Biomedical subjects

Domyung Paek

Publications and source records attributed to Domyung Paek.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

The association between neurobehavioral performance and lung function.

This study investigated the relationship between neurobehavioral performance and pulmonary function in young and middle adults. Data were collected from 178 subjects (88 male, 90 female) aged 20-50 years. Neurobehavioral performance was assessed by the Korean version of The Swedish Performance Evaluation System (SPES-K), on five items: simple reaction time, symbol digit, digit span, and finger tapping speed for dominant and non-dominant hands. Pulmonary function, as indicated by the 1-s forced expiratory volume (FEV1), was measured according to American Thoracic Society criteria and the potential association was analyzed by linear regression. For simple reaction time, symbol digit, and digit span, the performance of subjects with FEV1 levels exceeding 3.29 l was 2-4% greater than those with the lowest levels of less than 2.60 l, after controlling for the effects of age, sex, education, smoking, and height. Finger tapping speed, however, did not show any significant association. These findings suggest that pulmonary function may influence neurobehavioral performance, especially cognitive abilities, throughout adulthood.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The relationship between nonstandard working and mental health in a representative sample of the South Korean population.

In light of escalating job insecurity due to increasing numbers of nonstandard workers, this study examined the association between nonstandard employment and mental health among South Korean workers. We analyzed a representative weighted sample of 2086 men and 1194 women aged 20-64 years, using data from the 1998 Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Nonstandard employment included part-time work, temporary work, and daily work. Mental health was measured with indicators of self-reported depression and suicidal ideation. Based on age-adjusted prevalence of mental health, nonstandard employees were more likely to be mentally ill compared to standard employees. Furthermore, nonstandard work status was associated with poor mental health after adjusting for socioeconomic position (education, occupational class, and income) and health behaviors (smoking, alcohol consumption, and exercise). However, the pattern of the relationship between nonstandard work and mental health differed by gender. Female gender was significantly associated with poor mental health. Although males tended to report more suicidal ideation, this difference was not statistically significant. Considering the increasing prevalence of nonstandard working conditions in South Korea, the results call for more longitudinal research on the mental health effects of nonstandard work.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

The development and regulation of occupational exposure limits in Korea.

With the institution of the new chemical regulatory framework in 2003, chemicals at the workplace have been classified into five categories; banned substances, permission-required substances, regulated substances, occupational exposure limit set substances, and other generally controlled substances. Currently, there are 698 substances with OELs. As we have come to gain our own experiences in the study and control of chemical hazards at the workplace such as the 2-bromopropane poisoning, OEL setting process has been streamlined. The OELs in Korea, however, remain merely as a recommendation, which does not require all the substances with OELs to be measured at the workplace. Coordination of whole program for hazardous chemicals including workplace measurement, OEL setting process, and enforcement activities is still needed in Korea.

Government Regulation↗

PubMed2006

Neurobehavioral function in children with low blood lead concentrations.

Debate continues as to whether low blood lead level, even below 5 microg/dl, impairs neurodevelopmental function in children. This study assessed the association between neurodevelopmental performance and lead exposure below 5 microg/dl in Korean children. Data were collected from 61 children, aged 7-16 years with a mean blood lead level of 2.9 microg/dl, who participated with their mothers. Neurodevelopmental function was measured with computer-based neurobehavioral tests. The analyzed data included children's performances on five neurobehavioral tests as the dependent variables, and children's blood lead level, sex, age, and mother's performance as the four independent variables. For simple reaction time and digit span, which, respectively reflect attention and short-term memory, there was a small and significant association between the children's neurodevelopmental performance and their blood lead levels (p=0.05, 0.08, respectively). Our study suggests that low blood lead below 5 microg/dl can influence children's neurobehavioral performance.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

[Clinical characteristics of factory workers with asymptomatic liver function test abnormalities found on serial health examination].

BACKGROUND/AIMS: The liver function tests (LFTs), such as aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (gamma-GT), have been widely used as screening tests but their low positive predictive value can cause many false positive results. To evaluate the clinical usefulness of these tests, we analyzed the serial LFT results for factory workers, and we compared the risk factors for the groups that were divided according to the serial LFT results. METHODS: From June 2001 to October 2001, 1223 consecutive healthy workers in a single factory were enrolled in our study; a questionnaire, LFT and liver ultrasonography were done for all the subjects. The previous LFT results were collected from the Annual health examination survey. According to the abnormalities on the serial LFT, the participants were classified into three groups (abnormal-in-both, alternating or, normal-in-both) and the risk factors were compared among these groups using multiple logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: The prevalence of LFT abnormality on a single test was 16.8%, but on the serial LFT, only 5% of the study participants showed consistent abnormality. The risk factors for the abnormal-in-both group, compared with the alternating group, were liver ultrasonography abnormality such as a fatty liver (odds ratio, 2.2; P=0.026) and a heavy alcohol intake (more than 210 g/week) (odds ratio, 7.2; P=0.064). HBsAg was not a significant risk factor for any of the three groups. CONCLUSIONS: In factory workers having serial LFT abnormalities, alcoholic liver disease could be the principal cause of abnormal LFT. Even if the HBsAg were positive in patients with abnormal LFT, there is the possibility of another causes for LFT abnormalities such as alcoholic liver disease and non-alcoholic steatosis or steatohepatitis.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Interpersonal and daily variability of personal exposures to nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide.

