• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.842-846
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• 2013

In 2012, the Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE) added 3 new water quality standards for the protection of human health; specifically, regarding 1,4-dioxane, formaldehyde, and hexachlorobenzene. In this study, we assimilated the water quality standards of these 3 substances from other countries, with respect to surface water quality standards for human health protection and drinking water standards. We subsequently investigated how these standard values were derived. 1,4-Dioxane is managed as an environmental standard for human health in Japan, and as a drinking water quality standard in WHO, New Zealand, and Japan with respect to both carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic effects. In New York, the oncogenic effects of formaldehyde in drinking water intake is considered, whereas WHO, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan also assess the non-carcinogenic effects of formaldehyde when setting their standards. USEPA and New York have a water quality standard for human health protection with respect to hexachlorobenzene based on carcinogenic effects. This study focuses on deriving water quality standards for the 3 new substances, or obtaining baseline information to revise the values of existing substances in the future.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.353-363
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• 2012

Methylmercury is a hazardous substance that is of interest with regard to environmental health, as inorganic mercury circulating in the general environment is dissolved into freshwater and seawater, condensed through the food chain, ingested by humans, and consequently affects human health. Recently, there has been much interest and discussion regarding the toxicity of methylmercury, the correlation with fish and shellfish intake, and methods of long-term management of the human health effects of methylmercury. What effects chronic exposure to a low concentration of methylmercury has on human health remains controversial. Although the possibility of methylmercury poisoning the heart and blood vessel system, the reproductive system, and the immune system is continuously raised and discussed, and the carcinogenicity of methylmercury is also under discussion, a clear conclusion regarding the human health effects according to exposure level has not yet been drawn. The Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives proposed to prepare additional fish and shellfish intake recommendations for consumers based on the quantified evaluation of the hazardousness of methylmercury contained in fish and shellfish, methylmercury management in the Korea has not yet caught up with this international trend. Currently, the methylmercury exposure level of Koreans is known to be very high. The starting point of methylmercury exposure management is inorganic mercury in the general environment, but food intake through methylation is the main exposure source. Along with efforts to reduce mercury in the general environment, food intake management should be undertaken to reduce the human exposure to methylmercury in Korea.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.355-364
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• 2011

Objectives: Though sulfur dioxide (SO2) is used widely at workplaces, itseffects on humans are not known. Thresholds are reportedwithout reference to gender or age and occupational exposure limits are basedon effects on lung functioning, although localized effects in the upper airways can be expected. This study's aim is to determine thresholds with respect to age and gender and suggests a new approach to risk assessment using breathing reflexes presumably triggered by trigeminal receptors in the upper airways. Methods: Odor thresholds were determined by the ascending method of limits in groups stratified by age and gender. Subjects rated intensities of different olfactory and trigeminal perceptions at different concentrations of $SO_2$. During the presentation of the concentrations, breathing movements were measured by respiratory inductive plethysmography. Results: Neither age nor gender effects were observed for odor threshold. Only ratings of nasal irritation were influenced bygender. A benchmark dose analysis on relative respiratory depth revealed a 10%-deviation from baseline at about 25.27 mg/$m^3$. Conclusion: The proposed new approach to risk assessment appearsto be sustainable. We discuss whether a 10%-deviation of breathingdepth is relevant.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.9
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• pp.1341-1348
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• 2016

The natural environment plays an important role not only in ecological sustainability, but also in human health. Growing attention has been focused on the health benefits of natural environments with increasing scientific evidence in this field. Urban green space has positive effects on individual and community health; thus, it is considered as social infrastructure. The natural environment promotes mental health by relieving psychological stress and depression. Physical health can be improved by experiencing nature, which reduces physiological stress and boosts the immune system. Several international initiatives have been undertaken to improve our understanding in this field and to utilize these benefits for health promotion. Interdisciplinary approaches are needed to promote human health through the natural environment in the fields of science, education, planning and policy.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2012

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) stand at the frontier of nanotechnology and are destined to stimulate the next industrial revolution. Rapid increase in their production and use in the technology industry have led to concerns over the effects of CNT on human health and the environment. The prominent use of CNTs in biomedical applications also increases the possibility of human exposure, while properties such as their high aspect ratio (fiber-like shape) and large surface area raise safety concerns for human health if exposure does occur. It is crucial to develop viable alternatives to in vivo tests in order to evaluate the toxicity of engineered CNTs and develop validated experimental models capable of identifying CNTs' toxic effects and predicting their level of toxicity in the human respiratory system. Human lung epithelial cells serve as a barrier at the interface between the surrounding air and lung tissues in response to exogenous particles such as air-pollutants, including CNTs. Monolayer culture of the key individual cell types has provided abundant fundamental information on the response of these cells to external perturbations. However, such systems are limited by the absence of cell-cell interactions and their dynamic nature, which are both present in vivo. In this review, we suggested two viable alternatives to in vivo tests to evaluate the health risk of human exposure to CNTs.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.35-42
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• 2013

