• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.113-117
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• 2014

The mechanisms by which iron is absorbed are similar to those of divalent metals, particularly manganese, lead, and cadmium. These metals, however, show different toxicokinetics in relation to menarche or menopause, although their interaction with iron is the same. This review focuses on the kinetics of these three toxic metals (manganese, lead, and cadmium) in relation to menarche, pregnancy, and menopause. The iron-manganese interaction is the major factor determining sex-specific differences in blood manganese levels throughout the whole life cycle. The effects of estrogen overshadow the association between iron deficiency and increased blood lead concentrations, explaining why women, despite having lower ferritin concentrations, have lower blood lead concentrations than men. Iron deficiency is associated with elevated cadmium levels in premenopausal women, but not in postmenopausal women or men; these findings indicate that sex-specific differences in cadmium levels at older ages are not due to iron-cadmium interactions, and that further studies are required to identify the source of these differences. In summary, the potential causes of sex-specific differences in the blood levels of manganese, lead, and cadmium differ from each other, although all these three metals are associated with iron deficiency. Therefore, other factors such as estrogen effects, or absorption rate as well as iron deficiency, should be considered when addressing environmental exposure to toxic metals and sex-specific differences in the blood levels of these metals.

• Journal of the Korean Solar Energy Society
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.24-33
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• 2013

Renewable energy industries, including sola cell plants, has been ever increasing ones for reducing fossil fuel consumption and strengthening national energy policy. In this paper we tried to identify occupational health hazards in solar cell-related industries operated in Korea. Poly silicon, silicon ingot and wafer, solar cell and module are major processes for producing solar cells. Poly silicon operations may cause hazards to workers from metal silicon, silanes, silicon, hydro fluoric acid and nitric acid. Solar cells could not be constructed without using metals such as aluminum and silver, acids such as hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid, bases such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, and solvent and phosphorus chloride oxide. Workers in module assembly process may exposed to isopropanol, flux, solders that contain lead, tin and/or copper. To prevent occupational exposure to these hazards, it is essential to identify the hazards in each process and educate workers in industries with proper engineering and administrative control measures.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.19-25
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• 2017

Previous studies have found that firefighters have a tenfold higher prevalence of Parkinson's disease (PD) compare to the general population. Firefighters are constantly exposed to various occupational hazards including toxic chemicals of fire residue and the toxic chemicals can effects development and progression of PD. Nevertheless, there were no studies about the association between exposure to chemical byproducts of combustion and the development of PD among firefighters. Thus the aim of this study is to look into existing researches regarding the effect of chemical byproducts of combustion on the development of PD. An extensive literature search was conducted to identify harmful chemical components of smoke and fire residue, using the PubMed database during November of 2016. We searched for relevant articles by combining several keywords that contained "Parkinson's disease" and each of the different toxic chemicals, yielding a total of 1401 articles. After applying the selection criteria, 12 articles were chosen. Chemical substances reported to have a harmful effect on PD, in at least one article, were carbon monoxide, toluene, manganese and lead. Carbon monoxide and metal substances including manganese and lead were found to be associated with an increased PD risk in more than two articles. There was a heightened risk of PD in firefighters due to exposure of chemical byproducts of combustion including carbon monoxide, toluene, manganese and lead. However, to the best of our knowledge, to support this result we need more systematic epidemiological studies about these risk factors of PD among firefighters. In addition, further studies for the effects of prolonged exposure to toxic fire residue on the development and progression of PD in firefighters are needed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.43-52
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• 2007

This study was designed to investigate the difference of airborne lead concentration by type of lead industries and type of lead exposure and to evaluate their association with lead biomarkers of lead workers in 11 lead using industries. Total of 182 lead workers (male: 167, female: 15) from 11 lead industries were participated for this study from March, 2004 to August, 2005. Airborne lead concentration were measured by representative personal sampling of workers in each unit workplace and applied same concentration value to the workers in the same unit workplace who did not measure their airborne lead with personal air sampling. Tibia lead, blood lead, zinc protoporphyrin in whole blood, ${\delta}$-aminolevulinic acid in urine, hemoglobin and hematocrit were selected as study variables of indices of lead exposure. Information about type of lead exposure (fume or non-fume other), age, work duration, smoking & drinking habit were also collected. Significant differences were seen in the means of zinc protoporphyrin, blood lead and tibia lead in lead workers by different airborne lead concentration in workplace. While blood lead and tibia lead in lead workers were significantly higher in secondary smelting than other types of lead industries, zinc protoporphyrin, ${\delta}$-aminolevulinic acid in urine and airborne lead concentration were significantly higher in litharge manufacturing. While the mean blood lead was significantly higher in the lead workers working in fume type unit workplace than those of non-fume lead workers, the mean airborne lead concentration of fume workers was significantly lower than non-fume lead workers. In the multiple regression analysis of airborne lead concentration and the type of lead exposure on tibia lead and lead exposure indices after adjustment of related covariates, airborne lead concentration was statistically significantly associated with blood lead and tibia lead, but the type of lead exposure was only associated with blood lead. To verify the causal association of airborne lead concentration on blood lead and tibia lead, further studies are needed.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.17-30
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• 2023

