Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Cheol Ho Yi

6 Articles

A Study on Olfactory Function in Painters Exposed to Organic Solvent in a Shipyard: Keong Bum Min, Jun Seok Son, Chang Ho Chae, Young Wook Kim, Cheol Ho Yi, Chan Woo Kim, Young Who Shin; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2009;21(3):246-258. Published online September 30, 2009; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2009.21.3.246

OBJECTIVES
To investigate the effect of the occupational exposure to organic solvent on the olfactory function of shipyard painters; we measured the prevalence of olfactory function impairment between the exposure group and the controls by using the Korean Version of the Sniffin'Stick (KVSS) test through smell, and by analyzing factors related to olfactory alteration.
METHODS
The olfactory function of 245 painters exposed to organic solvents was compared to that of 122 unexposed controls. A total of 367 shipyard subjects underwent questionnaire study and the olfactory function test was performed by KVSS test I from April to August 2007. Suspected subjects of abnormal findings were referred to an otorhinolaryngologist. In addition, the Biologic Exposure Index (BEI) and industrial hygiene laboratory data were collected as well as analyzed by job title in the exposure group.
RESULTS
The difference in the result of KVSS test I was significantly different from the exposure group and the controls (P<0.05). For the exposure group, reduced olfaction and exposure group were correlated with statistical significance when compared to the controls (P<0.01). Adjusting for work duration, smoking, rhinitis or sinusitis history, exposure of the organic solvent (OR 1.76, 95% CI=1.05-2.96) had a statistically meaningful relationship with decreased olfaction. The data on BEI for the exposure group were collected; the difference in methylhippuric acid was significant between spray workers and others, but did not correlate well with decreased olfaction.
CONCLUSION
Occupational exposure to organic solvents in shipyard painters may affect the olfactory function. Therefore, shipyard painters should be monitored on a periodic bases by the quantitative test such as KVSS test. There is no other quantitative testing method or standardized procedure that can objectively diagnose the neurotoxic effect, further enhanced quality research in this field is necessary.

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Overview of occupational cancer in painters in Korea
Jun-Pyo Myong, Younmo Cho, Min Choi, Hyoung-Ryoul Kim
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2018;[Epub] CrossRef
Ergonomic Research Trends in the Shipbuilding Industry: Present and the Future
Yu-Chang Kim
Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea.2012; 31(1): 131. CrossRef

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Analysis of Worker's Compensation Claims for the Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Diseases: Jae Hong Ryoo, Eun Hee Ha, Soo Geun Kim, Jeong Youn Kim, Yong Kyu Kim, Eui Cheol Lee, Cheol Ho Yi, Jun Seok Son; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2007;19(1):38-46. Published online March 31, 2007; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2007.19.1.38

Abstract PDF

OBJECTIVES
This study was performed to provide fundamental data to judge whether or not cerebro and cardiovascular diseases are work-related, by comparing the characteristics between approved and non-approved cases among the worker's compensation claims.
METHODS
We collected 12,309 cerebro and cardiovascular disease claims based on the worker's compensation records of the Labor Welfare Corporation from 2000 to 2004. The approved and non-approved cases were analyzed according to factors such as the calendar year, industry, company size, occupation, gender, age group, classification of cerebro and cardiovascular diseases, fatality and underlying diseases. We used x2-test and multivariate logistic regression for the analysis.
RESULTS
According to multivariate logistic regression, electricity gas and water supply (OR=4.18, 95% CI=1.43~12.17), construction (OR=2.39, 95% CI=1.22~4.69) and manufacturing (OR=2.10, 95% CI=1.08~4.07) industries had a higher approval rate than mining and quarrying industries. Service workers and sales & marketing department workers (OR=1.90, 95% CI=1.47~2.47), professionals (OR=1.83, 95% CI=1.50~2.23), technicians and associate professionals (OR=1.63, 95% CI=1.35~1.97) and legislators and senior officials and managers (OR=1.62, 95% CI=1.24~2.12) had a higher approval rate than plant and machine operators and assemblers. Female workers had a higher approval rate (OR=1.31, 95% CI=1.13~1.53) than male workers. Cerebrovascular diseases had a higher approval rate (OR=2.75, 95% CI=2.42~3.13) than cardiovascular diseases. Fatal cases had a higher approval rate (OR=6.01, 95% CI=4.89~7.38) than surviving cases.
CONCLUSION
For cerebro and cardiovascular diseases, workers' compensation claims are increasing, approval rates are relatively high and factors such as industry, company size, occupation, gender and fatality are related. A remarkable difference in the approval rate was found according to industry and occupation, suggesting the need for further study to identify which factors influence the approval rate. The approval rate for intracerebral hemorrhage arising in the course of employment (COE) was significantly higher than that arising out of employment (AOE), suggesting the need to correct the approval criteria.

