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Volume 15 (4); December 2003
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Case Report
Subcutaneous and Gastrointestinal Exposure to Metallic Mercury: Report of 2 Cases
Sung Kwan Lee, Hyoung Jai Lee, Hong Jae Chae, Jai Dong Moon
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):446-451.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.446
AbstractAbstract PDF
BACKGROUND
Mercury poisoning presents a variety of clinical pictures depending on the chemical structure, the route of exposure, the amount absorbed and other individual factors. Therefore, the ingestive and subcutaneous absorption of elemental(metallic) mercury can be considered to be relatively harmless in contrast to the inhalation of mercury vapor.
CASE REPORTS
A 72-year-old man presented to the department of urology due to tenderness, edema and a necrotic abscess of his penis after trauma. The soft tissue abscess required a surgical resection of the penis. For chelation therapy, oral D-penicillamine was administrated. 7 months later, he showed no subjective or objective signs of mercury poisoning. Another 5-yearold girl presented to the emergency department after accidental self-ingestion of elemental mercury. She was followed clinically and did not show any systemic mercury poisoning.
CONCLUSION
The Mercury concentrations in the blood and urine were elevated in the case of subcutaneous exposure, but was unchanged in the case of ingestion. Subcutaneous and gastrointestinal exposure to metallic mercury has a minimal risk for systemic mercury poisoning, which is in contrast to the exposure by inhalation.

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Original Articles
Five-year Industrial Accidents of Ship-building Workers at a Ship-Yard
Chang Yoon Kim, Man Joong Jeon, Dae Hee Byun
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):436-445.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.436
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
This study evaluated the status of industrial accidents at a ship-yard in Korea in order to provide the basic materials for preventing further industrial accidents.
METHODS
This study reviewed and analyzed the records of 252 industrial accidents that occurred in a ship-yard at Ulsan city from January 1 1997 until December 31st, 2001 according to age, the work career, the job department, the day of the week, the occurrence time, the part of body injured, and the accident type.
RESULTS
There were a total of 252 industrial accidents over the five years. The incidence of industrial accidents per year were 17.38, 26.99, 16.44, 11.35, 14.50 per 1,000 persons from 1997 to 2001, respectively. The frequency of industrial accidents per year were 11.56, 11.23, 6.27, 4.42, 5.79 per one million man hours from 1997 to 2001, respectively. The intensity of industrial accidents per year was 1.67, 0.18, 4.32 per 1,000 man hours from 1999 to 2001, respectively. The highest incidence occurred in the over 50 age group (33.87 per 1,000 persons). Regarding the incidence according to the work career, it was highest in those who had worked for less than 1 year (39.76 per 1,000 persons). The incidence in those working in high places and those using heavy materials were higher than the others. The most frequent day of the week was Monday (19.8%), which was followed by Friday (16.7%) and Saturday (15.9%). The most frequent time of an accident was 15:00-16:59(25.8%), which was followed by 08:00-09:59(24.2%), 10:00-11:59(20.2%). The most frequent part of the body injured was the low back (28.6%), which was followed by the lower extremities (24.2%), and the upper extremities (23.0%). The types of industrial accidents were stenosis (27.0%) to have been happened most and upset (19.8%), fall down (14.7%), hard movement (12.3%), and falling (9.1%).
CONCLUSIONS
The above results suggests that a more precise system of reporting industrial accidents will be needed in order to enhance the accuracy and reliability of the industrial accident statistics. In addition, the preventive activities for back injury, stenosis, and fall down are needed in order to prevent industrial accidents at ship-yards in Korea. Furthermore, the strengthening of a continuous health education program will be necessary for beginners, older workers, and those working in high places and using heavy materials.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by  
  • The Prediction of Industrial Accident Rate in Korea: A Time Series Analysis
    Eunsuk Choi, Gyeong-Suk Jeon, Won Kee Lee, Young Sun Kim
    Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing.2016; 25(1): 65.     CrossRef
  • A basic research on risk control measure for reducing the fishermen's occupational accident in offshore and coastal fishing vessel
    Wook-Sung Kim, Young-Bok Cho, Seok-Jae Kim, Kyong-Jin Ryu, Yoo-Won Lee
    Journal of the Korean society of Fisheries Technology.2014; 50(4): 614.     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
  • The Actual State of Industrial Accidents in Small-medium Manufacturing Industries
    Seong-Ja Hong, Man-Joong Jeon, Chang-Yoon Kim
    Korean Journal of Occupational Health Nursing.2011; 20(1): 93.     CrossRef
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Occupational Distribution of Job Stress in Korea
Young Su Ju, Young Jun Kwon, Hee Tae Kang, Yong Kyu Kim
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):422-435.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.422
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
Although there is increasing concern about job stress, no published reports have addressed the basic characteristics of job stress (i.e. on various job stress domains), according to the Korean Standard of Job Categories. Therefore, this study was conducted to present epidemiologic data of common Korean workers on job stress domains, by using the self-reported Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire(JCQ.) METHODS: Data were gathered from many workers at various industries for 2 years, as a part of the workers'periodic health examinations, in Kyong-Gi and Kyong-Nam provinces, Korea.
RESULTS
The total respondents were 1,866, male 1,658(88.9%) and female 208(11.1%), from 117 companies. The mean age was 35.05 years old, 1,315(70.4%) were married, 1,578(84.5%) were graduated from high school or above, and 380(20.4%) were managers at workplace. The mean scores of decision latitude, psychological job demand, social support, and job insecurity were 62.56(std 8.28, median 62), 31.45(std 3.83, median 32), 22.49(std 2.58, median 23) and 6.16(std 1.90, median 6), respectively. Construction workers belonged to the high strain group, and administrative managers and computer related experts belonged to the active group.
CONCLUSIONS
To more precisely evaluate job stress according to job categories, data could be gathered from a larger sample and detailed job categories should be adopted. Such a study would form an important foundation for research into job stress in Korea.