The human reproductive system can be affected by occupational exposure to many physical and chemical risk factors. This study was carried out to review the studies conducted on the issue of the pathophysiological effects of occupational physical and chemical risk factors on the reproductive system of females and males. In this systematic review, the databases such as "Google Scholar," "Pub-Med," "Scopus," and "Web of Science" were used. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA 2020), the studies included in our study were published between 2000 and 2021. In order to extract the required data, all sections of the articles were reviewed. Out of 57 articles we reviewed, 34 articles were related to field studies and 23 articles to clinical studies. Among them, 43 studies dealt with the pathophysiological effects of chemical agents, six studies dealt with the pathophysiological effects of physical factors, and 8 studies dealt with the pathophysiological effects of physicochemical factors on the human reproductive system. Physical (noise, heat, and radiofrequency radiation) and chemical (such as carbamate and organophosphate pesticides, benzene, toluene, xylene, formaldehyde, NO2, CS2, manganese, lead, nickel, and n-hexane) risk factors had pathophysiological effects on the human reproductive system. The presence of these risk factors in the workplace caused damage to the human reproductive system. The rate of these negative pathophysiological effects can be reduced by performing appropriate managerial, technical, and engineering measures in work environments.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.229-235
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• 2011

Objectives: In this study, we summarized the External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS) for the biological monitoring of occupational exposure to toxic chemicals which started in 1995 and continued until a $31^{st}$ round robin in the spring of 2010. The program was performed twice per year until 2009, and this was changed to once a year since 2010. The objective of the program is to ensure the reliability of the data related to biological monitoring from analytical laboratories. Methods: One hundred and eighteen laboratories participated in the $31^{st}$ round robin. The program offers 5 items for inorganic analysis: lead in blood, cadmium in blood, manganese in blood, cadmium in urine, and mercury in urine. It also offers 10 items for organic analysis, including hippuric acid, methylhippuric acid, mandelic acid, phenylglyoxylic acid, N-methylformamide, N-methylacetamide, trichloroacetic acid, total trichloro-compounds, trans,trans-muconic acid, and 2,5-hexanedione in urine. Target values were determined by statistical analysis using consensus values. All the data, such as chromatograms and calibration curves, were reviewed by the committee. Results: The proficiency rate was below 70% prior to the first round robin and improved to over 90% for common items, such as PbB and HA, while those for other items still remained in the range of 60-90% and need to be improved up to 90%. Conclusion: The EQAS has taken a primary role in improving the reliability of analytical data. A total quality assurance scheme is suggested, including the validation of technical documentation for the whole analytical procedure.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.261-271
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• 2007

To provide necessary information for future environmental monitoring of storage batteries in Korea, authors analyzed environmental monitoring dataset of air lead concentration of 12 storage battery industries measured during 1989-2006. We calculated geometric mean and standard deviation with minimum and maximum value of each year dataset. Air lead concentration data were analyzed according to year of measurement, type of grid manufacturing method (grid casting type or expander type), size of industries and type of operation (casting, lead powder & pasting, assembly and others). The geometric mean and standard deviation of all lead industries for overall 18 years were $72{\mu}g/m^3$ and 3.65 with minimum of $6{\mu}g/m^3$ and maximum of $7,956{\mu}g/m^3$. The geometric mean air lead concentrations of years between 1989-1999 were above the Korean PEL($50{\mu}g/m^3$), whereas those of years after year 2000 were below the Korean PEL showing 50% of it. The geometric mean concentration of air lead was significantly lower in expander method battery industries than that of grid method battery industries and was lower in large sized battery industries than small & medium sized ones throughout the whole 18 years period. The distributions of over PEL($50{\mu}g/m^3$) were decreased by the years of environmental monitoring and those were lower in expander method battery industries than grid method battery industries. The significant reduction of mean air lead concentration during last 10 years may be induced partly due to more active environmental engineering control and new introduction of new operation in grid method battery industries, but may be also influenced by non-engineering method such as reduction of operation hours or reduction of exposure time during actual environmental measurement by industrial hygienist which is not concrete evidence, but just circumstantial evidence.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.165-172
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• 2000

