Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Joo-Yong Na

3 Articles

Acute Symptoms after a Community Hydrogen Fluoride Spill: Joo-Yong Na, Kuck-Hyun Woo, Seong-Yong Yoon, Seong-Yong Cho, In-Ung Song, Joo-An Kim, Jin-Seok Kim; Ann Occup Environ Med 2013;25:17-17. Published online September 19, 2013; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-4374-25-17

Objectives

This study was conducted to describe the demographic characteristics, and clinical signs and symptoms of patients who visited a general hospital because of the release of chemically hazardous hydrogen fluoride that occurred on September 27, 2012 in Gumi City, Korea.

Methods

The medical records at 1 general hospital 9 km from the accident site were reviewed using a standardized survey format. There were 1,890 non-hospitalized and 12 hospitalized patients exposed to hydrogen fluoride between September 27 and October 13 2012.

Results

Among the 12 hospitalized patients, 11 were discharged within 1 week and the other was hospitalized for 10 days. The chief complaints were respiratory symptoms such as hemoptysis and shortness of breath, gastrointestinal symptoms, neurologic symptoms, sore throat, and lip burn.

The number of non-hospitalized patients exhibited a bimodal distribution, peaking on the first and twelfth days after the accident. Their chief complaints were sore throat (24.1%), headache (19.1%), cough (13.1%), and eye irritation (9.2%); some patients were asymptomatic (6.2%). Patients who visited the hospital within 3 days (early patients) of the spill more often had shortness of breath (27.0%) and nausea (6.3%) as the chief complaints than patients who visited after 3 days (late patients) (3.5% and 2.6%, respectively). However, cough and rhinorrhea were more common in the late patients (14.0% and 3.3%, respectively) than in the early patients (5.0% and 0.0%, respectively). Patients who were closer to the accident site more often had shortness of breath and sputum as the chief complaints than patients who were farther away. The mean serum calcium concentration was 9.37 mg/dL (range: 8.4–11.0 mg/dL); none of the patients had a decreased serum calcium level. Among 48 pulmonary function test results, 4 showed decreased lung function. None of the patients had abnormal urine fluoride levels on the eighth day after exposure.

Conclusions

Patients hospitalized due to chemical hazard release of hydrogen fluoride had acute respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurologic health problems. Non-hospitalized patients have acute symptoms mainly related to upper respiratory irritation.

Citations

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Lessons Learned from Major Environmental Health Disasters in South Korea and the Role of Environmental Health Experts
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Journal of Environmental Health Sciences.2022; 48(1): 9. CrossRef
Comparative Analysis of Hydrogen Fluoride-Exposed Patients Based on Major Burn Criteria After the 2012 Gumi City Chemical Leak Disaster
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Journal of Burn Care & Research.2022; 43(4): 834. CrossRef
Lessons learned from reviewing a hospital’s disaster response to the hydrofluoric acid leak in Gumi city in 2012
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BMC Emergency Medicine.2021;[Epub] CrossRef
Chemical pneumonitis by prolonged hydrogen fluoride inhalation
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Respiratory Medicine Case Reports.2021; 32: 101338. CrossRef
Application of calcium nebulization for mass exposure to an accidental hydrofluoric acid spill
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Psychological Risk Factors for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Workers After Toxic Chemical Spill in Gumi, South Korea
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How Do I Diagnose and Treat Workers With Injuries From Hydrofluoric Acid?

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Acute Symptoms in Firefighters who Participated in Collection Work after the Community Hydrogen Fluoride Spill Accident
Seong-Yong Cho, Kuck-Hyun Woo, Jin-Seok Kim, Seong-Yong Yoon, Joo-Yong Na, Jin-Hyun Yu, Yong-Bae Kim
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2013; 25(1): 36. CrossRef

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Acute Symptoms in Firefighters who Participated in Collection Work after the Community Hydrogen Fluoride Spill Accident: Seong-Yong Cho, Kuck-Hyun Woo, Jin-Seok Kim, Seong-Yong Yoon, Joo-Yong Na, Jin-Hyun Yu, Yong-Bae Kim; Ann Occup Environ Med 2013;25:36-36. Published online November 28, 2013; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-4374-25-36

Abstract PDF PubReader ePub

Objectives

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between clinical status and work characteristics of firefighters and other public officers who engaged on collection duties in the site of the hydrogen fluoride spill that occurred on September 27, 2012, in Gumi City, South Korea.

Methods

We investigated the clinical status, personal history, and work characteristics of the study subjects and performed physical examination and several clinical examinations, including chest radiography, echocardiography, pulmonary function test, and blood testing in 348 firefighters, police officers, volunteer firefighters, and special warfare reserved force who worked at the hydrogen fluoride spill area.

Results

The subjects who worked near the accident site more frequently experienced eye symptoms (p = 0.026), cough (p = 0.017), and headache (p = 0.003) than the subjects who worked farther from the accident site. The longer the working hours at the accident area, the more frequently the subjects experienced pulmonary (p = 0.027), sputum (p = 0.043), and vomiting symptoms (p = 0.003). The subjects who did not wear respiratory protective devices more frequently experienced dyspnea than those who wore respiratory protective devices (p = 0.013). In the pulmonary function test, the subjects who worked near the accident site had a higher decease in forced vital capacity than the subjects who worked farther from the site (p = 0.019); however, no statistical association was found between serum calcium/phosphate level, echocardiography result, chest radiographic result, and probation work characteristics.

