This study was to assess the health risk of VOCs in indoor air under uncontrolled Korean-IAQ regulation. We measured the concentrations of formaldehyde and 5 VOCs (benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene, and styrene) in indoor air at 232 public buildings for four kinds of public facility (32 wedding halls, 17 Gymnasiums, 20 Galleries, and 166 Welfare facilities) around the country. There were estimated the human exposure dose and health risk used average time and frequencies of questionaries for subjects such as facility users and office workers. There were estimated the lifetime excess cancer risk (ECR) for carcinogens (formaldehyde and benzene) and hazard quotient (HQ) for non-carcinogens (toluene, ethylbenzene, xylene and styrene). For the facility user, the average levels of ECRs were 10-4∼10-5 and 10-5 ∼10-6, respectively, for formaldehyde and benzene in all facilities. HQs of four non-carcinogens were not exceeded 1.0 in all facilities and subjects. In addition, there was showed the highest ECR in the smoking facility.

The objective of the present study was to assess the health effect of houseplant. we selected 22 households of newly-built apartments and 17 asthma patients. Before intervention in the households, we conducted clinical survey investigations during April and October, 2006. In this study, 6 species of houseplants known to be eco-friendly and 14 other plants were recruited. While the clinical research items were lung function, erythrocyte sedimentation rate(ESR), white blood cell count(WBC), total eosinophil count(TEC) and total-immunoglobulin E(T-IgE). There was no association between the intervention and the estimated inflammation reaction and allergic reaction. However, peak expiratory flow rate(PEFR) of evening data were positive effect in the intervention asthma-patients households compared with the nonintervention.

For indoor air quality at a newly built apartment before move-in, we monitored formaldehyde and VOCs and assessed human exposure and probabilistic health risk. We selected 801 newly built apartments all over the country. The results of the research on the condition show the mean concentrations of formaldehyde 294 ㎍/㎥, 210(median) 1497㎍/㎥(maximum), benzene 6㎍/㎥, (4 and 92㎍/㎥), toluene 1003㎍/㎥(773 and 5013 ㎍/㎥), ethylbenzene 120㎍/㎥, (62 and 1192㎍/㎥), xylene 287㎍/㎥(138 and 2723㎍/㎥) and styrene 64㎍/㎥, (42 and 531㎍/㎥). Formaldehyde from carcinogen and toluene and xylene from non-carcinogen were assessed the risk for human health. The excess cancer risk of formaldehyde for human beings between carcinogens is per 1.36 of average 1000 persons. This implies that it is over a level per 1.00 of 1000 persons demanding active risk reduction. Hence, we strongly need the active reduction plan and accurate source assumption. Among a variety of factors affecting indoor air quality for householders, closing construction or density of indoor air processing additional interior construction and indoor area, indoor air quality with a variety of districts show significant. The excess cancer risk for human beings of formaldehyde between carcinogens is per 1.36 of average 1000 persons. Non-carcinogen toxicity rate for human-beings with toluene and xylene among non-carcinogens is over HQ 1 from Seoul to local area.

This study performed and re-analysed the articles of exposure assessment for the indoor environment of houses in many environment-related journals published. in Korea since 1990. Based on this comparative study, we estimated the unit health risk on indoor environment. The objective of this study was to offer scientific data for decision-making policy for improvement and management of indoor air quality on Korean house in. The pooled concentrations for the critical air pollutants in the house were 13.93±13.91㎍/m3 (PM10), 680±226 ppm for (CO2), 1.9±1.6 ppm (CO), 419±158 CFU/m3 (bacteria), 0.036 ± 0.002 ppm (NO2), and 104.935 ± 16.424 Bq/m3 (Rn), The pooled concentrations for the volatile organic compounds were 6.9±6.7㎍ /m3 (benzene), 39.3±55.1㎍/m3 (toluene), 4.2±4.0㎍/m3 (ethylbenzene), 11.4±8.3㎍/m3 (m, p-xylene), 4.2 ±1.5㎍/m3 (styrene) and 6.3±4.5㎍/m3 (o-xylene). The unit cancer risk for men and women by inhalation of benzene was 3.7 × 10-5 and 4.8 × 10-6, respectively. In additio

This study was performed to investigate the health status of 600 owner-driver of taxi in Seoul City during from August 1, 2003 to February 28, 2004. The prevalence of subjective symptoms were surveyed by a general health questionnaires such as Todai Health Index (THI) and the Cornell Medical Index (CMI). In the THI health check table, prevalence of the complaints of mental subjective symptom by age was high in the items of fabrication (L), digestion (C), and aggressiveness (F) from 31 to 40 years old drivers and mental subjective symptom by age was high in all items except for tiredness (I), melancholia (N), and hypersensitivity (P) for the 60 years old drivers and showed in the items of melancholia (N) and hypersensitivity (P) for the 40 years old. From the complaints of mental and physical subjective symptoms about work satisfaction in the THI health check table, the strong dissatisfaction showed in the all items except for eye and skin trouble (B). All items except hypersensitivity (P) showed dissatisfaction in prevalence of complains of mental and physical subjective symptoms about work satisfaction in the CMI health check table. From the complains of mental and physical subjective symptoms on salary satisfaction in the THI health check table, the taxi driver who earn the salary of 1 million won showed statistically significant symptom of eye and skin trouble (B) and showed high tendency in all items except for respiratory (A) and digestion (C) systems. It is suggested that the appropriate health control for owner-driver of taxi should be applied to reduce the prevalence of complaints that showed mainly in the irregular working time and sleeping disorders.

