Jihoon Park

Objectives Peak exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) among semiconductor workers was characterized by type of factory, operation, and job. Methods A portable EMDEX meter was used to monitor the ELF-MF exposure of 117 semiconductor workers who are involved in wafer fabrication (fab) and assembly operations. ELF-MF measuremen...

The association between lung injury and exposure to humidifier disinfectant (HD) containing a mixture of chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMIT) and methylisothiazolinone (MIT) has been controversial in South Korea. This study conducts a literature review in order to evaluate the likelihood of CMIT/MIT reaching the lower part of the respiratory tract an...

This study aimed to identify the major industries and jobs with the highest proportion of workers' compensation (WC) claims for COVID-19, characterize COVID-19 WC claims in terms of their demographic properties and disease severity, and identify factors influencing the approval of COVID-19 WC claims as occupational disease. A total of 488 workers w...

The types of workplaces and occupations with coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) clusters vary between countries and periods. We aimed to characterize major occupational groups with mass outbreaks of COVID-19 infections in several Asia-Pacific countries. Data on the major occupations or workplaces reporting COVID-19 cases in workplaces from January 2020 to...

Background: Despite the lack of official COVID-19 statistics, various workplaces and occupations have been at the centre of COVID-19 outbreaks. We aimed to compare legal measures and governance established for managing COVID-19 infection risks at workplaces in nine Asia and Pacific countries and to recommend key administrative measures. Methods:...

This study aimed to quantify both chloromethylisothiazolinone (CMIT) and methylisothiazolinone (MIT) dissolved in different product brands and to characterize the exposure to these chemicals among humidifier disinfectant-associated lung injury (HDLI) patients. Both CMIT and MIT dissolved in different humidifier disinfectant (HD) products were quant...

Harmful emissions including particulates, volatile organic compounds, and aldehydes are generated during three‐dimensional (3D) printing. Ultrafine particles are particularly important due to their ability to penetrate deep into the lung. We modeled inhalation exposure by particle size during 3D printing. A total of six thermoplastic filaments were...

There is currently no governmental body in South Korea resembling the type of poison center (PC) recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). All Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) member countries except for South Korea maintain such a PC tasked with both preventing poisoning accidents and supporting the prompt tre...

The use of humidifier disinfectant (HD) has been determined to be associated with lung injuries (HDLI) in Korea. Although HD brands containing polyhexamethylene guanidine (PHMG) oligomers have been found to cause more HDLI compared to brands containing other disinfectants, the physicochemical properties of PHMG have been poorly defined. We aimed to...

Commercial spray products are commonly used in daily life and airborne particles generated by these products may cause adverse health effects. Our study was aimed to characterize the behaviors of airborne particles from spray products and to determine the deposition loss rate. Four categories of spray products with highly frequent use - air freshen...

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the regulatory systems for laboratory safety and health management between Korea and Germany and discuss the implications. Methods: Laboratory safety and health regulations for legal enforcement and relevant technical guidelines in Korea and Germany were reviewed. Results: Lab safety and health management is...

Objectives: The aims of this study were to review the standards and key components of the standards for disposable masks in Korea, the US, EU, Japan, and China and to evaluate the appropriateness of disposable masks during a virus pandemic. Methods: We reviewed the standards in the above countries and compared their key elements for each standard....

Physicochemical properties between colloidal engineered nanomaterials (ENM) and aerosols released from consumer spray products were characterized. A dynamic light scattering (DLS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and inductively coupled plasma‐mass spectrometer (ICP‐MS) were used to evaluate the suspended ENMs in the products. Direct‐reading...

The cover image is based on the Original Article Effect of Nozzle Temperature on the Emission Rate of Ultrafi ne Particles During 3D Printing by Chungsik Yoon, Sunju Kim, Jihoon Park et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12624.

Background Ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are harmful gases generated during aerobic/anaerobic bacterial decomposition of livestock manure. We evaluated ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations generated from workplaces at livestock farms and determined environmental factors influencing the gas concentrations. Methods Five commercial swine farms...

Ultrafine particles and other hazardous materials are emitted during 3D printing, but the effect of temperature on such particles has not been studied systematically. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of temperature on the emission rate of particulate matter during fused deposition modeling (FDM) three‐dimensional (3D) printing using...

This study aims to assess the levels of extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF‐MF) emitted from portable hand‐held fans (HHFs) and their principal frequency and to identify factors influencing these levels. We collected a total of eleven models of HHF and monitored the ELF‐MF as a function of fan speed and distance from the fan. EMDEX II was...

Since around the year 2000, hundreds of people in Korea have developed humidifier disinfectant associated lung injury (HDLI). We collected all HD exposure‐related information from the field investigations into the locations in which the 1,199 registered patients had used HD. Among the people who registered, 38% (1st round=214, 2nd=73, 3rd=166) were...

Background: The aim of this study was to describe the types of diseases that developed in semiconductor workers who have registered with the Korea Workers' Compensation and Welfare Service (KWCWS) and to identify potential common occupational characteristics by the type of claimed disease. Methods: A total of 55 semiconductor workers with cancer...

Background: The semiconductor industry is known to use a number of chemicals, but little is known about the exact chemicals used due to the ingredients being kept as a trade secret. Objectives: The objective of this study was to analyze chemical use using a safety data sheet (SDS) and chemical inventory provided by a major semiconductor company, wh...

Background The photolithography process in the semiconductor industry uses various chemicals with little information on their constitution. This study aimed to identify the chemical constituents of photoresist (PR) products and their by-products and to compare these constituents with material safety data sheets (MSDSs) and analytical results. Meth...

