Occupational skin diseases are skin conditions that occur or worsen in relation to work and known to be the second most common type of occupational disease affecting individuals in the United States. In Korea, epidemiological reports related to occupational skin diseases are rare. But, no cases of occupational contact dermatitis caused by welding and grinding work have been reported previously.

Nine male workers working in the production department for liquefied natural gas (LNG) ships in Ulsan complained of erythematous papules/patches and itching in various areas of the body after welding and grinding work. The work environment monitoring report revealed that the amount of nickel dust exceeded the time weighted average (TWA) and poor local ventilation status. Based on the symptoms and the overall results of surveys, several tests, and work environment monitoring report, the 2 workers who had positive patch-test reactions to nickel were diagnosed with nickel dust-induced allergic contact dermatitis. The other 7 workers were diagnosed that there was a high probability that they had nickel dust-induced irritant contact dermatitis. The 2 workers who had nickel dust-induced allergic contact dermatitis were recommended to switch their jobs.

Nickel is one of the most common cause of allergic contact dermatitis. In this case, the dust was assumed to be created by welding work with a high nickel content new welding rod and subsequent grinding work, and the concentration of this dust exceeded the time weighted average. Thus, it is thought that the nickel dust may have caused contact dermatitis through continuous contact with the workers' exposed skin in a poorly ventilated space. Currently, several domestic shipbuilding companies are manufacturing LNG tankers using a new construction method. Consequently, it is highly likely that similar cases will occur in the future, which makes this case report meaningful.

Recently, lung cancer screenings based on age and smoking history using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) have begun in Korea. This study aimed to evaluate the distribution of lung imaging reporting and data system (Lung-RADS) categories in shipyard workers exposed to lung carcinogens such as nickel, chromium, and welding fumes according to job type, to provide basic data regarding indications for LDCT in shipyard workers.

This study included 6,326 workers from a single shipyard, who underwent health examinations with LDCT between January 2010 and December 2018. Data on age, smoking status and history, medical history, and job type were investigated. The participants were categorized into high-exposure, low-exposure, and non-exposure job groups based on the estimated exposure level of nickel, chromium, and welding fumes according to job type. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was used to determine the difference between exposure groups in Lung-RADS category ≥ 3 (3, 4A, and 4B).

Out of all participants, 97 (1.5%) participants were classified into Lung-RADS category ≥ 3 and 7 (0.1%) participants were confirmed as lung cancer. The positive predictive value (ratio of diagnosed lung cancer cases to Lung-RADS category ≥ 3) was 7.2%. The hazard ratio (HR) of Lung-RADS category ≥ 3 was 1.451 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.911–2.309) in low-exposure and 1.692 (95% CI: 1.007–2.843) in high-exposure job group. Adjusting for age and pack-years, the HR was statistically significant only in the high-exposure job group (HR: 1.689; 95% CI: 1.004–2.841).

Based on LDCT and Lung-RADS, among male shipyard workers, Lung-RADS category ≥ 3 were significantly higher in the high-exposure job group. Their HR tended to be > 1.0 and was statistically significant in the high-exposure job group. Additional studies should be conducted to establish more elaborate LDCT indications for occupational health examination.

We report a case of a spray painter who developed malignant fibrous histiocytoma (MFH) of the maxillary sinus following long-term exposure to chromium, nickel, and formaldehyde, implying that these agents are probable causal agents of MFH.

The patient developed right-sided prosopalgia that began twenty months ago. The symptom persisted despite medical treatment. After two months, he was diagnosed with MFH through imaging studies, surgery, and pathological microscopic findings at a university hospital in Seoul. His social, medical, and family history was unremarkable.

The patient had worked for about 18 years at an automobile repair shop as a spray painter. During this period, he had been exposed to various occupational agents, such as hexavalent chromium, nickel, and formaldehyde, without appropriate personal protective equipment. He painted 6 days a week and worked for about 8 hours a day.

Investigation of the patient’s work environment detected hexavalent chromium, chromate, nickel, and formaldehyde.

The study revealed that the patient had been exposed to hexavalent chromium, formaldehyde, and nickel compounds through sanding and spray painting. The association between paranasal cancer and exposure to the aforementioned occupational human carcinogens has been established. We suggest, in this case, the possibility that the paint spraying acted as a causal agent for paranasal cancer.