Currently, Ministry of Environment has promulgated and executed 'the legislation of indoor air quality for public facilities' but the data of indoor air pollutant for public facilities of this law was very insufficient. Therefore, collection of data for indoor air pollutants and execution for risk assessment in order to offer scientific data for decision-making of policy to present reasonable standards and preventive techniques of engineering were required. Therefore, this study collected and re-analysed the articles of exposure assessment for indoor environment in journals related environment in Korea since 1990 and estimated the safety factor on residents in public facilities. The objective of this study was to offer scientific data for decision-making of policy for improvement and management of indoor air quality in Korea. As the results of this study, the risk assessment for the critical pollutants in CTE (central tendency exposure) showed that safety factors according to pollutants were less than 1 which means safe level in micro-environments. It was investigated that the safety factors of CO in hospital, NO2 in terminal, PM10 and NO2 in subway station respectively were over than 1 in RME (reasonable maximum exposure). Through the results, it was investigated that health risk by inhalation of criteria and guideline air pollutants in domestic public facilities was not high. It should be considered effect of inhalation by other hazardous air pollutants because this study was examined just partial pollutants. Presentation of scientific data for expansion of study is requisite and active research of health risk assessment about indoor air quality.

This study was designed to predict the risk of a hazard chemical, vinyl chloride, by applying dose-response assessment that are one of the major process in practicing risk assessment. After extrapolating from the high dose exposure of vinyl chloride based upon animal carcinogenic data to the low dose exposed to human using several mathematical models, we calculated the cancer potency factors as well as virtually safe dose and the resulted values were compared. This process will provide the new insight to assess the risk of a chemical accurately imposed to human in the future.

낙동강의 생태계 건강성분석을 하기 위하여 물금지점의 동식물성플랑크톤 자료를 이용하여 엑서지, 엑서지비, 비엑서지를 평가하였다. 이 세가지 개념은 본문내에 상세히 기술되고 있다. 엑서지는 열역학적 평형상태로부터 거리를 측정하고 이에 따른 생태계의 성장능력을 측정하게 된다. 반면, 동식물성 플랑크톤량을 이용한 엑서지비는 두 종간의 생태학적 균형수준을 가늠하게 된다. 비엑서지는 단위 생물량당 지니는 해당생태계의 정보량을 말하며 생태계내 조직의 수준이나 종 다양성 수준을 평가할 수 있다. 따라서 이 세가지 개념을 적용한 결과들은 낙동강 하류인 물금지점에서 Costanza (1992)가 제안한 생태계 건강성 지표들을 적절히 설명할 수 있는 것으로 고찰되었다. 즉 조류과다번성 현상을 가진 물금의 exergy는 조류량 증대에 따라 증가하는 경향을 보여주고 있어 Costanza에 의해 정의된 활력성(vigor)과 안정성(stability)이 높게 나타났다. 그러나 식물성플랑크톤과 동물성플랑크톤간의 exergy비는 불균형상태를 나타내었고 비엑서지값이 조류농도가 높아짐 에 따라 감소하고 있었다. 따라서 조류가 번성함에 따라서 생태계의 종다양성이 낮아지고 종간에 균형이 파괴되고 있었으며 생태계 구조가 발달하지 못함을 반영함으로서 이 세 지표가 생태계 건강지표로 이용가능한 것으로 판단되었다.

The contents of articles on nutrition in life cycle, health and disease in the Korean daily newspapers were analyzed for the evaluation of the trends in nutrition information in mass media. Among 922 articles pressed from January 1960 to June 1996, articles on nutrition in life cycle were most frequently appeared, which is followed by articles on nutrition in disease, health foods and other related food and nutrition informations. There was a deep contrast in that the proportion of articles on nutrition in life clyle decreased from 58% in the 60's to 33% in the 90's, and those of nutrition in disease, and health foods increased from 23% and 5% in 60's to 34% and 18% in 90's, respectively.

This study investigates the concentration distribution of aldehydes and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the archive of the National Library in Korea and evaluates the health risks to workers from hazardous chemicals. Acetaldehyde had the highest concentration among the nine species of aldehydes present in the archive and the concentration of toluene was the highest among the six species of VOCs. Most of the detected substances showed that their indoor concentrations were higher than the outdoor ones, suggesting the possibility of indoor sources of aldehydes and VOCs. The evaluation of health risks for workers based on these measurement results showed that not all substances were hazardous to the human body. However, considering the possibility of the presence of indoor sources and the potential limits of our study owing its short period, it is necessary to conduct long-term studies on the concentration distribution of indoor pollutants in the archive environment.