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The effect of long working hours on cerebrovascular and cardiovascular disease; A case‐crossover study
Kyong‐sok Shin, Yun kyung Chung, Young‐Jun Kwon, Jun‐Seok Son, Se‐hoon Lee
American Journal of Industrial Medicine.2017; 60(9): 753. CrossRef
Compensation for Work-Related Cerebrocardiovascular Diseases
Jong-Uk Won, Inah Kim
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2014; 29(Suppl): S12. CrossRef
A Study on the Prevalence and Influencing Factors of Metabolic Syndrome among Police Officers
Ju Hee Hong, Sa-Woo Lee
Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.2014; 24(4): 566. CrossRef
Long Working Hours and Work-related Cerebro-cardiovascular Disease in Korea
Yun Kyung CHUNG, Young-jun KWON
Industrial Health.2013; 51(5): 552. CrossRef
The Effect of Nutrition Education on Nutrition Knowledge and Health Improvement in Dyslipidemic Industrial Employees
Kyung-Soon Sim, Kyung-Hea Lee
Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association.2012; 18(1): 43. CrossRef
Work-related Cerebro-Cardiovascular Diseases in Korea
Dae-Seong Kim, Seong-Kyu Kang
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2010; 25(Suppl): S105. CrossRef
Factors Affecting the Designation of Cerebrovascular Diseases as Work-Related in Administrative Litigation
Hyeongsu Kim, Jaewook Choi, Hwayoung Rim, Sounghoon Chang, Kunsei Lee
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2008; 23(2): 236. CrossRef

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A case of Peripheral Neuropathy After High Electrical Injury: Jun Seok Son, Chang Ho Chae, Young Wook Kim, Keong Bum Min, Cheol Ho Yi; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2006;18(4):345-351. Published online December 31, 2006; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2006.18.4.345

Abstract PDF: BACKGROUND
With increasing industrial development, opportunities are growing to contact electricity in the workplace or home. Therefore, the risk of electrical accident has been increased gradually. In general, electrical injuries involve the extremities and result in amputation or severe disability of limbs. Delayed spinal cord injury and peripheral neuropathies following electrical accidents are extremely rare.
CASE
REPORT: A 32-year-old man with 10 years working experience at a CRT-monitor manufacturer with repetitive exposures to high voltage current visited our hosipital. He complained of left leg weakness and atrophy, and intermittent pain. The symptoms were progressive. Other symptoms occurred such as nocturia, hesitancy, and weak urinary stream. We examined the patient and conducted EMG, L-spine MRI, neurometer test, isokinetic strength test, and physical examination. The results showed neural injuries due to anterior horn lesions or compression of the left femoral nerve pathway, with a consequent diagnosis of neurogenic bladder.

