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Background@#This study aimed to evaluate the association between exposure to occupational hazards and the metabolic syndrome. A secondary objective was to analyze the additive and multiplicative effects of exposure to risk factors. @*Methods@#This retrospective cohort was based on 31,615 health examinees at the Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital in Republic of Korea from 2012–2021. Demographic and behavior-related risk factors were treated as confounding factors, whereas three physical factors, 19 organic solvents and aerosols, and 13 metals and dust were considered occupational risk factors. Time-dependent Cox regression analysis was used to calculate hazard ratios. @*Results@#The risk of metabolic syndrome was significantly higher in night shift workers (hazard ratio = 1.45: 95% confidence interval = 1.36–1.54) and workers who were exposed to noise (1.15:1.07–1.24). Exposure to some other risk factors was also significantly associated with a higher risk of metabolic syndrome. They were dimethylformamide, acetonitrile, trichloroethylene, xylene, styrene, toluene, dichloromethane, copper, antimony, lead, copper, iron, welding fume, and manganese. Among the 28 significant pairs, 19 exhibited both positive additive and multiplicative effects. @*Conclusions@#Exposure to single or combined occupational risk factors may increase the risk of developing metabolic syndrome. Working conditions should be monitored and improved to reduce exposure to occupational hazards and prevent the development of the metabolic syndrome.
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Background@#A job-exposure matrix (JEM) is an important surrogate indicator to evaluate past exposure levels. Although a Korean asbestos JEM has been constructed previously, this JEM includes only a few industrial and occupational groups. This study aimed to reconstruct the JEM by integrating the latest organized data to improve its utility. @*Methods@#We used recent Korean standard industry and occupation codes and extracted 36 articles from a systematic literature review to initiate the reconstruction of the previous Korean asbestos JEM. The resulting data consisted of 141 combinations of industrial and occupational groups. Data from the Netherlands's JEM were also reviewed and categorized into 70 industrial and 117 occupational groups by matching with the Korean data. We also utilized Germany's data, which consisted of 10 industrial and 14 occupational groups. @*Results@#The reconstructed Korean asbestos JEM had 141 combinations of industries and occupations. The time periods are from the 1980s to the 2000s in 10-year intervals. Most of the data were distributed between the 1990s and the 2000s. Occupations with high exposure to asbestos included knitting and weaving machine operators, automobile mechanics or assemblers, ship mechanics or assemblers, mineral ore and stone products processing mechanics, and metal casting machine operators or mold makers. @*Conclusions@#The reconstructed Korean asbestos JEM has expanded the type and duration of the occupational groups of the previous JEM and can serve as an important reference tool for evaluating asbestos exposure and designing compensation and prevention policies in Korea.
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Background@#A job-exposure matrix (JEM) is an important surrogate indicator to evaluate past exposure levels. Although a Korean asbestos JEM has been constructed previously, this JEM includes only a few industrial and occupational groups. This study aimed to reconstruct the JEM by integrating the latest organized data to improve its utility. @*Methods@#We used recent Korean standard industry and occupation codes and extracted 36 articles from a systematic literature review to initiate the reconstruction of the previous Korean asbestos JEM. The resulting data consisted of 141 combinations of industrial and occupational groups. Data from the Netherlands's JEM were also reviewed and categorized into 70 industrial and 117 occupational groups by matching with the Korean data. We also utilized Germany's data, which consisted of 10 industrial and 14 occupational groups. @*Results@#The reconstructed Korean asbestos JEM had 141 combinations of industries and occupations. The time periods are from the 1980s to the 2000s in 10-year intervals. Most of the data were distributed between the 1990s and the 2000s. Occupations with high exposure to asbestos included knitting and weaving machine operators, automobile mechanics or assemblers, ship mechanics or assemblers, mineral ore and stone products processing mechanics, and metal casting machine operators or mold makers. @*Conclusions@#The reconstructed Korean asbestos JEM has expanded the type and duration of the occupational groups of the previous JEM and can serve as an important reference tool for evaluating asbestos exposure and designing compensation and prevention policies in Korea.
