Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine

Jung Keun Choi

4 Articles

Lung Cancer Occurring in a Worker Exposed to Coke Oven Emissions: Hyun Sul Lim, Jung Keun Choi, Eun Hye Kwon, Heon Kim; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2002;14(1):97-106. Published online March 31, 2002; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2002.14.1.97

OBJECTIVES
We report a case of lung cancer (small cell carcinoma) occurring in a worker exposed to coke oven emissions.
METHODS
We examined the chest CT and pathologic findings of the patient. We reviewed previous environmental measurements for coke oven emissions at the workers place of employment. Also we measured the airborne concentrations for coke oven emissions and total polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the work area. Finally, we analyzed the 1-hydroxypyrene and 2-naphthol concentrations in the subjects urine and compared this with student controls.
RESULTS
This case was a 56-year-old male who had worked in a coke oven plant within a steel manufacturing factory for 21 years (1977-1998). The airborne concentrations of coke oven emissions at the worksite were above the permissible exposure level (0.2 mg/m3) in 45 cases (33.1%) among 136 workers. The concentrations of 1-hydroxypyrene and 2-naphthol in the subjects urine were statistically significantly elevated as compared with those of controls (P<0.01).
CONCLUSIONS
We confirmed that the lung cancer occurring in this patient was as an occupational disease due to exposure to coke oven emissions. To prevent occupational cancer in coke oven plant workers, we must remodel the engineering procedure, begin comprehensive medical surveillance, educate workers on risks and the benefits of smoking cessation, and increase awareness of safety regulations in the workplace.

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Occupational Cancers with Chemical Exposure and their Prevention in Korea: A Literature Review
Kyung-Taek Rim
Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention.2013; 14(6): 3379. CrossRef
Occupational Respiratory Cancer in Korea
Hye-Eun Lee, Hyoung Ryoul Kim
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2010; 25(Suppl): S94. CrossRef

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Analysis of Claimed Cases as an Occupational Disease at Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency from 1992 to 1999: Seong Kyu Kang, Kyoo Sang Kim, Yangho Kim, Jung Keun Choi, Yeon Soon Ahn, Yeong Woo Jin, Byong Soon Choi, Jeong Sun Yang, Euna Kim, Chang Ho Chae, Yong Hue Choi, Dae Seong Kim, Jung Sun Park, Ho Keun Chung; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2000;12(2):292-301. Published online June 30, 2000; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2000.12.2.292

Abstract PDF

OBJECTIVES
Pneumoconisis and noise-induced hearing loss(NIHL) have been reported as main occupational diseases by the Special Health Examination. The Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance has reported various work-related diseases, however, these two diseases occupied almost a half of compensated cases. Therefore, it was not well known about the status of occupational diseases other than pneumoconiosis, NIHL, and cardiocerebrovascular accident(CVA). This study was conducted to analyze claimed cases as an occupational disease, that was requested to the Korea Industrial Safety and Health Agency (KOSHA).
METHODS
The local office of the Korea Labor Welfare Corporation(KLWC) has asked the KOSHA for confirmation of claimed cases as an occupational disease. We analyzed 379 cases requested from KLWC, the Ministry of Labor, employers, unions and occupational health agencies from 1992 to 1999.
RESULTS
Male was 80. 7 % of the requested cases. Their mean age was 42 years old and 75. 5 % of them were more than 35 years old. The requested cases were increased rapidly from 25 cases in 1992 to 108 cases in 1999 and the accept rate was 50. 7 %. The majority of requested cases were respiratory diseases(22.4 %), cancers(18.5 %), Neuropsychiatric problems (14. 5 %), and musculoskeletal problems (13. 5 %). The accept rate was high in reproductive, respiratory, musculoskeletal and digestive disorders and low in neuropsychiatric, renal and otologic problems and occupational cancers. 73. 6 % of them were caused by chemical agents, especially 28. 5 % were by organic solvents. 67 % of them were clinically confirmed at university hospitals. A half of the cases were from KyongIn area, even the request came from the whole country.
CONCLUSIONS
A claim was common in workers whose age was over 35 years old and exposure history was over 10 years. The respiratory diseases and neuropsychiatric disorders were still main problems in occupational health and occupational cancers was increasing even though its accept rate was not high yet.

