1
|
Park JH, Choi S, Koh DH, Lim DS, Park D, Kim HC, Lee SG, Lee J, Lim JS, Sung Y, Yoon Ko K. A Pilot Establishment of the Job-Exposure Matrix of Lead Using the Standard Process Code of Nationwide Exposure Databases in Korea. Saf Health Work 2022; 13:493-499. [PMID: 36579012 PMCID: PMC9772472 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2022.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The purpose of this study is to construct a job-exposure matrix for lead that accounts for industry and work processes within industries using a nationwide exposure database. Methods We used the work environment measurement data (WEMD) of lead monitored nationwide from 2015 to 2016. Industrial hygienists standardized the work process codes in the database to 37 standard process and extracted key index words for each process. A total of 37 standardized process codes were allocated to each measurement based on an automated key word search based on the degree of agreement between the measurement information and the standard process index. Summary statistics, including the arithmetic mean, geometric mean, and 95th percentile level (X95), was calculated according to industry, process, and industry process. Using statistical parameters of contrast and precision, we compared the similarity of exposure groups by industry, process, and industry process. Results The exposure intensity of lead was estimated for 583 exposure groups combined with 128 industry and 35 process. The X95 value of the "casting" process of the "manufacture of basic precious and non-ferrous metals" industry was 53.29 μg/m3, exceeding the occupational exposure limit of 50 μg/m3. Regardless of the limitation of the minimum number of samples in the exposure group, higher contrast was observed when the exposure groups were by industry process than by industry or process. Conclusion We evaluated the exposure intensities of lead by combination of industry and process. The results will be helpful in determining more accurate information regarding exposure in lead-related epidemiological studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ju-Hyun Park
- Department of Statistics, Dongguk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangjun Choi
- Graduate School of Public Health and Healthcare Management, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea,Corresponding author. Graduate School of Public Health and Healthcare Management, The Catholic University of Korea, 222 Banpo-daero, Seocho-gu, Seoul, 06591, Republic of Korea.
| | - Dong-Hee Koh
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Dae Sung Lim
- Hansung Health and Safety Technology Co., Ltd., Daejeon, Republic of Korea
| | - Donguk Park
- Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwan-Cheol Kim
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Gil Lee
- Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Jihye Lee
- Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Seon Lim
- Department of Statistics, Dongguk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yeji Sung
- Graduate School of Public Health and Healthcare Management, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyoung Yoon Ko
- Graduate School of Public Health and Healthcare Management, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Koh DH, Park JH, Lee SG, Kim HC, Jung H, Kim I, Choi S, Park D. Development of Korean CARcinogen EXposure: Assessment of the Exposure Intensity of Carcinogens by Industry. Saf Health Work 2022; 13:308-314. [PMID: 36156867 PMCID: PMC9482008 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2022.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2022] [Revised: 05/03/2022] [Accepted: 05/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Occupational cancer is a global health issue. The Korean CARcinogen EXposure (K-CAREX), a database of CARcinogen EXposure, was developed for the Korean labor force to estimate the number of workers exposed to carcinogens by industry. The present study aimed to estimate the intensity of exposure to carcinogens by industry, in order to supply complementary information about CARcinogen EXposure intensity to the K-CAREX. Methods We used nationwide workplace monitoring data from 2014 to 2016 and selected target carcinogens based on the K-CAREX list. We computed the 95th percentile levels of measurements for each industry by carcinogens. Based on the 95th percentile level relative to the occupational exposure limit, we classified the CARcinogen EXposure intensity into five exposure ratings (1–5) for each industry. Results The exposure ratings were estimated for 21 carcinogenic agents in each of the 228 minor industry groups. For example, 3,058 samples were measured for benzene in the manufacturing industry of basic chemicals. This industry was assigned a benzene exposure rating of 3. Conclusions We evaluated the CARcinogen EXposure ratings across industries in Korean workers. The results will provide information on the exposure intensity to carcinogens for integration into the K-CAREX. Furthermore, it will aid in prioritizing control efforts and identifying industries of concern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Hee Koh
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
- Corresponding author. Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, 25, Simgok-to 100 Bone-Gil, Seo-Gu, Incheon, 22711, Republic of Korea.
