• Anxiety and mood
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.39-47
• /
• 2022

Objective : This study investigated brain functional connectivity in male firefighters who showed subclinical post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Methods : We compared the data of 17 firefighters who were not diagnosed with PTSD and 18 healthy controls who had no trauma exposure. The following instruments were applied to assess psychiatric symptoms: Korean version of the Post-traumatic stress disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5-K), Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). For all subjects, functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed, and functional connectivity was compared between the two groups (family-wise error-corrected p<0.05). Additionally, correlations between psychiatric symptoms and functional connectivity were explored. Results : The following connectivity was higher than that of healthy controls: 1) the central opercular cortex-superior temporal gyrus, 2) planum polare-parahippocampal gyrus, 3) angular gyrus-amygdala, and 4) temporal fusiform cortex-parahippocampal gyrus. The functional connectivity of 1) the lateral occipital cortex-inferior temporal gyrus, 2) superior parietal lobule-caudate, and 3) middle temporal gyrus-thalamus were lower in firefighters. In firefighters, the connectivity of the planum polare-parahippocampal gyrus showed a negative correlation with the severity of arousal symptoms (rho=-0.586, p=0.013). The connectivity of the middle temporal gyrus-thalamus showed a positive correlation with the severity of intrusion (rho=0.552, p=0.022) and arousal symptoms (rho=0.619, p=0.008). The connectivity of the temporal fusiform cortex-parahippocampal gyrus was negatively correlated with intrusion (rho=-0.491, p=0.045) and arousal (rho=-0.579, p=0.015). Conclusion : Our results indicate that the brain functional connectivity is associated with occupational trauma exposure in firefighters without PTSD. Therefore, this study provides evidence that close monitoring and early intervention are important for firefighters with traumatic experience even at a subthreshold level.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.85-91
• /
• 2001

The regulation of Material safety data sheets(MSDS) was required for the chemicals in use in the workplace from July 1976. Under the provisions of the workplace hazardous materials information system, employers in Korea must be provided with accurate and comprehensive MSDS. To examine the reliability of MSDS for organic solvents, 63 organic solvents and MSDS were collected from the workplace of 39 companies located in Kyonggi province. Manufacture\`s MSDS were compared with the actual composition of the collected samples, and further examined the reliability by checking whether the chemicals analyzed were included in the MSDS correctly. 38 solvents were able to analyze their composition by gas chromatography-mass selective detector(GC-MSD). Among them, 28 solvents were incorrect in their composition and contents. In some case, health hazardous or carcinogenic chemicals which were not included in the MSDS were detected from samples. As a result of evaluating whether the MSDS correspond to the regulation required by Industrial Safety and Health Act (ISHA), the information in the MSDS including hazard classification, occupational exposure level, toxicity, regulatory information were incorrectly provided, and some MSDS did not disclose carcinogenic in their MSDS, and some MSDS were not written in the standard format. From this survey, continuous monitoring and promoting correct MSDS, and analyzing the components of the solvents were required to endure the reliability of MSDS for organic solvents.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.34 no.1
• /
• pp.1-7
• /
• 2024

Objectives: The study was performed to investigate characteristics of hazardous factors regarding chemical(liquid lime) tank dredging workers by case survey. Methods: Field data such as working condition, MSDS and respirators applied to chemical tank dredging work were analyzed and the work environmental factors of noise and indoor air quality were measured to compare existing data with actual work situations. Results: No health hazards to workers due to working conditions were confirmed during dredging work inside the chemical storage tank. All air quality measurement data during dredging work satisfied the management standards, and there were no by-products. During dredging work, there was a significant change in noise depending on the type of work, but considering the noise reduction rate(NRR) of the earplugs worn by workers, there was no actual health hazard due to noise exposure. Conclusions: A fit test for respirator and the expiration date of the safety helmet should be observed to ensure an appropriate level of safety and health for dredging workers in the chemical storage tank.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.25 no.4
• /
• pp.446-464
• /
• 2015

