body weights decreased significantly (p < 0.05) in the 16 and 64 ppm groups. All the rats in 64 ppm group were dead or moribund within 4 weeks of the exposure. Some significant changes were observed in blood hematology and serum biochemistry (e.g., prothrombin time, ratio of albumin and globulin, blood urea nitrogen, and triglycerides), but the values were within normal physiological ranges. The major target organs of trichloroacetonitrile were the nasal cavity, trachea, and lungs. The rats exposed to 16 ppm showed moderate histopathological changes in the transitional epithelium and olfactory epithelium of the nasal cavity. Nasal-associated lymphoid tissue (NALT) and respiratory epithelium were also changed. Respiratory lesions were common in the dead rats that had been exposed to the 64 ppm concentration. The dead animals also showed loss of cilia in the trachea, pneumonitis in the lung, and epithelial hyperplasia in the bronchi and bronchioles. In conclusion, the no-observed-adverse-effect level (NOAEL) was estimated to be 4 ppm. The main target organs of trichloroacetonitrile were the nasal cavity, trachea, and lungs.

• Journal of Korean Medical Science
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• 제33권44호
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• pp.278.1-278.12
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• 2018

Background: We evaluated the association of blood pressure (BP) with blood levels of cadmium, lead, and cadmium and lead together (cadmium + lead) in a representative sample of adolescents from Korea. Methods: We used 2010-2016 data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. This cross-sectional study enrolled adolescents aged at 10-18 years-old who completed a health examination survey and had blood measurements of lead and cadmium. The association of adjusted mean differences in diastolic and systolic BP with doubling of blood lead and cadmium were estimated by regression of BP against ${\log}_2$-transformed blood metals and their quartiles after covariate adjustment. Adjusted odds ratio for prehypertension were calculated for ${\log}_2$-transformed blood levels of lead and cadmium and their quartiles. Results: Our analysis of adolescents in Korea indicated that blood levels of lead and cadmium were not significantly associated with increased BP or risk of prehypertension. However, the cadmium + lead level was associated with prehypertension. Previous studies showed that blood levels of lead and cadmium were associated with increased BP and risk of hypertension in adult populations. We found no such association in Korean adolescents. Conclusion: We found that the cadmium + lead level was associated with prehypertension. The differences between adults and adolescents are because adolescents generally have lower levels of these blood metals or because adolescents only rarely have hypertension.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제36권6호
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• pp.465-471
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• 2010

This study aims to investigate the relationship between air pollution exposure and the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in a young population in the Ulsan metropolitan region (UMR). Data on physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis (past 12 months) in 1,449 infants and children aged 1-18 years who lived within 1.5 or 2 km of air quality monitoring sites were collected in a cross-sectional health interview survey conducted between January-February 2006 in the UMR. Comparisons of the spatial distribution of the prevalence rates for allergic rhinitis and annual average pollutant concentrations over the region showed that a relatively high prevalence rate occurred around the coastal industrial area, with high PM10 concentrations. A linear correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation relationship between them (R = 0.680, p = 0.04). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the combined effect of the PM10 and $SO_2$ variables accounts for approximately 81% of the variance (R-square: 0.81) in the prevalence rate. From the multiple logistic regression analysis after adjustment by age, sex, and air-pollutant factors, the PM10 and $SO_2$ which were mainly from industrialrelated emissions were found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of allergic rhinitis (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.15-2.70 for PM10 ; aOR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.12-2.35 for SO2).

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.208-212
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• 2016

Background: Outdoor workers are at risk of high ultraviolet radiation exposure, and may have difficulty using sun protection. The objectives were to determine the prevalence of sun protection behaviors in a sample of outdoor construction workers, and to assess which factors predict better sun protection practices. Methods: Participants were recruited via construction unions. Workers answered a questionnaire on demographics, skin cancer risk, sun protection behaviors, and job. Sun protection behavior scores (from questions on sunscreen use, sleeved shirt, hat, shade seeking, sunglasses) were calculated by converting Likert-scale answers to scores from 0 to 4, and taking the mean (separately for work and leisure). Determinants of sun protection behavior scores were examined for work and leisure using generalized linear models. Results: Seventy-seven workers had complete questionnaire data (participation 98%). Sun protection behaviors used most often were hats (79% often/always) and sleeved shirts (82% often/always); least prevalent were shade-seeking (8% often/always) and sunscreen (29% often/always). For both work and leisure scores, the strongest predictor was skin type, with fairer-skinned individuals having higher sun protection behavior scores. Workers had higher scores at work than on weekends. Workplaces that required hats and sleeved shirts for safety purposes had higher protection behavior scores. Conclusion: This high-participation rate cohort helps characterize sun protection behaviors among outdoor workers. Workers practiced better sun protection at work than on weekends, suggesting that workplace policies supportive of sun protection could be useful for skin cancer prevention in the construction industry.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제13권2호
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• pp.255-260
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• 2022

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has demonstrated the importance of implementing strategic management that prioritizes the safety of frontline nurse professionals. In this sense, this research was aimed at identifying factors associated with the illness of nursing professionals caused by COVID-19 according to socio-demographic, clinical, and labor variables. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in three Brazilian university hospitals with 859 nursing professionals, which include nurses, technicians, and nursing assistants, between November 2020 and February 2021. We present data using absolute and relative frequency. We used Chi-square test for hypothesis testing and multiple logistic regression for predictive analysis and chances of occurrence. Results: The rate of nursing professionals affected by COVID-19 was 41.8%, and the factors associated with contamination were the number of people in the same household with COVID-19 and obesity. Being a nurse was a protective factor when the entire nursing team was considered. The model is significant, and its variables represent 56.61% of the occurrence of COVID-19 in nursing professionals. Conclusion: Obesity and living in the same household as other people affected by COVID-19 increases the risk of contamination by this new coronavirus.

• 한국재난정보학회 논문집
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• 제18권3호
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• pp.478-486
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• 2022

연구목적: 건설현장에서 작업환경측정을 하고 있으나 노출되고 있는 유해인자를 세분화하여 작업환경 측정을 하지 않고 공정별 대표적으로 노출되는 소음, 진동 등 몇 가지만 실시하고 있다. 이에 건설현장에서 가장 많이 노출되는 산화규소분진의 유해성과 현재 건설현장에서 하고있는 개선대책의 보완점을 찾고자 한다. 연구방법: 안전보건공단과 산업보건협회에서 발행하는 실태조사 보고서 및 작업환경측정 기관의 자료를 활용하여 현황을 분석하였고 산업안전보건법의 작업환경측정에 관한 규칙과 비교분석 하였다. 연구결과: 산화규소분진의 유해성을 파악하고 개선책을 보완도출하였다. 결론: 건설현장의 산화규소분진의 유해성을 도출하고 이에 따른 개선대책을 제시함으로써 현장에서 적극적으로 적용한다면 산화규소분진에 대한 직업병을 줄일 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.