Citations

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  • Developing the Path Model defining the Relationship between Construction Worker's Personal Characteristics and Safety Behaviors
    Hyeong-Seong Jin, Dong-Eun Lee
    Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction.2013; 13(2): 169.     CrossRef
  • The Correlation between Musculoskeletal Pain and Level of Work Stress of Prosthetists and Orthotists
    Do-Young Jung, Eun-Kyung Koh, Jun-Hyeok Jang
    Journal of the Korean Society of Physical Medicine.2012; 7(4): 515.     CrossRef
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The Effect of Breath Hold Diving on Bone Mineral Density of Women Fishery Diver
Hwan Sik Hwang, Hyun Rim Choi
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):411-421.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.411
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study was to determine the effect of breathhold diving on female diver's bone mineral density (BMD).
METHODS
A cross-sectional observational study was carried out utilizing a health checkup of divers and controls at a hospital in Jeju city, Korea. Female divers (n=61) were matched with non-diver controls (n=61) by age, weight and postmenopausal year. BMD of the proximal femur(femoral neck, trochanter and Ward's triangle) was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).
RESULTS
The average diving duration of the female divers was 34+/-13 years. The BMD of the divers was higher than that of the controls in the femur neck and trochanter (p<0.05). On correlations analysis, the status of menopause, age, body weight and age at menarche were significantly correlated with proximal femur BMD in the divers (p<0.05). On multiple regression analysis, age and body weight were predictors of proximal femur BMD in the divers. On linear regression analysis of proximal femur BMD according to age in the divers and controls, regression coefficients of the divers were lower in all 3 areas of the proximal femur than the controls.
CONCLUSIONS
BMD of the divers was higher than that of the controls in the femur neck and trochanter. There was a tendency for BMD of the divers to decrease faster than that of the controls with increasing age.