Chronic exposure is often assessed using a single measurement per individual or group. However, daily levels of personal exposure can vary greatly. Chronic exposure classification by a single measurement could be significantly affected by the interpersonal and daily variations of exposures. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of using a single personal exposure measurement on estimating long-term exposure. This study used measurements of consecutive 14 daily personal exposures to nitrogen dioxide (NO(2)) and sulfur dioxide (SO(2)) of 50 individuals in Yeochun, Korea. The daily personal exposures were measured by passive samplers. Personal exposure to NO(2) was associated with gas cooking, and personal exposure to SO(2) was associated with ambient air pollution. Mixed effects models indicated that daily variability was greater than interpersonal variability for both the pollutants. Effectiveness of using single-day personal measurements for long-term population mean exposure was supported by relatively consistent daily population averages, but multiple-day measurements might be warranted for characterizing individual exposures or high-end population exposures such as the 95th percentile. Although classification of high and low exposure groups by 1-day exposure and by 14-day exposure produced similar group totals, 20% of individual NO(2) exposures and 31% of individual SO(2) exposures were misclassified using 1-day exposures. Average values of 1-day exposure and 14-day exposure were significantly different, but the difference decreased by an increase in the number of measurements for the short-term exposure. The findings were similar for both NO(2) and SO(2), although the two air pollutants have different sources and behaviors.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2004

Determination of chromosome aberrations in workers in a petroleum refining factory.

Human exposure to benzene is derived occupationally from the petrochemical and petroleum refining industries. This study was performed to determine whether the frequencies of chromosome aberrations in workers exposed to low levels of benzene in a petroleum refining factory were elevated compared to an unexposed control group. The study population was comprised of 178 exposed workers and 36 unexposed workers. The frequencies of chromatid deletions and total chromosome aberrations in workers exposed to benzene were significantly higher compared to the unexposed control group. The frequency of total chromosome aberration was 4.20 per 500 metaphase cells in the exposed workers, whereas the frequency was 2.24 per 500 metaphase cells in the unexposed control group. The frequencies of total chromosome aberrations were significantly associated with benzene concentration after adjusting for confounding variables such as age, smoking status, and alcohol intake. The frequencies of chromosome aberrations were significantly increased in workers with low white blood cell counts (below 4000 cells/mm3) compared to those with high white blood cell counts (above 4000 cells/mm3). A reduced white blood cell count (below 4000/mm3) is suggestive of chronic exposure to benzene. In conclusion chronic benzene exposure and preclinical signs, such as reduced white blood cell counts, may be monitored by chromosome aberrations analysis.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Chromosomal aberrations in workers exposed to low levels of benzene: association with genetic polymorphisms.

Benzene and its metabolites damage human lymphocytes, resulting in chromosomal aberrations and aneuploidy. Polymorphisms in the genes for benzene-metabolizing enzymes have been implicated in benzene-associated haematotoxicity. In this study, we examined the specificity of benzene-induced aneuploidy and the influence of genetic polymorphisms (GSTM1, GSTT1, GSTP1, NAT2, NQO1 and CYP2E1) on chromosomal aberrations. In total, 82 benzene-exposed workers from a coke oven plant and 76 matched controls were examined. The benzene concentration in the work-place air ranged from 0.014-0.743 p.p.m. (geometric mean 0.557 p.p.m.). Benzene exposure was associated with significant increases in both monosomy and trisomy of chromosomes 8 and 21. Translocations between chromosomes 8 and 21 [t(8:21)] were eight-fold more frequent in the high-level exposure group compared to the control group. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the frequencies of chromosome aberrations were significantly associated with benzene exposure and polymorphisms in the metabolic enzyme genes. A particular subset of genotypes, which included the GSTM1-null and GSTT1-null genotypes, the slow acetylator type of NAT2, a variant of the NQO1 genotype and the CYP2E1 DraI and RsaI genotypes, were either separately, or in combination, associated with increased frequencies of aneuploidy among the benzene-exposed individuals after adjustments for age, alcohol consumption and smoking. These results suggest that polymorphisms in the genes for benzene-metabolizing enzymes influence the susceptibility of individuals to chromosomal aberrations in relation to benzene exposure.