Quantum dots (QDs) have received considerable attention due to their potential role in photosensitization during photodynamic therapy. Although QDS are attractive nanomaterials due to their novel and unique physicochemical properties, concerns about their toxicity remain. We suggest a combination strategy, CdSe/ZnS QDs together with curcumin, a natural yellow pigment from turmeric, to reduce QD-induced cytotoxicity. The aim of this study was to explore a potentially effective cancer treatment: co-exposure of HL-60 cells and human normal lymphocytes to CdSe/ZnS QDs and curcumin. Cell viability, apoptosis, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, and DNA damage induced by QDs and/or curcumin with or without ultraviolet A (UVA) irradiation were evaluated in both HL-60 cells and normal lymphocytes. In HL-60 cells, cell death, apoptosis, ROS generation, and single/double DNA strand breaks induced by QDs were enhanced by treatment with curcumin and UVA irradiation. The protective effects of curcumin on cell viability, apoptosis, and ROS generation were observed in normal lymphocytes, but not leukemia cells. These results demonstrated that treatment with QD combined with curcumin increased cell death in HL-60 cells, which was mediated by ROS generation. However, curcumin acted as an antioxidant in cultured human normal lymphocytes.

• Journal of the Ergonomics Society of Korea
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.265-278
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• 2015

Objective:To study the sources of indoor noise, its effects on human health, noise assessment and regulation through the use of standards, and techniques used to reduce noise. Background: Noise significantly affects the living environment, and there are an increasing number of reports of its impacts on human health. Method: We reviewed domestic and foreign data regarding environmental noise, and examined its effects and the standards used to regulate noise levels. Results: We describe the major sources of indoor noise and suggest possible legal standards, as well as recommended criteria for the control of noise. Conclusion: South Korea has higher legal standards of environmental noise than international standards in terms of threshold values. People in Korea are exposed to various sources of noise, and therefore the reduction of noise is urgently required. Application: Depending on the features of indoor spaces, an appropriate degree of indoor noise can be determined and techniques to reduce excess noise are required.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1994.02a
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• pp.405-411
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• 1994

Hazardous wastes released into the general environment are of concern to the public and to public health authorities. In response to this concern, the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act, as amended (commonly called Superfund), was enacted in 1980 to provide a framework for environmental, public health, and legal actions concerning uncontrolled releases of hazardous substances. The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) was created by Superfund to address the public health issues of hazardous wastes in the community environment. Two key Agency programs, Public Health Assessments and Toxicological Profiles, are designed to assess the risk to human health of exposures to hazardous substances that migrate from waste sites or through emergency releases (e.g., chemical spills). The Agency's public health assessment is a structured process that permits ATSDR to identify which waste sites or other point sources require traditional public health actions (e.g.. human exposure studies, health studies, registries, health surveillance, health advisories). The ATSDR qualitative public health assessment complements the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's quantitative risk assessment. For Superfund purposes, both assessments are sitespecific. ATSDR's toxicological profiles are prepared for priority hazardous substances found most frequently at Superfund sites. Each profile presents the current toxicologic and human health effects information about the substance being profiled. Each profile also contains Minimal Risk Levels (MRLs), a type of risk assessment value. This paper covers ATSDR's experience in conducting public health assessments and developing MRLs, and it relates this experience to recommendations on how to improve chemical risk assessments.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2001.11b
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• pp.691-694
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• 2001

The recent national contract (Ecotechnopia 21) supported by the ministry of environment puts much significance on new issues for the assessment of human effects arising from vibration and noise exposed to human. This paper focuses only on hand-arm vibration since it has been a major problem in protecting vibration exposure to human. To set up a systematic way of assessing adverse effects of hand-arm vibration, surveys were made on recent international standards and researches related to hand-arm vibration. The measurement and evaluation methods of hand-arm transmitted vibration, the relationship between vibration exposure and effects on health, and the assessment methods of nerve dysfunctions are addressed in this paper. Those methods are linked into a logical way of assessing effects of hand-arm vibration on human. Finally, the current activities and achievements in this work are briefly summarised.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2001.11b
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• pp.1361-1364
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• 2001

The recent national contract (Ecotechnopia 21) supported by the ministry of environment puts much significance on new issues for the assessment of human effects arising from vibration and noise exposed to human. This paper focuses only on hand-arm vibration since it has been a major problem in protecting vibration exposure to human. To set up a systematic way of assessing adverse effects of hand-arm vibration, surveys were made on recent international standards and researches related to hand-arm vibration. The measurement and evaluation methods of hand-arm transmitted vibration, the relationship between vibration exposure and effects on health, and the assessment methods of nerve dysfunctions are addressed in this paper. Those methods are linked into a logical way of assessing effects of hand-arm vibration on human. Finally, the current activities and achievements in this work are briefly summarised.