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Risk Factors of Work-related Musculoskeletal Symptoms Among Ship-yard Workers
Jong Eun Kim, Dong Mug Kang, Yong Chul Shin, Mi A Son, Jung Won Kim, Jin Hong Ahn, Young Ki Kim, Deog Hwan Moon
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):401-410.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.401
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTS: This study was conducted to prepare the primitive data of work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among ship-yard workers in order to set up management and prevention strategies by investigating the risk factors for WMSD symptoms.
METHODS
We carried out a self-administered questionnaire survey of 7,237 blue-collar workers during October 2001, in a ship-yard of Kyungsangnam Province. We collected 2,223 questionnaires and analysed 1,985. The questionnaires included demographic data, quick exposure check (QEC) for ergonomic risk factors, and Karasek's job content questionnaires (JCQ) for job stress. WMSDs were evaluated by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) surveillance criteria.
RESULTS
Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between risk factors and musculoskeletal symptoms. From the results, significant variables were age, maximum weight of manual handling material, frequency of the back movement during manual handling tasks, deviation or bending of the wrists/hands position, excessively bent or twisted head/neck, job dissatisfaction, and high job demand.
CONCLUSIONS
In order to reduce musculoskeletal disorders of ship-yard workers, it is recommended to reduce the frequency of back movement during manual handling tasks, wrists/hand deviation or bending, and neck bending or twisting. In addition, devoted effort is needed to increase job satisfaction and to reduce job demand.

Citations

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  • Validation of Types of Body Pain Areas and Related Factors in the Korean Aged Using Latent Class Analysis
    Sang Ye Shin, Eun Suk Lee
    Research in Community and Public Health Nursing.2023; 34: 22.     CrossRef
  • Musculoskeletal Disorder Symptoms and Its Related Factors among Male Workers in Manufacturing Industries
    Seung-Hyun Lee, Young-Chae Cho
    Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society.2015; 16(10): 6627.     CrossRef
  • The Study of Muscle Fatigue and Risks of Musculoskeletal System Disorders from Text Inputting on a Smartphone
    Kyung Ko, Hee-Soo Kim, Ji-Hea Woo
    Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea.2013; 32(3): 273.     CrossRef
  • Medical Managements of Musculoskeletal Diseases in Shipbuilding Industry
    Jong-Eun Kim, Young-Ki Kim, Dong-Mug Kang
    Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea.2012; 31(1): 157.     CrossRef
  • Musculoskeletal Disorder Symptoms and Related Factors among Male Workers in Small-scale Manufacturing Industries
    Seung-Hyun Lee, Ju-Yeon Lee, Young-Chae Cho
    Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society.2012; 13(9): 4025.     CrossRef
  • Development and Evaluation of the Neck Supporter for Preventing Neck-related MSDs
    Yong-Ku Kong, Jun-Goo Han
    Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea.2011; 30(2): 297.     CrossRef
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Reliability and Validity of Questionnaire for Assessing Physical Workloads
Dongjun Lee, Dongmug Kang, Sang Baek Koh, Jungwon Kim, Junho Jang, Jongeun Kim, Byungmann Cho, Suill Lee
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):388-400.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.388
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
The aims of the study were to make a questionnaire for assessing physical workloads and to evaluate its reliability and validity.
METHODS
A total of 220 workers (foundry workers 30, large vehicle assemblers 30, shipyard workers 75, and automobile manufacturers 80) completed a self-administered questionnaire and took examinations for physical work capacity and working heart rate. We excluded data with insufficient responses or incorrect physical work capacity and working heart rate. Finally, the data of 154 workers (70.0%) were used for our study. In order to evaluate the reliability and validity of the questionnaire, we used statistical analyses including the scaling assumption test and a comparison with the objective tool for physical workload which was evaluated by working energy expenditure.
RESULTS
The items of the questionnaire in the same categories had close distribution in the evaluation of the scaling assumption. The item internal consistency was 0.41-0.73 for posture factor, and 0.62-0.79 for non-posture factor. The item discriminate validity was 100%. Cronbach's alphacoefficient of the total items was 0.73 (0.58 for posture factor and 0.74 for nonposture factor). In the correlation between working energy expenditure and questions, general physical activity (p=0.008), proportion of the workday with hands above shoulder (p=0.002), proportion of the workday with trunk bent (p=0.028), proportion of the workday with awkward posture (p=0.048), sweating after work (p=0.006), total scales (p=0.003) and Borg scale (p=0.011) all had statistical significance.
CONCLUSIONS
Our questionnaire for assessing physical workloads demonstrated statistically significant reliability and validity. But the questions for the proportions of the workday with sitting work posture and with static posture should be modified via a larger study.