Aneuploidy↗

PubMed2002

Heart-rate variability of carbon disulfide-poisoned subjects in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: Mass poisoning by carbon disulfide (CS(2)) occurred in a viscose-rayon factory in Korea. Including 38 who had died, 830 employees were diagnosed as CS(2) poisoned. We evaluated the heart-rate variability (HRV) among CS(2)-poisoned subjects, to discover whether CS(2) may affect HRV and whether its toxic effect persists after exposure has ceased. METHODS: The case group comprised 71 retired male workers with CS(2) poisoning. The control group comprised 127 public officials of the same age-range who had no history of organic-solvent exposure and cardiovascular diseases. Information on individual age, height, weight, cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, regular exercise, medical and occupational history, and ECG recordings of the two groups were collected through medical examination and self-administered questionnaire. Time (maximum, average, minimum RR interval) and frequency domain measures [low (LF), high (HF), and total power spectrum (TPS)] of the two groups were analyzed. RESULTS: In univariate analysis, time domain measures of the two groups did not differ significantly, while frequency domain measures in the case group was significantly lower than in the control group except for HF power. In multivariate analysis, previous history of CS(2) poisoning was inversely related to all frequency domain measures and significantly affected LF power. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that CS(2) may cause heart-rate impairment and its toxic effect persists after exposure has ceased. Based on this study, HRV measurement can be considered as a useful tool to assess toxic effects of CS(2) both in current and retired workers.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Occupational health services for small-scale enterprises in Korea.

Korea needs national strategies to handle problems of Small Scale Enterprises (SSEs) systematically. Since 1993, the Korean government has begun to provide financial subsidy programs for Occupational Health Services (OHSs) in SSEs from Occupational Injury Prevention Fund. To identify the health care status in SSEs in Korea, 5,080 factories, which had participated in the Government-funded Subsidy Program in 1997, were surveyed. The overall morbidity of the workers in these SSEs was higher than the national average for both general and occupational diseases. Based on the health examinations for occupational disease of those workers exposed to occupational hazards such as noise, dust, or solvents, we could find the industry-specific occupational disease patterns. From this result, we would plan the targeted occupational health services to specific groups. In spite that the effectiveness of this program is not completely assessed, our results indicate that it is desirable for this program to be continued in Korea. In addition, this program may be a good model for rapidly developing countries.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Asbestos problems yet to explode in Korea.

Although asbestos mining and manufacture has occurred in Korea since the 1920s, it was not until the 1980s that the broader social democratic movement heightened public awareness of the health problems associated with exposure to asbestos. The first systematic national survey of asbestos-related diseases was conducted in 1993. In that year, the first case of asbestos-related disease was compensated by the government. This long-delayed recognition of asbestos-related disease took place in a country that already had more than 100 asbestos factories. About 40 to 50 mesothelioma cases are reported annually through the Korean Cancer Registry. Nonetheless, only six mesothelioma cases have ever been referred to the government for workers' compensation. Lung cancer is the fastest growing cancer in Korea. Over the last 15 years, mortality from lung cancer has more than tripled. Among all these lung cancer cases, only 12 have been recognized as occupational in origin and compensated accordingly.

Asbestos↗

PubMedDate not supplied

FIOH-sponsored newsletter misrepresents asbestos hazards in Zimbabwe.

The Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH) has received support from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Office (ILO) to publish the African Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety. The African Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety should not be a medium for industry propaganda, or the source of misinformation among the workers of Africa. Instead, FIOH should provide the same level of scientific information in Africa that it does in Finland and other developed countries.

Asbestos↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Occupational health in South Korea.

The government-initiated Annual Workers Health Examination Program and the Industrial Accident Compensation Program both of which are delivered from outside the workplace mainly by a handful of service agents have remained the cornerstones of occupational health and safety (OHS) policy in South Korea since the 1960s. Initially, policies centered on the technical dimensions of OHS problems. This acultural approach is no longer efficient, and the scope of problems that can be dealt with is limited. The injury rate has gone down from 6 to less than 1 injury per 100 insured workers, but since the 1980s there has been no sign of improvement in the death rate from industrial accidents, and future improvement in the injury rate is not expected. As South Korea is facing major economic and social changes, review of current OHS policy is also underway. International collaborations and comparisons will surely add thoughtful perspectives to this discussion.

Accidents, Occupational↗