• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제20권3호
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• pp.203-215
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• 2010

This study is an overview of toxicities and measurement techniques of ultrafine particles (UFPs), and their exposure controls. UFPs are ubiquitous in many working situations. Exposure to UFPs is possibly causing adverse health symptoms including cardio-respiratory disease to humans. In order to measure exposure levels of airborne UFPs, there are current available measurement guidelines, instruments and other techniques (i.e. contour mapping, control banding). However, these risk assessment techniques including measurement techniques, controls and guidelines are dependent on background levels, metrics (e.g. size, mass, number, surface area, composition), environmental conditions and controls. There are no standardized measurement methods available and no generic and specific occupational exposure standards for UFPs. It is thought that there needs to be more effort to develop Regulations and Exposure Standards for generic UFPs should be based on more exposure data, health surveys, toxicological data and epidemiological data. A carefully considered hierarchy of controls can also reduce the maximum amount of airborne UFPs being emitted from diverse sources in industries.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• 제6권2호
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• pp.96-103
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• 2012

Ambient particulate matter (PM) and particle-bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations were measured continuously for 70 days at a Korean elementary school located near a highway. The $PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$, and $PM_1$ values were measured with a light-scattering, multi-channel, aerosol spectrometer (Grimm, Model 1.107). The number concentrations of the particles were measured using a scanning mobility particle sizer and counter (SMPS+C) which counted particles from 11.1 to 1083.3 nm classified in 44 channels. Particle-bound PAHs were measured with a direct reading, photoelectric aerosol sensor. The daily $NO_2$, $SO_2$, and CO concentrations were obtained from a national air-monitoring station located near the school. The average concentrations of $PM_{10}$, $PM_{2.5}$, and $PM_1$ were 75.3, 59.3, and $52.1{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. The average number concentration of the ultrafine particles (UFPs) was $46,307/cm^3$, and the averaged particle-bound PAHs concentration was $17.9ng/cm^3$ during the study period. The ambient UFP variation was strongly associated with traffic intensity, particularly peak concentrations during the traffic rush hours. Particles <100 nm corresponded to traffic-related pollutants, including PAHs. Additional longterm monitoring of ambient UFPs and high-resolution traffic measurements should be carried out in future studies. In addition, transient variations in the ambient particle concentration should be taken into consideration in epidemiology studies in order to examine the short-term health effects of urban UFPs.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• 제6권4호
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• pp.288-303
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• 2012

In this study, real time measurements of particle number size distribution in urban Gwangju, coastal Taean, and industrial Yeosu in Korea were conducted in 2008 to understand the occurrence of ultrafine particle (UFP) (<100 nm) events, the variation of its concentration among different sampling sites, and UFP formation pathways. Also, to investigate seasonal and long-term variation of the UFP number concentration, data were collected for the period of 5 years (2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012) in urban Gwangju. Photochemical and combustion events were found to be responsible for the formation of UFP in the urban Gwangju site, whereas only photochemical event led to the formation of UFP in the coastal Taean site. The highest UFP concentration was found in industrial Yeosu (the average UFP number fractions were 79, 59 and 58% in Yeosu, Gwangju, and Taean, respectively), suggesting that high amount of gas pollutants (e.g., $NO_2$, $SO_2$, and volatile organic carbon (VOC)) emitted from industries and their photochemical reaction contributed for the elevated UFP concentration in the industrial Yeosu site. The UFP fraction also showed a seasonal variation with the peak value in spring (61.5, 54.5, 50.5, and 40.7% in spring, fall, summer, and winter, respectively) at urban Gwangju. Annual average UFP number concentrations in urban Gwangju were $5.53{\times}10^3\;cm^{-3}$, $4.68{\times}10^3\;cm^{-3}$, $5.32{\times}10^3\;cm^{-3}$, $3.99{\times}10^3\;cm^{-3}$, and $2.16{\times}10^3\;cm^{-3}$ in the year 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, and 2012, respectively. Comparison of the annual average UFP number concentration with urban sites in other countries showed that the UFP concentrations of the Korean sites were lower than those in other urban cities, probably due to lower source strength in the current site. TEM/EDS analysis for the size-selected UFPs showed that the UFPs were classified into various types having different chemical species. Carbonaceous particles were observed in both combustion (soot and organics) and photochemical events (sulfate and organics). In the photochemical event, an internal mixture of organic species and ammonium sulfate/bisulfate was identified. Also, internal mixtures of aged Na-rich and organic species, aged Ca-rich particles, and doughnut shaped K-containing particles with elemental composition of a strong C with minor O, S, and K-likely to be originated from biomass burning nearby agricultural area, were observed. In addition, fly ash particles were also observed in the combustion event, not in the photochemical event.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제33권4호
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• pp.305-313
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• 2017

Accumulating epidemiological evidence indicates that exposure to fine air pollution particles (APPs) is associated with a variety of adverse health effects. However, the exact physiochemical properties and biological toxicities of fine APPs are still not well characterized. We collected four types of fine particle (FP) (diesel exhaust particles [DEPs], natural organic combustion [NOC] ash, synthetic organic combustion [SOC] ash, and yellow sand dust [YSD]) and investigated their physicochemical properties and in vitro biological toxicity. DEPs were almost entirely composed of ultrafine particles (UFPs), while the NOC, SOC, and YSD particles were a mixture of UFPs and FPs. The main elements in the DEPs, NOC ash, SOC ash, and YSD were black carbon, silicon, black carbon, and silicon, respectively. DEPs exhibited dose-dependent mutagenicity even at a low dose in Salmonella typhimurium TA 98 and 100 strains in an Ames test for genotoxicity. However, NOC, SOC, and YSD particles did not show any mutagenicity at high doses. The neutral red uptake assay to test cell viability revealed that DEPs showed dose-dependent potent cytotoxicity even at a low concentration. The toxicity of DEPs was relatively higher than that of NOC, SOC, and YSD particles. Therefore, these results indicate that among the four FPs, DEPs showed the highest in vitro biological toxicity. Additional comprehensive research studies such as chemical analysis and in vivo acute and chronic inhalation toxicity tests are necessary to determine and clarify the effects of this air contaminant on human health.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• 제3권1호
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• pp.58-66
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• 2012

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to review clinical characteristics and working environments of sudden cardiac death (SCD) cases associated with a tire manufacturer in Korea, and review possible occupational risk factors for cardiovascular disease including nanoparticles (ultrafine particles, UFPs). Methods: We reviewed (i) the clinical course of SCD cases and (ii) occupational and non-occupational risk factors including chemicals, the physical work environment, and job characteristics. Results: Possible occupational factors were chemicals, UFPs of rubber fume, a hot environment, shift work, overworking, and noise exposure. The mean diameter of rubber fume (63-73 nm) was (larger than diesel exhaust [12 nm] and outdoor dust [50 nm]). The concentration of carbon disulfide, carbon monoxide and styrene were lower than the limit of detection. Five SCD cases were exposed to shift work and overworking. Most of the cases had several non-occupational factors such as hypertension, overweight and smoking. Conclusion: The diameter of rubber fume was larger than outdoor and the diesel exhaust, the most well known particulate having a causal relationship with cardiovascular disease. The possibility of a causal relation between UFPs of rubber fume and SCD was not supported in this study. However, it is necessary to continue studying the relationship between large sized UFPs and SCD.