Citations

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  • Joint Laxity Negatively Correlates With Lumbar Disc Degeneration in Young Adults
    Tae-Hwan Kim, Hwan-Mo Lee, Seong-Hwan Moon, Dae-Kyung Kwak, Jae Keun Oh, Yong Chan Kim, Moon Soo Park, Federico Bonifacio Alday, Seok Woo Kim
    Spine.2013; 38(24): E1541.     CrossRef
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Risk Factors Related to Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Shipyard Workers
Byung Chan Park, Hae Kwan Cheong, Soo keun Kim
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):373-387.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.373
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
The aim of this study is to determine the risk factors related to musculoskeletal disorders in shipyard workers.
METHODS
A questionnaire survey was performed on 2,140 shipyard workers in a shipyard in Ulsan city. The questionnaire consisted of questions on the general characteristics, the health behavior, work type and duration, physical burden, job control, type of instruments used, posture, and musculoskeletal symptoms. Definition of musculoskeletal disorders was based on either NIOSH criteria and Kim's criteria.
RESULTS
Positive rate of musculoskeletal disorders in any one part of the body was 77.2% by NIOSH criteria and 60.7% by Kim's criteria. Positive rate of the symptoms increased in workers with longer work hours, with a severe physical burden, and without any control over their job. Work with a more frequent unstable posture and for longer hours was also associated with increased musculoskeletal symptoms. Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that unstable posture and physical burden is closely related to the positive rate of musculoskeletal symptoms after controlling for age, smoking, drinking, exercise, duration of work, and job control; showing a good dose-response relationship.
CONCLUSION
Inadequate posture and physical burden were the most significant factors affecting musculoskeletal disorders in shipyard workers in this study. Therefore, it will be necessary to make efforts to reduce the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders related to a specific job, instrument, physical burden, and posture. Workers should be educated on the types and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders, how to improve the ergonomic occupational environment and to set up preventive measures against the risk factors during work.