Conclusions

The subjects who worked near the site of the hydrogen fluoride spill, worked for an extended period, or worked without wearing respiratory protective devices more frequently experienced upper/lower respiratory, gastrointestinal, and neurological symptoms. Further follow-up examination is needed for the workers who were exposed to hydrogen fluoride during their collection duties in the chemical plant in Gumi City.

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Environmental Science and Pollution Research.2020; 27(9): 9803. CrossRef
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Yooeun Chae, Lia Kim, Rongxue Cui, Jieun Lee, Youn-Joo An
Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers.2020; 42(12): 610. CrossRef
Application of calcium nebulization for mass exposure to an accidental hydrofluoric acid spill
Michael Sung Pil Choe, Mi Jin Lee, Kang Suk Seo, Sin Kam, Keon Yeop Kim, Dongwook Je, Seong Hun Kim, Woo Young Nho, Hong In Park, Sujeong Shin, Hyun Wook Ryoo
Burns.2020; 46(6): 1337. CrossRef
Deriving hazardous concentrations of phenol in soil ecosystems using a species sensitivity distribution approach
Yooeun Chae, Lia Kim, Dokyung Kim, Rongxue Cui, Jieun Lee, Youn-Joo An
Journal of Hazardous Materials.2020; 399: 123036. CrossRef
Development of Methodology for Vulnerability Assessment of Chemical Accident in Terrestrial Ecosystem:(1) Focusing on the Trees
Yooeun Chae, Rongxue Cui, Jieun Lee, Lia Kim, Youn-Joo An
Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers.2020; 42(5): 229. CrossRef
Psychological Risk Factors for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Workers After Toxic Chemical Spill in Gumi, South Korea
Ji Young Song, Kyoung-Sook Jeong, Kyeong-sook Choi, Min-gi Kim, Yeon-Soon Ahn
Workplace Health & Safety.2018; 66(8): 393. CrossRef
Effects of fluorine on crops, soil exoenzyme activities, and earthworms in terrestrial ecosystems
Yooeun Chae, Dokyung Kim, Youn-Joo An
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.2018; 151: 21. CrossRef
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Combined acute inhalation of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid: a case report and literature review
Lucas Steverlynck, Nele Baert, Walter Buylaert, Peter De Paepe
Acta Clinica Belgica.2017; 72(4): 278. CrossRef
Innovative Monitoring of Atmospheric Gaseous Hydrogen Fluoride
Stefano Dugheri, Alessandro Bonari, Ilenia Pompilio, Alessandro Monti, Nicola Mucci, Giulio Arcangeli
International Journal of Analytical Chemistry.2016; 2016: 1. CrossRef
Effect of fluoride on the cell viability, cell organelle potential, and photosynthetic capacity of freshwater and soil algae
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Environmental Pollution.2016; 219: 359. CrossRef
Job Stress and Mental Health of Female Household Head Workers
Hyung Seon Kim, Min Kwon, Jinhwa Lee
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Physical therapy performance in the rehabilitation of survivors of the Kiss nightclub tragedy: an experience report
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Fisioterapia em Movimento.2015; 28(4): 649. CrossRef

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Occupational Factors Associated with Changes in the Body Mass Index of Korean Male Manual Workers: In-Woong Song, Kuck-Hyun Woo, Jin-Seok Kim, Seong-Yong Yoon, Joo-Yong Na, Jin-Hyun Yu, Seong-Yong Cho; Ann Occup Environ Med 2013;25:40-40. Published online December 27, 2013; DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/2052-4374-25-40

Abstract PDF PubReader ePub

Objectives

This study was carried out to analyze and compare the occupational factors that could influence changes in body mass index (BMI) in male manual workers stratified into short-term and long-term work experience groups.

Methods

The subjects were 299 male manual workers (sampled systematically) from 27 workplaces, who had undergone travelling medical examinations at a university hospital between March 28 and May 10, 2013, and had also undergone medical examinations at the same hospital in 2012. Their general and occupational characteristics were investigated through a structured, self-administered questionnaire. The BMI at each point in time was calculated based on the anthropometric results of the medical examinations. Multiple regression analyses were conducted on outcomes of the BMI change and predictors composed of the general and occupational characteristics, with the subjects stratified into groups with 5 years or less (short-term) versus more than 5 years (long-term) of work experience at the present post.

Results

In the short-term work experience group, the BMI increases of 3-shift workers and groups reporting disagreement with feeling “insufficient job control” and “lack of reward” at work, two of the subscales of job stress, were significantly higher than those of daytime workers and high-stress groups, respectively. In the long-term work experience group, However, although the BMI increase for 3-shift workers was also significantly higher than that of daytime workers, none of the job stress factors were significantly associated with a BMI increase, whereas the social factors of education and marital status were significant, and some lifestyle factors (such as smoking and regular exercise) were also significant.

Conclusion

This study showed that, except for 3-shift work, the factors associated with BMI increase could differ depending on the length of job experience. Consequently, different strategies may be needed for workers with short-term versus long-term job experience when designing interventions for preventing their obesity.

Citations

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ManKi Son, Byeong Jin Ye, Jung-Il Kim, ShinUk Kang, Kap-Yeol Jung
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2015;[Epub] CrossRef

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