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Background@#This study aimed to determine the effect of specific working postures on the development of varicose veins (VV). By using Korea's National Health Insurance (NHI) and National Employment Insurance (NEI) data, we analyzed the general characteristic and difference in proportions of VV cases according to occupational working posture. @*Methods@#From the NEI and NHI data, participant demographics, such as gender, age, body mass index, and number of workers in specific occupations or industries were obtained.We classified the 240 occupations into blue-collar (BC) and white-collar (WC) occupations and subdivided them into standing, sitting, and walking groups according to the dominant working posture. @*Results@#The number of VV patients per 100,000 individuals increased with age, with a higher number of women than men and a higher number of patients in the BC than WC groups. For the BC group, the proportion of VV cases was the highest in the standing group, followed by the walking and sitting groups, but there was no significant difference between standing and walking groups in man. For the WC group, the standing group had a higher proportion of VV cases than the sitting group, but there was no significant difference between the standing and sitting group in man. In the BC group, the proportion of VV cases was the highest among medical and welfare-related elementary workers, bakers and cookie makers, automobile assemblers, cleaning and guarding-related elemental workers, and nurses and dental hygienists. In the WC group, the proportion of VV cases was the highest among food/ lodging/tourism/entertainment/sports-related managers, environment/cleaning/protective services-related managers, finance and insurance clerks, accounting book-keeping clerks, and social welfare and counseling professionals. @*Conclusions@#This study was performed to determine the characteristics of VV with different working posture among Korean workers. It is expected to be the basis of further studies on occupational musculoskeletal diseases.
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Background@#This study aimed to determine the effect of specific working postures on the development of varicose veins (VV). By using Korea's National Health Insurance (NHI) and National Employment Insurance (NEI) data, we analyzed the general characteristic and difference in proportions of VV cases according to occupational working posture. @*Methods@#From the NEI and NHI data, participant demographics, such as gender, age, body mass index, and number of workers in specific occupations or industries were obtained.We classified the 240 occupations into blue-collar (BC) and white-collar (WC) occupations and subdivided them into standing, sitting, and walking groups according to the dominant working posture. @*Results@#The number of VV patients per 100,000 individuals increased with age, with a higher number of women than men and a higher number of patients in the BC than WC groups. For the BC group, the proportion of VV cases was the highest in the standing group, followed by the walking and sitting groups, but there was no significant difference between standing and walking groups in man. For the WC group, the standing group had a higher proportion of VV cases than the sitting group, but there was no significant difference between the standing and sitting group in man. In the BC group, the proportion of VV cases was the highest among medical and welfare-related elementary workers, bakers and cookie makers, automobile assemblers, cleaning and guarding-related elemental workers, and nurses and dental hygienists. In the WC group, the proportion of VV cases was the highest among food/ lodging/tourism/entertainment/sports-related managers, environment/cleaning/protective services-related managers, finance and insurance clerks, accounting book-keeping clerks, and social welfare and counseling professionals. @*Conclusions@#This study was performed to determine the characteristics of VV with different working posture among Korean workers. It is expected to be the basis of further studies on occupational musculoskeletal diseases.
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BACKGROUND: The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) defined that asbestos is a group 1 substance that causes lung cancer, mesothelioma (pleura and peritoneum), laryngeal cancer, and ovarian cancer in humans. Many studies on lung cancer, and mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure have been conducted, but there was no case report of ovarian cancer due to asbestos exposure in Korea. We describe a case of ovarian cancer caused by asbestos exposure in a worker who worked at an asbestos textile factory for 3 years and 7 months in the late 1970s. CASE PRESENTATION: A 57-year-old woman visited the hospital because she had difficulty urinating. Ovarian cancer was suspected in radiologic examination, and exploratory laparotomy was performed. She was diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer. The patient did not undergo postoperative chemotherapy and recovered. She joined the asbestos factory in March 1976 and engaged in asbestos textile twisting and spinning for 1 year, 2 years and 7 months respectively. In addition, she lived near the asbestos factory for more than 20 years. There was no other specificity or family history. CONCLUSION: Considering the patient’s occupational and environmental history, it is estimated that she had been exposed to asbestos significantly, so we determined that ovarian cancer in the patient is highly correlated with the occupational exposure of asbestos and environmental exposure is a possible cause as well. Social devices are needed to prevent further exposure to asbestos. It is also necessary to recognize that ovarian cancer can occur in workers who have previously been exposed to asbestos, and the education and social compensation for those workers are needed.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Asbestos , Compensation and Redress , Drug Therapy , Education , Environmental Exposure , International Agencies , Korea , Laparotomy , Laryngeal Neoplasms , Lung Neoplasms , Mesothelioma , Occupational Diseases , Occupational Exposure , Ovarian Neoplasms , Sensitivity and Specificity , Textile Industry , TextilesABSTRACT
There is a more urgent call for educational methods of machine learning in medical education, and therefore, new approaches of teaching and researching machine learning in medicine are needed. This paper presents a case using machine learning through text analysis. Topic modeling of news articles with the keyword ‘asbestos’ were examined. Two hypotheses were tested using this method, and the process of machine learning of texts is illustrated through this example. Using an automated text analysis method, all the news articles published from January 1, 1990 to November 15, 2016 in South Korea which included ‘asbestos’ in the title and the body were collected by web scraping. Differences in topics were analyzed by structured topic modelling (STM) and compared by press companies and periods. More articles were found in liberal media outlets. Differences were found in the number and types of topics in the articles according to the partisanship and period. STM showed that the conservative press views asbestos as a personal problem, while the progressive press views asbestos as a social problem. A divergence in the perspective for emphasizing the issues of asbestos between the conservative press and progressive press was also found. Social perspective influences the main topics of news stories. Thus, the patients' uneasiness and pain are not presented by both sources of media. In addition, topics differ between news media sources based on partisanship, and therefore cause divergence in readers' framing. The method of text analysis and its strengths and weaknesses are explained, and an application for the teaching and researching of machine learning in medical education using the methodology of text analysis is considered. An educational method of machine learning in medical education is urgent for future generations.