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Occupational disease surveillance system in Busan, Ulsan, Kyung-Nam area: Jung Il Kim, Byung Gwan Kim, Jung Won Kim, Chang Ho Chae, Cheol Ho Yi, Dongmug Kang, Ji Hong Kim, Jin Ha Kim, Young Wook Kim, Young Ha Lee, Ji Ho Lee, Younghee Choi, Jung Ho Kim, Hyung Ryul Yun, Cheol In Yoo, Baek Geun Jeong, Tae Won Jang, Yun Gyu Kim, Dong Young Yun, Jin Uk Kang, Jong Eun Kim, Jin Hong Ahn, Dong Joon Lee, Joon Ho Jang, Kwang Young Lee, Hyu Ran Song, Yong Hwan Lee, Byung Man Cho, Hong Ryul Choi, Sang Baek Koh, Euna Kim, Yu Jin Lee, Young Seoub Hong, Kap Yeol Jung, Jung Man Kim, Joon Youn Kim; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2004;16(1):1-12. Published online March 31, 2004; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2004.16.1.1

Abstract PDF

OBJECTIVE: Occupational medicine specialists in the Busan, Ulsan and Kyung-Nam areas established an area-based occupational disease surveillance system and used this system to collected case information for the purpose of preventing occupational diseases METHODS: 11 hospitals participated in this system. The authors selected five main diseases, which were hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS), work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WRMSD), occupational asthma, occupational skin disease and occupational lung cancer and established their case definitions. All cases were reported on the web, and real time analysis was conducted.
RESULTS
Between Apri1 2001 and April 2003, 192 cases of HAVS, 118 cases of WRMSD, 33 cases of occupational asthma, 17 cases of occupational skin disease and 17 cases of occupational lung cancer (for a total of 377 cases of these five main diseases) were reported. Most of the HAVS cases came from shipbuilding, and 172 of them (92.7 %) were associated with grinding. Of the four main types of WRMSD, carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) was the most prevalent with 46 cases and shipbuilding was also the main industry involved (83.9 %). The ergonomic risk factors involved mainly associated with the hand. In 19 (57.6 %) and 4 (12.1 %) cases of occupational asthma, the agents included isocyanate and welding fume, respectively. 64.7 % of the cases of occupational skin diseases were contact dermatitis, and organic solvents and welding fume were the main agents involved. The causative agents of occupational lung cancer included Cr, welding fume, PAH, Ni, etc. 10 (58.8 %) of the cases were diagnosed as squamous cell carcinoma and 5 (29.4 %) as adenoma.
CONCLUSION
This result showed that an area-based occupational disease surveillance system might provide an effective method of evaluating the prevalence of such diseases, however the Busan, Ulsan and Kyung-Nam provinces are too large to be treated as individual areas. Therefore, the authors suggest that each province should establish its own surveillance system.

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Work-relatedness of lung cancer by smoking and histologic type in Korea
Young-Il Lee, Sang-Gil Lee, Dong-Mug Kang, Jong-Eun Kim, Young-Ki Kim, Jong-Han Leem, Hwan-Cheol Kim
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2014;[Epub] CrossRef
Occupational Skin Diseases in Korea
Yeon-Soon Ahn, Min-Gi Kim
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2010; 25(Suppl): S46. CrossRef

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The Serum Copper and Zinc Concentration according to the Progression of Pneumoconiosis: Jung Rae Park, Jong Wook Park, Su Ill Lee, Cheol Ho Yi, Cha Jae O, Chang Won Kim, Byung Mann Cho, Don Kyoun Kim; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2000;12(3):384-394. Published online September 30, 2000; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2000.12.3.384