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate the task-specific hazards of chemicals used by nail technicians in Daegu Metropolitan City. Materials: A total of 30 nail shops located in Daegu City were surveyed to investigate the major tasks and practices performed by nail technicians and the ingredients listed in nail care products used in shops. We also collected instructions for use and material safety data sheets(MSDSs) of nail care products and compared CAS Nos. of ingredients with the lists of chemicals regulated by the Industrial Safety and Health Act(ISHA) and Chemical Substances Control Act(CSCA). Results: A total of 125 chemical ingredients were found in 468 nail care products used at the 30 nail shops. The most frequently found ingredients were ethyl acetate(72%), followed by n-butyl acetate(71.8%), isopropanol(56%), benzophenone(51.1%), nitrocellulose(46.4%) and ethanol(45.3%). Comparing six tasks, the task of manicuring used the most products at 222 products containing 91 ingredients. Among the 125 ingredients, there are 31 chemicals with occupational exposure limits(OEL) designated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor(MoEL), eight categorized as carcinogens, one mutagen and two reproductive toxic chemicals. In terms of carcinogens, formaldehyde was identified as the only confirmed human carcinogen(1A). We found that there was one chemical with a permissible limit, one special management substance, 18 workplace monitoring substances and ten special health diagnosis substances regulated by ISHA. For CSCA, nine poisonous substances, six substances requiring preparation for accidents and one restricted substance were identified. Conclusions: Based on these findings, formaldehyde was identified as one of the chemicals that should most strictly be controlled for the protection of the health of nail technicians and customers. At the same time, it is necessary to distribute materials with detailed hazardous information of nail care products for nail shop technicians.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.14 no.5
• /
• pp.499-511
• /
• 2005

This study was performed to determine the effects of genetic polymorphisms, such as glutathione S-transferase ${\mu}1(GSTM1)$, glutathione S-transferase ${\Theta}1\;(GSTM1)$, glutathione S-transferase ${\pi}l (GSTP1)$, aryl hydrocarbon N-acetyltransferase 2 (NAT2), cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1), cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) on the concentrations of urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 2-naphthol in general population with no occupational exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Study subjects were 257 men who visited a health promotion center in Susan. A questionnaire was used to obtain detailed data about age, smoking, drinking, body fat mass, intake of fat etc. Urinary l-OHP and 2-naphthol concentration were analyzed by HPLC system with a fluorescence detector. A multiplex PCR method was used to identify the genotypes for GSTM1 and GSTT1. The polymorphisms of GSTP1, NAT2, CYP1A1 and CYP2E1 were determined by the polymerase chain reaction restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. Urinary 1-OHP concentration was higher in deleted genotype of GSTM1, increased as smoking and alcohol drinking increased. Urinary 2-naphthol concentration was also rely on the age and smoking. Neither genetic polymorphism nor drinking-related factors were significantly related to urinary 2-naphthol concentration. No significant relation was found between physical characteristics and concentrations of urinary PAHs metabolites in the subjects, but the geometric mean of urinary 1-OHP and 2-naphthol was higher in the group with higher value compared to median value. These data suggest that in general population occupationally not exposed to PAHs, urinary concentration of PAHs metabolites is influenced by smoking, alcohol drinking and deleted genotype of GSTM1 in 1-OHP and smoking in 2-naphthol.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
• /
• v.38 no.2
• /
• pp.52-59
• /
• 2023

Due to the routine nature of social distancing in accordance with the COVID-19 pandemic, the logistics industry is under rapid development, given that offline demand is focused on online platforms. The number of warehouse workplaces and workers are steadily increasing per annum, and the industrial accident rate of transportation, warehouse, and telecommunication industries to which warehouse employees belong is higher than the total industrial accident rate in Korea. In previous studies, warehouse workers reported exposure to health hazards such as musculoskeletal disorders due to the handling of heavy objects and improper working postures. Accordingly, in this study, a survey was conducted to investigate symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders with focus on parcel delivery workers nationwide. The questionnaire included a musculoskeletal disorder symptom survey table to identify information such as worker occupational history, work type, and signs or symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders. Survey response data from 453 people were obtained to determine the influence of delivery business characteristics on occupational musculoskeletal disorders, and the influencing factors were analyzed. Based on the results, in the analysis of pain with respect to body part, the duration, degree, and frequency of pain were highest in the leg part, and as a result, the average value for the leg part exhibited a significant difference from those of other body parts. In addition, 52.32% of workers exhibited symptoms of musculoskeletal disorders, and a high number of patients with musculoskeletal disorders was observed in the work group with less than three years of service and with ages ranging from 30-39. The results of this study can serve as basic data for the derivation of a management plan that meets the characteristics of musculoskeletal disorders that impact logistics workers overburdened with work due to the rapid increase in parcel delivery volume in accordance with an increase in online consumption.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.7 no.2
• /
• pp.196-208
• /
• 1997