Subject(s)
Humans , Asbestos , Education, Medical , Korea , Machine Learning , Methods , Social Problems , Social ResponsibilityABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The goal of this study is to develop a general population job-exposure matrix (GPJEM) on asbestos to estimate occupational asbestos exposure levels in the Republic of Korea. METHODS: Three Korean domestic quantitative exposure datasets collected from 1984 to 2008 were used to build the GPJEM. Exposure groups in collected data were reclassified based on the current Korean Standard Industrial Classification (9th edition) and the Korean Standard Classification of Occupations code (6th edition) that is in accordance to international standards. All of the exposure levels were expressed by weighted arithmetic mean (WAM) and minimum and maximum concentrations. RESULTS: Based on the established GPJEM, the 112 exposure groups could be reclassified into 86 industries and 74 occupations. In the 1980s, the highest exposure levels were estimated in “knitting and weaving machine operators” with a WAM concentration of 7.48 fibers/mL (f/mL); in the 1990s, “plastic products production machine operators” with 5.12 f/mL, and in the 2000s “detergents production machine operators” handling talc containing asbestos with 2.45 f/mL. Of the 112 exposure groups, 44 groups had higher WAM concentrations than the Korean occupational exposure limit of 0.1 f/mL. CONCLUSION: The newly constructed GPJEM which is generated from actual domestic quantitative exposure data could be useful in evaluating historical exposure levels to asbestos and could contribute to improved prediction of asbestos-related diseases among Koreans.
Subject(s)
Asbestos , Classification , Dataset , Mesothelioma , Occupational Exposure , Occupations , Republic of Korea , TalcABSTRACT
Acknowledgements section was missing. The publisher apologises for these errors.
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The major purpose of this study is to construct a retrospective exposure assessment for benzene through a review of literature on Korea. Airborne benzene measurements reported in 34 articles were reviewed. A total of 15,729 individual measurements were compiled. Weighted arithmetic means [AM(w)] and their variance calculated across studies were summarized according to 5-year period intervals (prior to the 1970s through the 2010s) and industry type. Industries were classified according to Korea Standard Industrial Classification (KSIC) using information provided in the literature. We estimated quantitative retrospective exposure to benzene for each cell in the matrix through a combination of time and KSIC. Analysis of the AM(w) indicated reductions in exposure levels over time, regardless of industry, with mean levels prior to the 1980e1984 period of 50.4 ppm (n = 2,289), which dropped to 2.8 ppm (n = 305) in the 1990e1994 period, and to 0.1 ppm (n = 294) in the 1995e1999 period. There has been no improvement since the 2000s, when the AM(w) of 4.3 ppm (n = 6,211) for the 2005e2009 period and 4.5 ppm (n = 3,358) for the 2010e2013 period were estimated. A comparison by industry found no consistent patterns in the measurement results. Our estimated benzene measurements can be used to determine not only the possibility of retrospective exposure to benzene, but also to estimate the level of quantitative or semiquantitative retrospective exposure to benzene.