Citations

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  • Musculoskeletal Disorder Symptoms and Its Related Factors among Male Workers in Manufacturing Industries
    Seung-Hyun Lee, Young-Chae Cho
    Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society.2015; 16(10): 6627.     CrossRef
  • Risk factors of work-related upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders in male cameramen
    Jung ho Kim, Byung seong Suh, Soo Geun Kim, Won sool Kim, You il Shon, Hee seung Son
    Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.2015;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Disorders Among Korean Police Personnel
    Hak Young Rhee, Jae Hwan Cho, Jong Min Seok, Taek Sang Cho, Woo Jin Jeon, Jin Gu Lee, Sung Kyu Kim
    Archives of Environmental & Occupational Health.2015; 70(4): 177.     CrossRef
  • Factors Affecting the Musculoskeletal Symptoms of Korean Police Officers
    Taek-Sang Cho, Woo-Jin Jeon, Jin-Gu Lee, Jong-Min Seok, Jae-Hwan Cho
    Journal of Physical Therapy Science.2014; 26(6): 925.     CrossRef
  • Musculoskeletal Disorder Symptoms and Related Factors among Male Workers in Small-scale Manufacturing Industries
    Seung-Hyun Lee, Ju-Yeon Lee, Young-Chae Cho
    Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society.2012; 13(9): 4025.     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
  • Musculoskeletal Symptoms and Its Related Factors among Male Workers in a Nonferrous Manufacturing Industry
    Yeon-Ok Jeong, Young-Chae Cho
    Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society.2012; 13(8): 3552.     CrossRef
  • Survey of the Musculoskeletal Disorders of Riot Police and Conscripted Policeman in Radiologic Examination
    Jae-Hwan Cho, Maeng-Jin Kang, Jong-Min Seok, Sung-Joon Jeun, Youn-Shik Lim, Jae-Kyo Jeong, Hyeon-Ju Kim, Myeong-Shik Ju, Kyung-Rae Dong, Cheol-Soo Park, Jin Lee, Hae-Kag Lee
    Journal of the Korean Society of Radiology.2011; 5(6): 315.     CrossRef
  • Characteristics of Work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders in Korea and Their Work-relatedness Evaluation
    Kun Hyung Kim, Kyoo Sang Kim, Day Sung Kim, Sun Je Jang, Ki Hun Hong, Seung-Won Yoo
    Journal of Korean Medical Science.2010; 25(Suppl): S77.     CrossRef
  • Risk Factors of Work-related Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders in Male Shipyard Workers: Structural Equation Model Analysis
    Byung-Chan Park, Hae-Kwan Cheong, Eun-A Kim, Soo Geun Kim
    Safety and Health at Work.2010; 1(2): 124.     CrossRef
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Distribution of Blood pressure and Current State of Life Style Modification on Male Workers in a Large Factory: Analysis According to JNC-6 Guideline
Seung Ho Jeon, Hye Eun Lee, Do Myung Paek, Yang Ho Kim, Jung Sun Park, Gang Won Park
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):364-372.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.364
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
To describe the distributions of blood pressure level and risk group, and the current state of life style modification in the population of a large factory.
METHODS
We surveyed 1,088 workers in a large factory from June 2002 to August 2002. Information related to hypertension was collected through a questionnaire and medical examination. We classified the blood pressure level and risk group using JNC-VI criteria, and the current state of life style modification and medication according to the blood pressure level in the entire study population. REULTS: The prevalence of hypertension was 30.1% in all workers. The distribution of blood pressure level was 656 (60.3%) in normal stage, 160 (14.7%) in high normal stage, 190 (17.5%) in stage 1, 67 (6.1%) in stage 2, and 15 (1.4%) in stage 3. The numbers of workers in risk groups A, B and C were 296 (27.2%), 690 (63.4%) and 102 (9.4%), respectively. Among all workers, 432 (39.7%) needed to modify their lifestyle; 106 of whom (24.5%) needed to go on hypertensive drug medication. Overweight subjects were more common in stage 2 than in other stages (p=0.02). The numbers of smokers and low-exercisers were signigicantly lower in the higher blood pressure group than the lower blood pressure group (p<0.01). Alcoholic drinking was evenly distributed in all blood pressure level.
CONCLUSION
The prevalence of hypertension was 30.1% in all workers. The most common stage of blood pressure level was normal, followed by stage 1, high normal stage, stage 2, stage 3. The number of subjects in risk group B was more than that in the other risk groups. We recommend total worker education and the practice of lifestyle modification.