This study was performed to estimate quartz contents in the both bulk and airborne dust samples and to determine particle size distribution of airborne dust from the selected foundry operations. Total dust samples were collected by a 37mm cassette and respirable by a 10 mm nylon cyclone. Particle size distributions were determined by a Marple's 8-stage cascade impactor at the melting, molding, shakeout and finishing operations. The presence of elements in the dust samples were confirmed by the scanning electron microscopy equipped with the energy dispersive x-ray spectrometry. The quartz contents were estimated using the intensity of the absorption peak of quartz at 799 cm-l by the Fourie Transformed Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR). The results were as follows: 1. The analysis of data from cascade Impactor showed bimodal distributions of particle size at the melting, molding and shakeout operations. Mass median aerodynamic diameters for the distributions determined by histogram were $0.48-1.65{\mu}m$ for small and $13.43-19.58{\mu}m$ for large modes. In the dust samples collected at the finishing operations, however, only a large mode of $18.89{\mu}m$ was found. 2. The percentages of total to respirable dust concentration calculated from the impactor data ranged from 42 % to 66 %. The average concentrations of respirable dust by cyclone were $0.85-1.28mg/m^3$ collected from the workers, and were $0.23-0.56mg/m^3$ from the areas surveyed. Dust concentrations of personal samples were statistically significantly higher than those of area samples. The highest dust concentration was obtained from the personal samples of the finishing operation. 3. The mean percentages of silicon and oxygen estimated by SEM-EDXA in the bulk samples ranged from 35.83 % to 36.02 % and from 39.93 %-41.64 %, respectively. 4. The average quartz contents estimated by FTIR in the respirable dust from personal samples ranged from 4.32 % to 5.36 % and 4.54 % to 4.70 % in the bulk samples. No statistical difference of quartz content was found between foundry operations. In this study, quartz content was quantified by FTIR. Although no statistically significant difference in quartz content between airborne and bulk, samples and between different foundry operations was found, it is recommended that quartz content in the individual sample of respirable dust be analyzed and the results be used either to select an applicable quartz limits or to calculate the exposure limit. Further studies, however, are needed to compare the results by FTIR and XRD since it is reported that the quartz content determined by FTIR is different from that by XRD.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.43 no.4
• /
• pp.247-256
• /
• 2017

Objectives: The deaths of Korean victims exposed to the disinfectant CMIT/MIT have remained unresolved. This is mainly due to a lack of concordance between the few available toxicity tests and the abundant epidemiological data, making it difficult to establish a cause-and-effect relationship. Therefore, this study was carried out to investigate any potential associations between CMIT/MIT exposure and death. Methods: Groups of experimental and control C57BL/6 mice were instilled (in the trachea) with chloromethylisothiazolinone/methylisothiazolinone (CMIT/MIT) using a visual instillobot. CMIT/MIT was instilled over a period of three days and eight weeks, respectively, to achieve acute and chronic exposures. A threshold dose-response model was applied for estimating the threshold level as one line of evidence for a causal association between CMIT/MIT and death. Results: An acute exposure of 1.2 mg ai/kg/day of CMIT/MIT was estimated to reflect the threshold for death. The dose-response curve with this threshold showed a very steep slope and a narrow range of CMIT/MIT exposures. The narrow range of CMIT/MIT exposures, in particular, indicated an evident boundary between survival and death, thus implicating a strong causal association. A similar threshold dose-response relationship observed following acute exposure was also seen following chronic exposure to CMIT/MIT. Airborne disinfectant exposure was visible as minimal or mild lung damage with no fibrosis, as shown by histopathological tests. However, many observations are considered to be functional respiratory tract or lung failure due to death, as observed in necropsies of the mice that died due to CMIT/MIT exposures. Conclusions: There are two strong lines of evidence for a causal association between death and CMIT/MIT exposure: 1) The threshold dose-response curve, with a very steep slope and a narrow range of CMIT/MIT exposures showing a visible boundary between survival and death; and 2) many cases of functional respiratory or lung failure.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.6 no.1
• /
• pp.1-16
• /
• 1996