Subject(s)
Benzene , Classification , Korea , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: Effects of aging and leisure time physical activity (LPA) might influence the effect of occupational physical activity (OPA) on risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study was conducted to determine whether OPA affects CVD after controlling the effects of LPA and other risk factors for CVD such as job stress. METHODS: Participants were 131 male Korean manual workers. Tests for heart rate variability (HRV) were conducted for five minutes in the morning at work. We defined OPA as the combined concept of relative heart rate ratio (RHR), evaluated using a heart rate monitor. RESULTS: Whereas high OPA was not related to any HRV items in the younger age group, high OPA was associated with an increased number of low-value cases among all HRV items in older workers. Exercise had beneficial effects only in the younger group. After controlling for exercise and other risk factors, the odds ratios of the root-mean square of the difference of successive normal R-R intervals (rMSSD) and high frequency band power (HF) among the older age and high OPA group compared with the younger age and low OPA group were 64.0 and 18.5, respectively. Social support and shift work were independent risk factors in HRV. CONCLUSIONS: OPA in aging workers increases CVD risks. This study provides support for the need for protection of aging workers from physical work overload, and indicates the need for further study of optimal limits of OPA.
Subject(s)
Humans , Male , Aging , Cardiovascular Diseases , Heart Rate , Heart , Leisure Activities , Motor Activity , Odds Ratio , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
No abstract available.
Subject(s)
Humans , Air Pollutants/toxicity , Air Pollution/prevention & control , Dust , Environmental Exposure , Industrial Waste , Republic of Korea , Risk Reduction BehaviorABSTRACT
No abstract available.
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This article presents the process of workers' problems with work related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs), the introduction of risk assessments (RA) for their prevention, and the consequences of this process in Korea. In 1997, economic crisis caused a rapid increase of massive layoffs, worker dispatch system introduction, job insecurity, and use of irregular workers resulting in work intensification. Work intensification increased WMSDs, which created massive workers' compensation collective claims. Workers argued for the reduction of work intensity. The RAs introduced as a consequence of the workers' struggle is unique in the world. Whereas these RAs were expected to play a pivotal role in WMSDs prevention, they dis not due to workers' lack of engagement after the compensation struggle. In fact, changes in the compensation judgment system and criteria have resulted in lower compensation approval rates leading to lower workers' compensation claims. The Korean experience provides insight into WMSDs causes in a globalized world. In such a the globalized world, work intensification as the result of work flexibility could be an international trend.
Subject(s)
Compensation and Redress , Internationality , Judgment , Korea , Pliability , Risk Assessment , Workers' CompensationABSTRACT
Children are considerably more susceptible to enviro006Emental hazards than adults. This study was conducted to investigate whether the first asbestos exposure in childhood increases the risk of asbestos-related cancer including mesothelioma and lung cancer. MEDLINE (PubMed), Embase, and Google Scholar were searched to find relevant studies published up to July 2012. Six studies reported the relationship between age, including age during childhood, at the first asbestos exposure and mesothelioma. Among them, 4 indicated that people exposed to asbestos in childhood have a higher risk of mesothelioma than those exposed in adulthood. Meanwhile, the other 2 studies showed that asbestos exposure later in life increases the risk of mesothelioma. The results of the 2 studies including non-occupational early childhood exposure report conflicting results. There were 3 studies regarding the relationship between age at first asbestos exposure and lung cancer. However, none of them reported an association between age at first asbestos exposure and the risk of lung cancer. All studies have limitations including small numbers of subjects, the validity of the standardized mortality ratio, and different age categories at first asbestos exposure. There are only a few studies on the harmful effects of asbestos in children in the literature. Therefore, the effect of asbestos exposure during childhood remains unclear and requires further study.
Subject(s)
Adult , Child , Humans , Asbestos , Lung Neoplasms , Mesothelioma , MortalityABSTRACT
The notion that dental amalgam is a potential source of mercury exposure remains a controversial issue. However, there are few epidemiological analyses that have addressed whether this occurs in children. We aimed in our current study to identify the relationship between dental amalgam filling surfaces and the blood mercury levels in a cohort of 711 South Korean children aged between 8-9 years. Oral examinations were conducted to detect the number of amalgam filling surfaces on the teeth of these individuals. Blood samples were also taken from these children to assess the levels of mercury accumulation in the body. The amalgam filling surfaces were classified into four groups based on their number: 0 (n = 368), 1-5 (n = 219), 6-10 (n = 89), and 11+ (n = 35). The blood mercury levels in the children with more than 10 amalgam surfaces was 0.47 microg/L higher on average than those with no amalgam surfaces after adjusting for the frequency of fish or seafood consumption, age, and gender (P < 0.05). We found from our data that a higher number of dental amalgam fillings correlated with a higher blood mercury level in Korean children. Further studies are needed to investigate whether these elevated mercury levels exert neurotoxic or nephrotoxic effects.