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Status of the Occupational Health and Safety Programs of Several Hospitals in Korea
Kwan Lee, Hyun Sul Lim, Soo keun Kim
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):351-363.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.351
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
As health care workers suffer from various hazards in hospital, an occupational safety and health program is very important to them. This study was conducted to investigate the status of the occupational safety and health programs of several hospitals in Korea.
METHODS
We conducted a questionnaire survey on 941 hospitals in Korea. All questionnaires were posted to the department of general affairs at each hospital and responses were received from 108 hospitals (11.5%). Eight responses were excluded because of insufficient data and the remaining 100 questionnaires were analyzed. The collected data were evaluated using the SPSS 10.0 statistical package and the demands for occupational safety and health programs between two groups were analyzed by RIDIT analysis.
RESULTS
The study subjects were 53 general hospitals and 47 hospitals. An occupational safety and health committee, infection control committee, safety manager, health manager, activities for vaccination, reports for needle stick injury and records related to occupational injury were more likely to be present in general hospitals than hospitals (p<0.05). Demands for occupational safety and health were higher in general hospitals than hospitals. Especially, demands for measurement of working environment, improvement of ventilatory system, management of chemical materials and supply of protective equipment were significantly higher in general hospitals than hospitals (p<0.05).
CONCLUSIONS
We concluded from the findings of our study that occupational safety and health programs are not yet sufficient in Korean hospitals. So, we expect that special management, policies and laws for health care workers will be promulgated.

Citations

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  • Health Disorders Caused by Physical Factors among Health Care Workers - Focusing on Ionizing Radiation -
    Hyun-Sul Lim
    Journal of the Korean Medical Association.2010; 53(6): 483.     CrossRef
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Characteristics of Occupational Asthma Reported by Surveillance System in Incheon
Hyoung Ryoul Kim, Yun Chul Hong, Jong Han Leem, Jong Uk Won, Hyung Joon Chun, Jee Na Lee, Joo Yeon Shin
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):344-350.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.344
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
This study was carried out to estimate the magnitude of occupational asthma and to determine its characteristics.
METHODS
We collected and analyzed 121 cases of occupational asthma reported by a surveillance system in Incheon for 5 years. The cases were classified according to industry and causing gent. We attached the data to worker's compensation records to establish the degree of agreement between the two sources.
RESULTS
The industry of musical instrument manufacture was the most common (31 cases, 25.6%), followed by furniture manufacture, dye making, and machinery manufacture. TDI was the most common causing agents (52 cases, 43%), followed by reactive dye, wood dust, and organic dust. There was poor agreement with the worker's compensation records (2 cases, 8%).
CONCLUSIONS
TDI and reactive dyes were the major materials causing occupational asthma. Most cases reported by the surveillance system were not applied to the worker's compensation system. Therefore, the surveillance system should be used to estimate the magnitude of occupational asthma and to determine its characteristics.

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  • Clinical Importance of Work-Exacerbated Asthma: Findings From a Prospective Asthma Cohort in a Highly Industrialized City in Korea
    Woori Jo, Kwang Won Seo, Hwa Sik Jung, Chui Yong Park, Byung Ju Kang, Hyeon Hui Kang, Seung Won Ra, Yangjin Jegal, Jong Joon Ahn, Soon Eun Park, Moon Sik Jung, Ju Ik Park, Eun Ji Park, Chang Sun Sim, Tae-Bum Kim, Taehoon Lee
    Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research.2021; 13(2): 256.     CrossRef
  • Work-Related Asthma in Korea - Findings from the Korea Work-Related Asthma Surveillance (KOWAS) program, 2004-2009
    Soon-Chan Kwon, Jaechul Song, Yong-kyu Kim, Geoffrey M. Calvert
    Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Research.2015; 7(1): 51.     CrossRef
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A Comparative Study of Mental Health between the Laid-Off and the Employed Worker in the Similar Industry
Sung Ae Cho, Jin Joo Jung, Jung Wan Koo
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):335-343.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.335
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
This study was conducted to examine the mental health status of the laid off by comparing the unemployed with the employed.
METHODS
A survey questionnaire was used to investigate the mental health status of the laidoff in comparison with that of the employed. The study sample consisted of 247 laid-off people formerly employed in A auto factory and 167 employees working in B auto factory.
RESULTS
The proportion exercising regularly was 20.2% for the laid-off and 34.8% for the employed and the proportion having regular meals was 10.9% and 50.6%, respectively. In addition, the frequency and amount of alcohol consumption and smoking of the laid-off were higher than those of the employed. Among the laid-off, 69.4% responded that they spent less time in talking to their spouse, and 65.4% also reported reduced sexual activities with their spouse. Because of unemployment, 41.8% of the laid-off experienced conflicts with their children, and 53.5% also perceived that they were stigmatized and treated badly by their neighbors, friends and relatives. Mean IFR in the laid-off was 22.9, which was much higher than the 15.3 recorded in the employed. The mean PWI-SF was 24.2 for the laid-off and 13.0 for the employed, which indicates the lower psychological health status of the laid-off than that of the employed. Age, annual salary, family relationship, regular exercise, regular diets, possibility to return to work and perception of the future were related to mental health status for the laid-off. Stepwise multiple regression analysis showed that the most important factor influencing mental health status for the laid-off was family relationships.
CONCLUSIONS
According to the above results, the mental health of the laid-off is worse than that of the employed. Based on this study, a follow-up study focusing on the mental health status of the reemployed to the same factory, is needed to understand the direct mental health effect on the laid-off.