This study was carried out to investigate relationship between plasma $\delta$ - aminolevulinic acid (ALAP) and lead exposure indices in exposure to lead. The subjects were 218 male workers in 2 storage battery companies and 2 secondary smelting companies. Blood lead(PbB), blood zinc-protoporphyrin( ZPP), urinary $\delta$ - aminolevulinic acid (ALAU), hemoglobin(Hb), and hematocrit(Hct) were measured as lead exposure indices. The results were as follows, 1. The means of blood lead and blood ZPP concentration of subjects were $27.2{\pm}14.0{\mu}g/d{\ell}$ and $55.1{\pm}47.6{\mu}g/d{\ell}$, respectively. The means of plasma $\delta$ - ALA and urinary $\delta$ - ALA concentration were $18.9{\pm}25.1{\mu}g/d{\ell}$ and $2.1{\pm}4.6mg/{\ell}$, respectively. 2. The concentration of ALAP was $11.2{\mu}g/{\ell}$ for below $20{\mu}g/d{\ell}$ PbB, $12.8{\mu}g/{\ell}$ for from $21-40{\mu}g/d{\ell}$ PbB, and $51.2{\mu}g/{\ell}$ for over $40{\mu}g/d{\ell}$ PbB, respectively. 3. ALAP was significantly correlated with ALAU(r=0.829, p<0.01), ZPP(r=0.724, p<0.01) and PbB(r=0.552, p<0.01).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.12-16
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• 2002

Workers' exposure to lead particles with diverse characteristics was assessed using personal cascade impactors in four different industries. Correlation analyses found that total airborne lead (PbA) concentrations could not explain the variation on MMAD of lead particles. From regression analysis, the concentrations of lead particles smaller than 1 um in AD were found to rise very slowly with increases in total PbA. They rarely contributed more than 50 ㎍/㎥ of total PbA over the range of 5.6-7,740 ㎍/㎥ although there are a few high values greater than 100 ㎍/㎥ while respirable lead concentrations significantly increased with increasing total PbA concentrations. In the secondary smelting and radiator manufacturing industries requiring high temperatures, the average fraction of respirable concentration in total PbA was 43.3% and 48.9%, respectively, which indicated an important contribution to the total PbA. In lead powder and battery manufacturing, it was less than 27%. Our study results concluded that workers' exposure to lead particles with diverse characteristics might not be effectively monitored by the current total PbA sampling alone. To protect workers exposed to different sizes of lead particles generated in many operations, an occupational standard for respirable lead particles should be added to the current total lead standard.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.30-40
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• 2003

The study subjects included the workers who were estimated to have been exposed in a low density of lead-laden glaze from pottery manufacturers. They were evaluated in terms of PbB and PbU as indices of lead concentration in the body, and Hb, Hct, ALAD, and FEP as indices of biochemical lead poisoning. Consequently, the study results revealed the relationship between each of indices and its effectiveness to indicate the degree of occupational lead exposure. 1. The mean of PbB was $22.85{\;}{\mu}g/d{\ell}$(range; $4.2~44.7{\;}{\mu}g/d{\ell}$) and PbU $45.69{\mu}g/d{\ell}$(range; $6.7~87.5{\mu}g/d{\ell}$), to indicate the level of lead exposure in the subjects. 2. While there was a high, linear correlation between PbB, PbU and FEP (r=0.835, r=0.855, respectively), a low correlation existed between PbB and ALAD(r=-0.240). 3. While there was a high, linear correlation between PbU and FEP(r=0.825), a low correlation existed between PbU and ALAD(r=-0.352). The above results suggest that FEP can be used as a highly useful biochemical index of lead poisoning, based on its high correlation with PbB and PbU indicating lead concentration in the body.