Subject(s)
Aged , Child , Humans , Cohort Studies , Dental Amalgam , Diagnosis, Oral , Republic of Korea , Seafood , ToothABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: A growing body of research has documented that job stress has a pivotal role in developing adverse health outcomes. However, little is known about the relationship between farmers' job stress and health outcomes. This study was undertaken to identify the relationship between job stress and self-perceived fatigue in Korean farmers. METHODS: A total of 526 Korean farmers were asked to participate in this study. A self-administered questionnaire was used to assess the participants' general characteristics, job stress and self-perceived fatigue. Job stress was measured using a forty-eight item Farm Stressor Inventory (FSI), and the self-perceived fatigue was estimated by Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (MFS). Binary logistic regression analysis was conducted to examine the relationship between job stress and self-perceived fatigue. RESULTS: The result showed that job stress was associated with self-perceived fatigue. For the farmers with high job stress, the risk of self-perceived fatigue was more likely to increase compared to those with low job stress. For males, labor intensity (OR, 3.88; 95% CI, 1.91~7.89), job environment (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.22~4.93), social support (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.07~4.13), social isolation (OR, 2.45; 95% CI, 1.15~5.60), financial problems (OR, 3.25; 95% CI, 1.53~6.91), uncertainty (OR, 2.48; 95% CI, 1.30~4.75) and health problems (OR, 5.77; 95% CI, 2.46~13.53) were associated with self-perceived fatigue. For females, job environment (OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.22~4.08), social isolation (OR, 2.08; 95% CI, 1.05-4.15), physical environment & weather condition (OR, 2.61; 95% CI, 1.33~5.12), financial problems (OR, 2.87; 95% CI, 1.55~5.32), uncertainty (OR, 3.65; 95% CI, 1.95~6.83) and health problems (OR, 3.38; 95% CI, 1.57~7.27) were associated with self-perceived fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: This result suggests that farmers' job stress plays a role in the development of fatigue, and job stressors related to fatigue are slightly different according to gender.
Subject(s)
Female , Humans , Male , Agriculture , Fatigue , Logistic Models , Surveys and Questionnaires , Social Isolation , Uncertainty , WeatherABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, asbestos-related chest radiograph abnormalities and abnormal pulmonary function tests among former asbestos textile factory workers and to reveal the related factors of these abnormal findings. METHODS: There were 119 persons former asbestos textile industry workers registered in the health management pocketbook. Of 97 retired asbestos workers living in Busan, Yangsan and Gimhae, 63(64.9%) retired asbestos workers were enrolled into this study. The researchers administered questionnaires, and performed chest radiographys, and pulmonary function tests (PFT) on participants. The survey was conducted during July, 2009. RESULTS: Among former workers the number of lung fibrosis, pleural plaque, pleural calcification, and pleural thickening was 13(20.6%), 6(9.5%), 3(4.8%), and 1(1.6%) in chest radiography, respectively. Asbestos-related disorders and abnormal pulmonary function test groups had higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms. Participants with crocidolite exposure or long latency period had higher asbestos-related x-ray findings or abnormal PFT findings. CONCLUSIONS: Former asbestos textile workers had a high rate of asbestos-related disorders. Workers with crocidolite exposure or having had a longer latency period had more asbestos-related disorders. Because gradual increase of asbestos related disorders among high asbestos exposure group is expected, sustained, and intensive management is needed for these former workers.
Subject(s)
Humans , Asbestos , Asbestos, Crocidolite , Fibrosis , Latency Period, Psychological , Lung , Prevalence , Surveys and Questionnaires , Respiratory Function Tests , Retirement , Textile Industry , Textiles , ThoraxABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the effects of unemployment on health-related behavioral changes and worker's health, and to produce the basic data that is needed to formulate the necessary measures for reducing the health hazards and social costs caused by unemployment. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted with a group of 123 people who had lost their jobs due to structural unemployment (the unemployment group) and with a group of 155 employed people (the employment group). The 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was used as a tool for evaluating the demographic characteristics, the health-related behaviors and the health level. RESULTS: Irregular mealtimes and increased smoking and drinking rates were observed in the unemployment group (P<0.05). The results of the logistic regression analysis that was conducted after correcting for the confounding variable showed that in the unemployment group, unlike in the employment group, the odds ratio of the group with a low health level score on the SF-36 has a significant difference in "Role limitation resulting from physical problems" (OR 2.20, 95% CI=1.01~4.78), "Role limitation resulting from emotional problems" (OR 4.51, 95% CI=1.90~10.69) and "Mental health" (OR 3.43, 95% CI=1.52~7.74) among the eight lower areas. CONCLUSIONS: Unemployment causes a negative change in health-related behaviors and lower levels of mental and physical health. Systematic research must be conducted to promote good health among unemployed workers and to reduce their social costs.