Background: The aim of this study was to estimate the number of workers exposed to diesel engine exhaust (DEE) by industry and year in the Republic of Korea.
Method: The estimates of workers potentially exposed to DEE in the Republic of Korea were calculated by industry on the basis of the carcinogen exposure (CAREX) surveillance system. The data on the labor force employed in DEE exposure industries were obtained from the Census on Establishments conducted by the Korea National Statistical Office from 1993 to 2013. The mean values of prevalence rates adopted by EU15 countries were used as the primary exposure prevalence rates. We also investigated the exposure prevalence rates and exposure characteristics of DEE in 359 workplaces representing 11 industries.
Results: The total number of workers exposed to DEE were estimated as 270,014 in 1993 and 417,034 in 2013 (2.2% of the total labor force). As of 2013, the industry categorized as "Land transport" showed the highest number of workers exposed to DEE with 174,359, followed by "Personal and household services" with 70,298, "Construction" with 45,555, "Wholesale and retail trade and restaurants and hotels" with 44,005, and "Sanitation and similar services" with 12,584. These five industries, with more than 10,000 workers exposed to DEE, accounted for 83% of the total DEE-exposed workers. Comparing primary prevalence rates used for preliminary estimation among 49 industries, "Metal ore mining" had the highest rate at 52.6%, followed by "Other mining" with 50.0%, and "Land transport" with 23.6%.
Conclusion: The DEE prevalence rates we surveyed (1.3-19.8%) were higher than the primary prevalence rates. The most common emission sources of DEE were diesel engine vehicles such as forklifts, trucks, and vans. Our estimated numbers of workers exposed to DEE can be used to identify industries with workers requiring protection from potential exposure to DEE in the Republic of Korea.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2016.06.001 | DOI Listing |
Health Phys
January 2025
National Institute for Radiological Protection, Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Beijing, 100088, China.
Inhalation of 131I is the main route for internal doses to nuclear medicine workers. This study aimed to establish a simple analysis method for determining 131I activity in carbon cartridges, explore the activity concentration of 131I in nuclear medicine departments, and evaluate the internal dose of workers. A total of 21 nuclear medicine departments in the hospital conducted air sampling using a high-volume air sampler equipped with carbon cartridges and glass fiber filters to collect gaseous 131I and aerosol 131I, respectively.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChina CDC Wkly
December 2024
National Center for Occupational Safety and Health, NHC, Beijing, China.
Introduction: Pneumoconiosis represents the most prevalent occupational disease in China, with coal workers' pneumoconiosis (CWP) showing the highest incidence. Analysis of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the exhaled breath of CWP patients may provide novel insights into its pathogenesis.
Methods: Study data were collected through questionnaires and medical examinations.
China CDC Wkly
December 2024
NHC Key Laboratory of Pneumoconiosis, MOE Key Laboratory of Coal Environmental Pathogenicity and Prevention, Shanxi Key Laboratory of Respiratory Diseases, The First Hospital of Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan City, Shanxi Province, China.
Introduction: Pneumoconiosis is the most prevalent occupational disease in China, with coal worker pneumoconiosis (CWP) demonstrating the highest incidence. Studies have indicated that phospholipids may be associated with CWP.
Methods: In this study, serum was obtained from 62 patients with pneumoconiosis, 105 coal dust-exposed workers, and 50 healthy individuals and analyzed via targeted lipidomics using ultra-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).
BMJ Open
January 2025
Sociology and Social Anthropology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
Introduction: The link between parent-child separation through child welfare systems and negative health and social outcomes is well documented. In contrast, despite the over-representation of Indigenous children and youth in child welfare systems, the relationship between child welfare system involvement and health and social outcomes among Indigenous populations has not been systematically reviewed. Our objective is to assess whether Indigenous People who have been exposed to a child welfare system personally or intergenerationally (ie, parents and/or grandparents) within Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the USA (CANZUS countries) and the circumpolar region are at an increased risk for negative health and social outcomes compared with other exposed and non-exposed groups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Toxicol Pharmacol
January 2025
Sao Paulo State University - UNESP, Medical School, GENOTOX Laboratory, Botucatu, Brazil. Electronic address:
We evaluated both environmental (workplace) and biological (urine) exposure to the anesthetic isoflurane concerning the effects of such exposure on the hematological, hepatic, and renal parameters in veterinarians. Samples were collected from exposed and nonexposed (volunteers) groups to assess hematological and several biochemical markers, and isoflurane was measured in the workplace air and veterinarian's urine. Isoflurane was detected at high levels in the air and urine.
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