| | - Ju-Hyun Park
- Department of Statistics, Dongguk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Gil Lee
- Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwan-Cheol Kim
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyejung Jung
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Inah Kim
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangjun Choi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Donguk Park
- Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Koh DH, Park JH, Lee SG, Kim HC, Jung H, Kim I, Choi S, Park D. Estimation of Lead Exposure Intensity by Industry Using Nationwide Exposure Databases in Korea. Saf Health Work 2021; 12:439-444. [PMID: 34900362 PMCID: PMC8640577 DOI: 10.1016/j.shaw.2021.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2021] [Revised: 06/27/2021] [Accepted: 07/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In a previous study, we estimated exposure prevalence and the number of workers exposed to carcinogens by industry in Korea. The present study aimed to evaluate the optimal exposure intensity indicators of airborne lead exposure by comparing to blood lead measurements for the future development of the carcinogen exposure intensity database. METHODS Data concerning airborne lead measurements and blood lead levels were collected from nationwide occupational exposure databases, compiled between 2015 and 2016. Summary statistics, including the arithmetic mean (AM), geometric mean (GM), and 95th percentile level (X95) were calculated by industry both for airborne lead and blood lead measurements. Since many measurements were below the limits of detection (LODs), the simple replacement with half of the LOD and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) methods were used for statistical analysis. For examining the optimal exposure indicator of airborne lead exposure, blood lead levels were used as reference data for subsequent rank correlation analyses. RESULTS A total of 19,637 airborne lead measurements and 32,848 blood lead measurements were used. In general, simple replacement showed a higher correlation than MLE. The results showed that AM and X95 using simple replacement could be used as optimal exposure intensity indicators, while X95 showed better correlations than AM in industries with 20 or more measurements. CONCLUSION Our results showed that AM or X95 could be potential candidates for exposure intensity indicators in the Korean carcinogen exposure database. Especially, X95 is an optimal indicator where there are enough measurements to compute X95 values.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Hee Koh
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Ju-Hyun Park
- Department of Statistics, Dongguk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sang-Gil Lee
- Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Ulsan, Republic of Korea
| | - Hwan-Cheol Kim
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyejung Jung
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Inah Kim
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sangjun Choi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Donguk Park
- Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Koh DH, Park JH, Lee SG, Kim HC, Choi S, Jung H, Kim I, Park D. Development of Korean CARcinogen EXposure: An Initiative of the Occupational Carcinogen Surveillance System in Korea. Ann Work Expo Health 2021; 65:528-538. [PMID: 33528514 PMCID: PMC8323866 DOI: 10.1093/annweh/wxaa135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Revised: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 12/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To prevent occupational cancers, carcinogen exposure surveillance systems have been developed in many countries. This study aimed to develop a carcinogen exposure database specific to South Korea. METHODS Twenty known human carcinogens were selected for this study. The International Standard Classification of Industry was used for a classification scheme of industries. Three nationwide occupational exposure databases, the Work Environment Measurement Database, the Special Health Examination Database, and the Work Environment Condition Survey, were used to calculate reference exposure prevalence estimates by carcinogen and industry. Then, 37 professional industrial hygienists with at least 19 years of field experience provided their own exposure prevalence estimates, after reviewing the abovementioned reference estimates derived from three data sources. The median value of the experts' estimates was used as the final exposure prevalence. Finally, the number of exposed workers was computed by multiplying the final exposure prevalence by the number of workers extracted from the 2010 national census data by carcinogen and industry. RESULTS The exposure prevalence and the number of exposed workers were calculated according to 20 carcinogen and 228 minor industrial groups, assuming year 2010 circumstances. The largest population was exposed to welding fumes (326 822 workers), followed by ultraviolet radiation (238 937 workers), ionizing radiation (168 712 workers), and mineral oil mist (146 798 workers). CONCLUSIONS Our results provide critical data on carcinogen exposure for the prevention of occupational cancers.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Dong-Hee Koh
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Ju-Hyun Park
- Department of Statistics, Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Sang-Gil Lee
- Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Ulsan, Korea
| | - Hwan-Cheol Kim
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Sangjun Choi
- Department of Preventive Medicine, College of Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hyejung Jung
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Inah Kim
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, College of Medicine, Hanyang University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Donguk Park
- Department of Environmental Health, Korea National Open University, Seoul, Korea
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Jung H, Koh DH, Choi S, Park JH, Kim HC, Lee SG, Park D. Estimates of the Prevalence, Intensity and the Number of Workers Exposed to Cigarette Smoking across Occupations and Industries in Korea. J Korean Med Sci 2019; 34:e213. [PMID: 31392856 PMCID: PMC6689490 DOI: 10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Accepted: 07/10/2019] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Tobacco smoking affects the incidence of various illnesses such as lung cancer, respiratory diseases, and cardiovascular diseases. In an effort to prevent smoking-related cancers, we aimed to estimate the smoking prevalence, intensity, and number of workers exposed to smoking, which would be specific to the occupational and industrial circumstances in Korea. METHODS We used the Korean Working Condition Survey (KWCS) and Korea's Census data. Smoking prevalence and intensity were estimated using the KWCS data. The number of smokers was estimated by multiplying smoking prevalence with the number of workers in the occupation or industry. Smoking prevalence, intensity, and number of smokers were estimated for major, sub-major, and minor groups of occupation and industry. RESULTS Of the total labor force in 2010, 52.66% of men and 5.24% of women workers were estimated to be current smokers. Men workers smoked 15.42 cigarettes/day, and women workers 11.29 cigarettes/day. In terms of occupation, "craft and related trades workers" demonstrated the highest smoking prevalence (52.24%). "Managers" smoked the highest number of cigarettes (16.63 cigarettes/day) and "equipment, machine operating, and assembling workers" comprised the largest number of estimated smokers (1,368,726 workers). In terms of industry, "mining and quarrying" had the highest smoking prevalence (69.27%). Those in "construction" smoked the highest number of cigarettes (17.16 cigarettes/day) and those in "manufacturing" comprised the largest number of estimated smokers (1,629,893 workers). CONCLUSION Our results may help in setting priorities for smoking prevention-related activities. In addition, these results can be used for epidemiological studies controlling for the effect of smoking by occupation or industry.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hyejung Jung
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Dong Hee Koh
- Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, International St. Mary's Hospital, Catholic Kwandong University, Incheon, Korea.
| | - Sangjun Choi
- Department of Occupational Health, Catholic University of Daegu, Daegu, Korea
| | - Ju Hyun Park
- Department of Statistics, Dongguk University, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hwan Cheol Kim
- Department of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Inha University, Incheon, Korea
| | - Sang Gil Lee
- Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute, Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency, Ulsan, Korea
| | - Donguk Park
- Department of Environmental and Health, Korea National Open University, Seoul, Korea
| |
Collapse
|