To describe the consequences and recommendations for prevention and minimizing the victims from the accident of massive pesticide release, the authors analyzed the process of the accident. On October 13, 1999, at a farm supply retail establishment in Immokalee, Florida, a forklift tine perforated a large cylinder containing methyl bromide and chloropicrin. The retailer estimated that 940 pounds of the fumigant was released into the air. As a result, at least 30 individuals developed acute pesticide-related illness. In addition to the forklift operator, 24 workers were working at a neighboring tomato-packing house. Other individuals included two truck drivers, and three law enforcement officers responding to the incident. All 30 workers missed at least one day of work as a result of their illness, and four required hospitalization. The initial symptoms included headache, dizziness, nausea or vomiting. Two individuals have persistent neurological or ophthalmologic problems. Upon investigation it was determined that prompt evacuation was required to prevent many of the illnesses. Releases of 1,000 or more pounds of methyl bromide must be reported immediately to the National Response Center (NRC). Four hours after the 940-pound release, it was reported to NRC. A truck driver who was told to leave the tomato-packing house by the retailer initially reported this incident to emergency response authorities. This incident suggests that substantial releases should be reported immediately to the local police, fire rescue, and the National Response Center to allow a timely evacuation to be conducted as necessary. The threshold for promptly reporting unintentional methyl bromide releases may be too high, thereby leading to morbid consequences.
Dizziness ; Emergencies ; Fires ; Florida ; Headache ; Hospitalization ; Humans ; Motor Vehicles ; Nausea ; Police ; Vomiting

BACKGROUND: The aims of the study are to investigate the present state of occupational health management (OHM) in small enterprises, to explore the related factors, and to provide the information for effective policy of OHM in those enterprises. METHODS: The study subjects were 155 small enterprises that had referred the measurement of workplace hazards to a hospital at the East Seoul, Korea. Self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted by Fax. The contents of the survey were present state of OHM and related factors. RESULTS: 1. The characteristics of OHM in charge were as follows; among the health manager (1) 81.9% had the high authority, (2) 63.2% could explain workplace hazard, (3) 52.9% had outside professional education, (4) 49.7% recognized the need for occupational health, and (5) 67.7% had pragmatic perspective on workers' health protection. 2. The occupational health activities that showed higher performance rate were as follows; periodic health examination (86.5%), measurement of workplace hazard (92.9%). The occupational health activities that showed lower performance rate were as follows; appointment of emergency hospital (26.5%), replacement health examination (18.1%), health education (30.0%), health promotion (23.3%), preparation of health statistics (14.8%), planning health management (9.7%) 3. As results of multiple logistic regression analysis, the factors associated with the higher activity of occupational health were longer duration(more than 5 years) of health manager in charge(OR=2.41), pragmatic perspective on workers' health protection (OR=3.79), experience of outside professional education (OR=2.40), repair of automobiles(OR=3.31), workplace that employed more than 10 workers (OR=4.02), history of workers' compensation (OR=8.05), employers' high concern (OR=4.61). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that interest of employers and appointment of suitable health manager in charge were important, and minimum regulations and the development of occupational health program integrated with promoting productivity are required to activate occupational health in small enterprise
Education, Professional ; Efficiency ; Emergencies ; Health Education ; Health Promotion ; Korea ; Logistic Models ; Occupational Health ; Seoul ; Social Control, Formal ; Workers' Compensation ; Surveys and Questionnaires

BACKGROUND: The aims of the study are to evaluate the effectiveness of a workplace smoking cessation program, and to investigate the role of the occupational characteristics for planning better smoking cessation program (SCP). METHOD: 258 workers' smoking statuses were surveyed. A follow up survey was conducted after 6 Month SCP including campaign, health education, provision of nicotine patches, and smoking cessation incentives. Theup rate was 89.2%. RESULTS: 1. Thesmoking rate was reduced from 67.4% (before SCP) to 45.3 %. The rates after SCP were different by the type of job and the status of employment. The participation rate of the office workers was 32.8%, and that of the technician was 55.6% (p<0.01). The rate of the regular workers was 59.4%, and that of the irregular workers was 36.8% (p<0.05). 2. Among of 174 smokers, 55.9% participated in SCP. According to the type of job and the job position, the participation rate was different. The rate of office workers was 69.9%, and that of the technician was 47.5% (p<0.01). Among the managerial personnel 86.4% participated in SCP, and amongthe plain workers, 52.5% (p<0.01). 3. In multivariate analysis, the smoking cessation rate was higher in office workers (OR=3.21), the group of lower job demand (OR=3.12), that of absence of family stress (OR=2.91), and that of lower perceived stress (OR=3.51). CONCLUSION: The SCP based on social-cognitive theory reduced smoking rate, but increased the difference of the smoking rates by the type of the job. These results suggest that the SCP using social-context model is important to establish the better strategy to stop the smokin
Education ; Employment ; Follow-Up Studies ; Health Promotion ; Humans ; Motivation ; Multivariate Analysis ; Smoke* ; Smoking Cessation* ; Smoking* ; Tobacco Use Cessation Products

No abstract available.
Humans ; Liver Diseases/epidemiology ; Mental Disorders/epidemiology ; Neoplasms/epidemiology ; Occupational Diseases/*epidemiology ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/epidemiology ; Republic of Korea/epidemiology ; Respiratory Tract Diseases/epidemiology ; Risk Factors ; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/epidemiology ; *Workers' Compensation