In the field of exposure science, various exposure assessment models have been developed to complement experimental measurements; however, few studies have been published on their validity. This study compares the estimated inhaled aerosol doses of several inhalation exposure models to experimental measurements of aerosols released from consumer sp...

We assessed the exposure of semiconductor workers to extremely low frequency-magnetic fields (ELF-MF) and identified job characteristics affecting ELF-MF exposure. These were demonstrated by assessing the exposure of 117 workers involved in wafer fabrication (fab) and chip packaging wearing personal dosimeters for a full shift. A portable device wa...

This study aimed to evaluate particle emission characteristics and to evaluate several control methods used to reduce particle emissions during three-dimensional (3D) printing. Experiments for particle characterization were conducted to measure particle number concentrations, emission rates, morphology, and chemical compositions under manufacturer-...

We evaluated the spatial-temporal dispersion of airborne nanomaterials during the use of spray consumer products and estimated the level of consumer inhalation exposure. A total of eight spray products including five propellant and three pump types were selected to evaluate the dispersion of airborne nanoparticles across time and space in a cleanro...

Workers in the semiconductor fabrication process may be exposed to higher levels of hazardous materials, such as arsenic, during preventive maintenance (PM) tasks than during the regular operation of the fabrication process. This study investigates the exposure to arsenic and other metals during PM tasks in the ion implantation process. Airborne ar...

Background The use of engineered nanomaterials in consumer products is becoming pervasive and a potential exposure source affecting human health. This study aimed to evaluate the exposure concentration based on the real-time monitoring during application of spray consumer products on the wall according to the spray type (propellant vs. trigger). M...

Introduction Various chemicals are used as dispersion solvents in engineered nanomaterials (ENMs)-containing spray consumer products. During use, ENMs are emitted with the solvents into the air. The solvents evaporated during use could cause an interference when the ENMs are monitored. The purpose of this study was to compare the removal efficienci...

Background As the number of engineered nanomaterials (ENMs)-containing product is increasing on the markets, it has become a potential exposure source to consumers. Sprays containing ENMs is a crucial category of consumer products due to direct inhalation in terms of health effects. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the spatial-temporal dis...

Background The semiconductor industry is known to use many chemicals but little is known. Especially, multi component chemicals including organic solvents and trade secret components have been used in photolithography process. The purposes of this study were to identify the chemicals used in a photolithography process and to compare it with the com...

We evaluated peak exposure to extremely low-frequency magnetic fields (ELF) during the semiconductor manufacturing process based on an analysis of the time exposure patterns of semiconductor workers. This evaluation was manifested by measuring the personal exposure of 117 workers involved in wafer fabrication and chip packaging operations in the se...

Background The increasing number of products containing engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) has become a potential source for consumer exposure. Some manufacturers have not claimed that ENMs were used in products or others have claimed that their products used a nanotechnology without verifiable statements. This study aimed to identify the ENMs in cons...

Background A fused deposition modelling (FDM) 3 D printer is known to emit ultrafine particles during operation in a previous study. Even though various filler materials are used in the FDM 3 D printer, only a few materials have been studied. This study aimed to compare particle emission rates during 3 D printing with several filler materials. Met...

Objectives: One major limitation encountered in retrospective exposure assessment for epidemiological study is the lack of exposure records and information maintained by companies which if they existed would allow the estimation of past exposure to hazardous operations and agents. This study developed a job-specific questionnaire(JSQ) to estimate e...

Livestock workers are involved in a variety of tasks, such as caring for animals, maintaining the breeding facilities, cleaning, and manure handling, and are exposed to health and safety risks. Hydrogen sulfide is considered the most toxic by-product of the manure handling process at livestock facilities. Except for several reports in developed cou...

Objectives: There are many hazardous agents at livestock farms. In particular, gases can be detrimental to both workers and animals. This study evaluated ammonia and hydrogen sulfide concentrations in broiler hen barns and beef cattle barns according to sampling location and height. Methods: Three broiler hen barns and three beef cattle barns were...

This study evaluated the emissions characteristics of hazardous material during fused deposition modeling type 3D printing. Particulate and gaseous materials were measured before, during, and after 3D printing in an exposure chamber. One ABS and two PLA (PLA1 and PLA2) cartridges were tested three times. For online monitoring, a scanning mobility p...

Objectives: This study aims to compare the physicochemical characteristics, toxicological data with Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) of chemicals under the Occupational Safety and Health Act(OSHA) regulated by the Ministry of Employment and Labor of Korea. Methods: Information on chemicals which have OELs on physicochemical characteristics and t...

Objectives: The aims of this study were to investigate the classification system of chemical substances in the Occupational Safety and Health Act(OSHA) and Chemical Substances Control Act(CSCA) and to compare several health indices (i.e., Time Weighted Average (TWA), Lethal Dose (LD_{50}), and Lethal Concentration (LC_{50}) of chemical substances b...

Objectives: The exponential growth of chemicals, an area of high concern in developed countries like the US (i.e., the Gore Initiative) and in the EU (i.e., REACH), as well as recent chemical accidents in Korea, have provoked nationwide concerns and resultant legal enforcement. This study aims to compare the laws of the Ministry of Environment (the...

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are potentially harmful air pollutants that are commonly encountered in urban environments. Various chemicals known to produce VOCs are used in laboratory fume hoods; however little research has been done to show the effect of such chemicals and associated VOCs on the local air quality. This study aims to assess th...