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Acute Toxicity of Arsenic in Rats and Mice
Byung Sun Choi, Dae Woong Kang, Jin Young Lee, Eon Sub Park, Yeon Pyo Hong, Ji Sun Yang, Hyomin Lee, Jung Duck Park
Korean Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2003;15(4):323-334.   Published online December 31, 2003
DOI: https://doi.org/10.35371/kjoem.2003.15.4.323
AbstractAbstract PDF
OBJECTIVES
Arsenic (As) is ubiquitously distributed in the environment and is known as a human carcinogen. In this study, acute As toxicity at lethal dosage in rats and mice was evaluated, and As-induced hepatotoxicity was characterized.
METHODS
Male Sprague-Dawley rats, male ICR mice and trivalent inorganic As, sodium arsenite, were used in this experiment. LD50 and LD100 were calculated from 24-hour lethality after the single subcutaneous administration of As into rats and mice. Serum and liver were collected from the surviving animals. The activities of ALT, AST and gamma-GT in serum were determined, and the concentrations of MDA, GSH and CYP450 in liver were analyzed.
RESULTS
The LD50 and LD100 of sodium arsenite were calculated as 12 mg/kg and 13 mg/kg for rats, and 16.5 mg/kg and 19 mg/kg for mice, respectively. Thus, the rat was more susceptible than the mouse to the acute lethal toxicity of As. The histopathological changes induced by As were similar between rats and mice. AST was increased in high-dose As-treated rats and mice, whereas ALT was increased in high-dose As-treated mice but not in rats. gamma-GT was not significantly changed between the two animal groups. As increased lipid peroxidation, but decreased GSH and CYP450 in the liver of both rats and mice, in dose-dependent patterns. These results indicate that oxidative stress might be one of the mechanisms in As-induced hepatotoxicity.
CONCLUSION
Rats were more susceptive than mice to acute As toxicity, and oxidative stress might play a part in liver injury induced by As.

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  • Intestinal microbiota dysbiosis contributed to the development of subchronic liver damage in arsenic-exposed mice
    Ling Dong, Peng Luo, Aihua Zhang*
    Acta Biochimica et Biophysica Sinica.2024;[Epub]     CrossRef
  • Oral arsenite exposure induces inflammation and apoptosis in pulmonary tissue: acute and chronic evaluation in young and adult mice
    Samata Pradhan, Syed Afroz Ali, Mahesh Rachamalla, Som Niyogi, Ashok Kumar Datusalia
    BioMetals.2024; 37(3): 587.     CrossRef
  • The Protective Effects of Trametes Versicolor on Arsenic-Induced Male Reproductive Toxicity through Regulation of Oxidative Stress: A Biochemical and Histopathological Survey
    Fatemeh Solaimani, Emran Habibi, Maryam Ghasemi, Saba Mahboubi, Ehsan Zamani, Fatemeh Shaki, R. Henkel
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