We are all becoming increasingly aware of allergies and the problems that they represent in the daily lives of many people. The heightened pubic interest and awareness is in the context of a significant increase over the last decade in number of individuals who suffer from allergic problems such as anaphylactic reaction, asthma, hay fever, and eczema. The underlying basis for the rise in the number of allergy suffers has been the focus of considerable research. Much of this attention has concentrated on the quality of the outdoor air we breath, especially as the roads have become more and more congested with traffic generating exhausted pollutants. But researches have identified that sources of air pollution outside the home cannot account for the increasing prevalence of allergy, and so other reasons have to be invested. Many researches have discovered that increasing tendency of allergic problems is linked to the allergens commonly found within the indoor environment, such as those related to house dust, chemicals, mites, cockroaches, domestic and pets and also affected by the physical environments like temperature humidity, and ventilation level. Therefore, researcher's interest is now much more focused on the indoor environment and those factors that influence the level of indoor allergens, as well as the presence of pollutants in buildings. The authors reviewed some measures to control the indoor air quality to prevent allergic diseases.
Air Pollution ; Air Pollution, Indoor ; Allergens ; Anaphylaxis ; Asthma ; Cockroaches ; Dust ; Eczema ; Estrogens, Conjugated (USP) ; Humidity ; Hypersensitivity ; Mites ; Prevalence ; Rhinitis, Allergic, Seasonal ; Ventilation

There has recently been increased publicity on the risk of venous thrombosis after long-haul flights. This paper reviews the evidence related to the association between air travel, especially long-haul and venous thromboembolism (VTE). The evidence consists only of case reports, clinical case-control studies and observational studies, but with few study of Korean population. Some studies have suggested that there is no clear association, whereas others have indicated a strong relationship. However, the overall association between air travel and VTE is likely to be weak, mainly affecting passengers with additional risk factors for VTE. The available evidence may not be adequate to estimate the risk. Further well-desiged case-control studies are urgently needed in order to identify the risk factors related air travel.
Case-Control Studies ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Risk Factors* ; Venous Thromboembolism* ; Venous Thrombosis

The authors flagged that the spelling of author YangHo Kim was incorrect. It is published on the original manuscript as Yang Ho Kim, but should be spelt YangHo Kim.

This thematic collection includes the articles to review eleven occupational cancer related risks or working conditions and to propose the guidelines of S. Korea.
Environmental Medicine ; Korea

BACKGROUND: Construction site supervisors are exposed to many chemicals, dusts, and metals including asbestos. Asbestos is a hazardous chemical that is carcinogenic. Laryngeal cancer is not a rare disease in Korea. The most common causes of this disease are tobacco and alcohol, and representative occupational cause is asbestos. However, up to now, no case of laryngeal cancer induced by asbestos has been reported in Korea. In this study, we report such a case in a construction site supervisor. CASE PRESENTATION: A 60-year-old man who had been experiencing hoarseness for 2 months was diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. The pathologic diagnosis was squamous cell carcinoma in situ, based on examination of a biopsy specimen obtained by resection of the lesion. The patient had been exposed to asbestos for 38 years at construction sites where he worked until diagnosed with laryngeal cancer. He had been exposed to asbestos when demolishing buildings and inspecting materials. CONCLUSION: The patient in this case worked with construction materials including asbestos and supervised construction for 38 years, and was thus exposed to asbestos at construction sites. Much of the asbestos was highly concentrated especially during demolition processes. We therefore consider the laryngeal cancer of this patient to be a work-related disease.
Asbestos* ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma, Squamous Cell ; Construction Industry ; Construction Materials ; Diagnosis ; Dust ; Hoarseness ; Humans ; Korea ; Laryngeal Neoplasms* ; Metals ; Middle Aged ; Occupational Exposure ; Rare Diseases ; Tobacco

The respiratory system is one of the most important body systems particularly from the viewpoint of occupational medicine because it is the major route of occupational exposure. In 2013, there were significant changes in the specific criteria for the recognition of occupational diseases, which were established by the Enforcement Decree of the Industrial Accident Compensation Insurance Act (IACIA). In this article, the authors deal with the former criteria, implications of the revision, and changes in the specific criteria in Korea by focusing on the 2013 amendment to the IACIA. Before the 2013 amendment to the IACIA, occupational respiratory disease was not a category because the previous criteria were based on specific hazardous agents and their health effects. Workers as well as clinicians were not familiar with the agent-based criteria. To improve these criteria, a system-based structure was added. Through these changes, in the current criteria, 33 types of agents and 11 types of respiratory diseases are listed under diseases of the respiratory system. In the current criteria, there are no concrete guidelines for evaluating work-relatedness, such as estimating the exposure level, latent period, and detailed examination methods. The results of further studies can support the formulation of detailed criteria.
Alveolitis, Extrinsic Allergic/economics/pathology ; Asbestosis/economics/pathology ; Asthma/economics/pathology ; Humans ; Lung Diseases/*economics ; Occupational Diseases/*economics ; Occupational Exposure ; Pneumoconiosis/economics/pathology ; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/economics/pathology ; Republic of Korea ; Workers' Compensation/*economics