This study was conducted at an automobile assembly line located in Kyonggi-do, Korea from January 16 to February 28, 1995. The purposes of this study were to assess worker exposures to hand-arm vibration and the performance of gloves for reduction of vibration. The exposure to vibration was measured using to the ISO 5349(1986) method. Vibration acceleration and frequency spectra for each tool were determined on-line replicating actual working conditions and analyzed together with exposure time for evaluating individual worker exposure. Eight pneumatic hand tools, 60 workers exposured to hand-arm vibration, and three pairs of gloves were involved in this study. Results are summarized as follows. 1. Dominant frequencies of vibration for all tools(n=8) measured in this study ranged from 250 Hz to 800 Hz. 2. There was no significant correleration between dominant frequencies and free running speed (p>0.05). 3. Total predicted exposure times of using impact, hammer type did not exceed 40 minutes, but metal finish task, using grinder and sander exceeded 40 minutes. Total exposure time affected significantly the frequency-weighted, 4 hr equivalent acceleration. 4. Predicted prevalence and observed exposure period data were compared in workers(n=60), according to ISO 5349. In this results, 23(50.0 %) and 24(48.07 %) persons exceeded the mean latency periods for vibration-induced white finger(VWF) at 10 % (n=46) and 50 % (n=52) standards, respectively. On the basis of ISO equation, mean latent periods for VWF were 3.23, 4.72 years at 10 %, 50 % standards, respectively. 5. Reduction of vibration by gloves was evaluated. Since impact pneumatic tools produced low frequency vibrations, conventional gloves did not provide any protection. Gloves A and C amplify somewhat the signal at frequency below 400 Hz; the attenuation increases progressively by frequency to reach 18 dB ($7.94{\times}10^{-6}m/s^2$) at 1,000 Hz, slightly worsening Glove B did not provide any protection and made the situation slightly worse. However, since they make the hands warm, the occurrence of vibration-induced white fingers may be reduced.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.35 no.1
• /
• pp.11-20
• /
• 2009

This study was conducted in industrial area. The level of nitrogen dioxide was measured indoor, outdoor, work and personal in an study area within 5 km from source of pollution and control area 15 km farther from August, 2006 to September. The followings are the summary of this research. The concentration of the indoor and the outdoor $NO_2$ levels in the industrial area are 18.41$\pm$6.35 ppb, 18.51$\pm$3.26 ppb each, and the indoor/outdoor concentration rate is 0.99. The concentration of $NO_2$ in the workplace is 18.59$\pm$10.16 ppb, and the individual exposure rate is 18.80$\pm$5.71 ppb. The concentration of the indoor and the outdoor $NO_2$ levels control area are 12.57$\pm$3.82 ppb, 9.68$\pm$2.16 ppb each, and the indoor/outdoor concentration rate is 1.33. The personal exposure rate is 14.49$\pm$10.06 ppb. The residents of the each area and those of the comparative area spend 80.9% and 76.9% each their time in the indoor. It shows they spend most of their time in indoor. The predictions of the individual exposure rates in the industrial area and the comparative area are 15.10$\pm$6.14 ppb and 10.52$\pm$3.82 ppb each, The concentration levels measured by passive sampler are 18.80$\pm$5.71 ppb and 14.49$\pm$10.34 ppb each. The result of the research is the analysis of the personal exposure rate in indoor, outdoor and workplace of industrial area. This research may bo used as a basic data to manage and to establish the plan for $NO_2$ gas of the industrial area.