Abstract PDF: OBJECTIVES
Copper and Zinc, the trace elements of a living body, take a part in immunologic mechanism and induce the pulmonary fibrosis which is the pathologic progress of pneumoconiosis. This study was performed to assist the identification of the pathologic process of pulmonary fibrosis in pneumoconiosis.
METHODS
The subjects of this study was 200 diagnosed persons as pneumoconiosis, of whom 100 persons was the visitors in the outpatients departments of pneumoconiosis and 100 admissive pneumoconiosis patients. The serum copper and zinc are measured and com pared.
RESULTS
The mean serum copper concentration of visitor group was significantly higher than that of control group, and that of stage V3 subgroup of visitor group was highest because of their advanced fibrosis. But, there was not the difference of serum copper concentration between patient and control group. We thought that the reason was poor nutritional and health status of the patient. The mean of serum zinc concentration of visitor and patient control was lower than that of control group. As the degree of pulmonary fibrosis was more severe from stage Vl, V2, V3 of visitor to stage Pl, P2, P3 of patient, the mean of serum zinc concentration was lower. The ratio of serum copper/zinc of visitor and patient was higher than that of control, and that of patient was higher than that of visitor. Those results showed that the ratio of serum copper/zinc ratio more greatly expressed the degree of progression of pneumoconiosis than only copper or zinc concentration by adjustment of nutritional and health status of the patient.
CONCLUSIONS
As above study results, the degree of pulmonary fibrosis of pneumoconiosis could be estimated by means of serum copper/zinc ratio.

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A Study on the Risk Factors of Low Back Pain in Computer Terminal Operators: Cheol Ho Yi, Jung Rae Park, Ae Ri Cha, Kwang Wook Koh, Young Wook Kim, Su Ill Lee; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1999;11(2):264-275. Published online June 30, 1999; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.1999.11.2.264

Abstract PDF

Low back pain in computer terminal operators is a very common but important symptom. While the occupational risk factors of low back pain were approved obscurely, there have been few studies on analysis or understanding of occupational risk factors. Therefore, we studied occupational risk factors of low back pain, especially for ergonomic factors as well as general characteristics of workers. We selected 98 subjects for this study, computer terminal operators ordinary using computers in Pusan. We calculated the subjective severity of low back pain of each operator by the Low Back Pain Scoring System. The relation of low back pain score to general characteristics of worker was also analyzed. We analyzed the relationship between low back pain score and individual efforts to prevent low back pain. We measured the ergonomic factors of each computer terminal operator - Trunk Jnclination(TI), Arm Flexion(AF), Elbow Angle(EA), Head Tilting(HT), Knee Angle(KA), using of foot plate and gap between the popliteum and chair. The correlations between these ergonomic factors and low back pain score were then analyzed. And the results are as follows: 1. The prevalence rate of low back pain in computer terminal operators was 39.8% in this study, when low back pain score was converted by the low back pain scoring system. 2. According to general characteristics of workers related to low back pain, the scores were higher in the older age group, the married and the longer work carriers. (p < 0.05) 3. In the analysis of the relationship between low back pain score and individual effort to prevent low back pain, regular exercise, history of schooling for prevention of low back pain, and declaration of intention to participate in low back pain education or exercise were stastistically significant(p < 0.05). And the more severe the low back pain, the higher the intention to participate in low back pain education they had in this study. 4. In the analyses of relationships or correlations between low back pain score and each of the 7 categories of ergonomic factors, only head tilting had a weak reverse correlation with low back pain(r=-0.2999, p < 0.01). From now on, cohort studies for the risk factors of low back pain of workers, who have been forced to work in non-ergonomical positioning at the work site, will be necessary. On the background of these ergonomic studies, the occupational health profession should be required to manage ergonomic working conditions.

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Tae-Hyeong Kim, Hyun-Jun Jee, Chan-Woo Bae, Sil-Ah Choi
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Jong-Won Choi, Min-Young Kim, Sung-Hwa Kim, Bo-Hyun Son, Su-Min Lee, Yu-Jeong Lee, Da-Vin Jang, Hyo-Min Je, Ki-Hyun Kim
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Risk Factor, Job Stress and Quality of Life in Workers With Lower Extremity Pain Who Use Video Display Terminals
Sehoon Choi, Seong Ho Jang, Kyu Hoon Lee, Mi Jung Kim, Si-Bog Park, Seung Hoon Han
Annals of Rehabilitation Medicine.2018; 42(1): 101. CrossRef

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