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Gastric and rectal cancers in workers exposed to asbestos: a case series
Byeong Ju Choi, Saerom Lee, Iu Jin Lee, Soon Woo Park, Sanggil Lee
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2020;[Epub] CrossRef
Systemic sclerosis due to crystalline silica exposure among jewelry workers in Korea: two case reports
Jae Yoon Kim, Sang Yoon Do, Young Hoon Moon, Chul Gab Lee, Yun Sung Kim, Byung Soon Choi, Eun-A Kim, Han Soo Song
Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2017;[Epub] CrossRef
Characteristics and Influencing Factors on Recuperators with Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders
Kyoo-Sang Kim, Hee-Gyeong Jeon, Day-Sung Kim
Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea.2012; 31(5): 671. CrossRef
Work-related Cerebro-Cardiovascular Diseases in Korea
Dae-Seong Kim, Seong-Kyu Kang
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2010; 25(Suppl): S105. CrossRef
Occupational Neurological Disorders in Korea
Eun-A Kim, Seong-Kyu Kang
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2010; 25(Suppl): S26. CrossRef
Occupational Diseases in Korea
Seong-Kyu Kang, Eun A Kim
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2010; 25(Suppl): S4. CrossRef
Occupational Lymphohematopoietic Cancer in Korea
Eun-A Kim, Won Jin Lee, Mia Son, Seong-Kyu Kang
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2010; 25(Suppl): S99. CrossRef
Occupational exposure to benzene in South Korea
Seong-Kyu Kang, Mi-Young Lee, Tae-Kyun Kim, Jeong-Oh Lee, Yeon Soon Ahn
Chemico-Biological Interactions.2005; 153-154: 65. CrossRef

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Lung Function Test for Workers and its Quality Control Program: Jung Keun Choi, Mi A Son, Hyun Kyung Kim, Domyung Paek, Byung Soon Choi; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1994;6(2):187-200. Published online September 30, 1994; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.1994.6.2.187

Abstract PDF: Lung function test can be influenced by technical as well as biological variables, and the quality control of test has been stressed as an important part of lung function test program. This study was done to survey the current status of lung function test program in workers' health examination, and examine the variablity of test results when quality control is not achieved. Forty nine Workers' Health Examination Institutes and 7 Pneumoconiosis Referal Centers were surveyed for their current lung function tests, types of spirometers, and performance of technicians. To examine the effect of quality control program of lung function tests on the variablity of test results, 118 miners were tested under a quality control guideline and the results were compared to those obtained ignoring 4 major areas of the guideline-spirometer calibration, minimum number of tests per session, suitable prediction equations, and selection process of final results for each tested subjects. Among surveyed Institutes and Centers, only 38%(20/53) are performing any calibration of spirometers, and most of those calibrations are done automatically by the machine. All the surveyed Institutes and Centers obtain acceptable test no more than 2 times. The background of technicians include office workers and nurse aids without an adequate training in pulmonary physiology, and the testing posture and formats vary among Institutes and Centers. When the types of pulmonary dysfunction under the definition of the Ministry of Labor were compared between those obtained with and without quality control guidelines, spirometer calibration affected the test results in 6(5.1%) out of 118 subjects. The change in the minimum number of adequate tests from 1 to 3 and more brought changes in 19(16.1%) subjects. The test results of 9(7.6%) subjects differed between two different prediction equations, and the results of 7(5.9%) subjects differed between two different selection process of final results. The current practice of lung function tests of workers needs quality control programs, and the results of this study indicate that the first remedy should be to bring the minimum number of acceptable test to more than 3.

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Normal Predictive Values of FVC and FEV1 for Healthy Korean Male Workers: Domyung Paek, Jung Keun Choi, Byung Soon Choi, Kyou Chull Chung; Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 1994;6(2):175-186. Published online September 30, 1994; DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.1994.6.2.175

Abstract PDF

Lung Function test results can be influenced by race, socioeconomic status, and physical fitness. The choice of the most appropriate predictive equations should be based upon these considerations as well as age, sex, and body size. About 70% of Korean males smoke, and non-smokers can be a selective group in Korea. In this study, lung function test results of 683 healthy Korean male workers were analyzed to get the predictive equations of Forced Vital Capacity(FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 second(FEV(1)), and FEV(1)/FVC (FEV(1)%). The age of studied workers ranged from 18to 60, and most of those finished high school or less. Healthy smokers without any respiratory symptoms or disease history were included in the study, while the effect of smoking on the test results were examined in the analysis. FVC, FEV(1), and FEV(1)% were regressed against age, height, weight and smoking status or smoking amount. Age and height explained FVC and FVC(1) most efficiently and the contribution of other variables were not significant. Whereas, smoking was significantly associated with a decrease in FEV(1)% even among healthy un-symptomatic workers. For FEV(1)%, age, height, and smoking amount were significant variables, constituting the most efficient prediction model. The lower limit of normal for percent predicted values was calculated from lower 95 percentile as well as 95% confidence interval. When the results of this study was compared to those from studies of white Caucasians, the predicted FVC and FEV(1) were lower for the given age and height but the differences were less than 10%. The slopes of regression equation for height and age were, however, not significantly different when the social backgrounds of the studied subjects were similar.

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Factors Associated With Obstructive Pattern Spirometry In Shipyard Workers
Jahyun Kim, Young Wook Kim, Chang Ho Chae, Jun Seok Son, Chan Woo Kim, Jun Ho Lee, Hyung Wook Park, Byung Mann Cho
Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.2015; 25(4): 525. CrossRef
Reference Values for the Pulmonary Function of Korean Adults Using the Data of Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey IV (2007-2009)
Sang-Yong Eom, Heon Kim
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2013; 28(3): 424. CrossRef
Changes of Pulmonary Disability Grades according to the Spirometry Reference Equations
Joung Oh Lee, Byung-Soon Choi
Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases.2010; 69(2): 108. CrossRef

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