Humans ; Interior Design and Furnishings ; Manufacturing Industry ; Noise, Occupational ; Occupational Exposure ; Textile Industry

The asbestos textile industry is characterized by the highest asbestos ambient air concentration of those workers who have suffered from high incidence of lung cancer, malignant mesothelioma, and other asbestos related diseases (ARDs). Also, asbestos dust occurred in a factory can be disseminated into the environmental air around the factory, which can cause ARDs among residents of the factory. High lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma mortality rates among asbestos textile workers were established, and increase of ARDs among residents around the factory has been reported. A large number of environmentally exposed residents as well as severity of health problems among asbestos textile workers would cause huge social problems. The high exposure group needs to be monitored for early detection and management. In addition, a nationwide mandatory malignant mesothelioma registration system to identify exposure sources and high risk groups might help to predict and manage ARDs.
Asbestos ; Dust ; Environmental Exposure ; Incidence ; Lung Neoplasms ; Mesothelioma ; Social Problems ; Textile Industry ; Textiles

Asbestos had been produced from the 1930s to the early 1990s in Korea. There has been gradual increase of importing asbestos until the middle 1990s in response to increased use of asbestos as Korea's economy developed rapidly. Asbestos was mainly used to make constructional material like slate, which leads to constant exposure of asbestos even after forbidding its use. It was reported that the highest level of occupational asbestos exposure occurred in asbestos textile industries. Other industries including shipbuild repair, automobile repair, and demolition work are also reported to have high level of exposure. The number of exposed workers, except for some demolition workers, is expected to be reduced since the use of asbestos has been banned from 2009. However, asbestos already used in buildings will make continuous environmental exposures. There are also several reports on naturally occurring asbestos from soils in Korea, which had already happened in Turkey, Greece, and China. The Korean government should try to give more effort to control the used asbestos and to care for exposed people.
Asbestos ; Automobiles ; China ; Environmental Exposure ; Greece ; Korea ; Soil ; Textile Industry ; Turkey

Noise pollution, both in the environment and in the workplace, has been recognized as a major health hazard - one that can impair not only a person's hearing but also his physical and mental well-being. As industrialization progresses, the prevalence rate of occupational diseases is increasing, especially hearing loss, which has the highest prevalence rate among the occupational diseases. The major cause of noise is the construction of various large industries without any regulation of noise sources. Therefore, we must establish an enactment to control mechanical noise sources as soon as possible. For the purpose of controlling the noise source, we must have exact data about such things as the sound level, the frequency of the peak sound and the revolutions per minute (r.p.m.) of the machine (a measure of the power of its motor). This study was undertaken in order to define the noise characteristics, the power of the machine's motor, the change of the sound level and the peak sound as the r.p.m. increases, and the permissible exposure time, The sample size of this study was 74 machines at 11 plaints in 6 industries. The results are as follows : 1. The breakdown of the types of mechanical noise noted was : 63.6% continuous normal sound, 26.9% intermittent sound, 4.7% continuous repeating sound and 4.6% impulsive sound. 2. With respect to the type of industry, the overall sound level was the highest in the mechanical industry, with 103+/-2.8 dB(A), and lowest in the textile industry, with 89.2+/-1.43 dB(A). 3. With respect to the type of machine, the highest sound level was 124 dB(A) caused by Gauzing(II), in the mechanical industry, and the lowest was 76 dB(A) caused by Attachment (Jup Check) (I) in the timber industry. 4. The shortest permssible exposur time to gauzing(II) in the mechanical industry was less than 15 minutes. 5. Among 74 machines, 68.2% of the peak sound was situated in the high frequency range (52.7% at 2 KHz and 1.4% at 8 KHz). 41.8% of the peak sound was in the middle frequency range (4.1% at 250Hz, 14.8% at 500Hz and 22.9% at 1KHz). 6. If one machine had two motors or more, the peak sound was shifted to the low frequency range. 7. As the r.p.m. increased, the overall and peak sound levels increased without any change of the frequency of the peak sound. 8. whenever the machines had the same king and the same r.p.m., the overall and peak sounds were changed by the physicochemical characteristics of the raw materials and the management.
Hearing ; Hearing Loss ; Noise* ; Occupational Diseases ; Prevalence ; Sample Size ; Textile Industry ; Industrial Development

It is generally recognized that the environmental noise of the various working places thought to be the cause of hearing disturbance. This survey was carried out to evaluate the prevalence of noise-induced occupational hearing loss among the weavers of 39 textile industries in Taegu, Korea. For this survey, 432 male workers and 2,023 female workers were examined their hearing acuity by individual pure tone threshold determination test(air conduction), from November, 1972, to January, 1973. Main findings were as follows: 1. The mean of noise intensity of the 54 weaving rooms was, in over all, 95.6+/-4.2dB (A), 95.9+/-4.0dB (B) and 96.2+/-3.9dB (C). 2. The mean hearing threshold levels by service years in the 4,000 Hz were intensively increased from 1st to 3rd year and slightly decreased, than that of 3rd year, from after 3rd to 5th year, after 5th year that increased slightly. 3.The mean hearing threshold levels by frequencies were highest in the 4,000Hz(male:25.0+/-11.3dB, female:22.0+/-10.2dB) and followed by 6,000, 8,000 and 3,000Hz. 4. The mean hearing threshold level of the 6,000Hz(male:17.0dB, female:17.9dB)was higher than that of 4,000Hz(male:16.4dB, female:17.1dB) in the 1st service year. 5. The mean hearing loss of examinees was 16.2+/-8.0dB in male and 15.4+/-7.8dB in female.
Daegu* ; Female ; Hearing Loss ; Hearing* ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Noise ; Prevalence ; Textile Industry ; Textiles*

To assess the effect of noise on the blood pressure of workers, 70 weaving and 70 refining female workers in 15 to 24 years of ages were tested for the changes of blood pressure before and after exposure to the noise. The noise levels at work place were 99 dB (A) for weavers and 80 dB(A) for refiners. The mean age of refiners was 17.7 years and that of weavers was 18.6 years, and the difference in mean ages was statistically significant (p<0.05). The means of heights, weights and working durations were not significantly different between two groups. The mean systolic blood pressure of the weavers was 112.5mmHg before exposure to the noise and it was increased to 115.7mmHg after exposure to 99 dB(A) of noise for 30 minutes, and the mean diastolic blood pressure from 71.6mmHg to 74.1mmHg. These increments of blood pressure were statistically significant (p<0.05). The mean systolic blood pressure of the refiners was decreased from 108.9mmHg to 106.7mmHg after exposure to 80 dB(A) of noise for 30 minutes, and the mean diastolic blood pressure from 67.3mmHg to 67.1mmHg. These changes of blood pressure were not statistically significant. The mean systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the weavers before exposure to the noise were significantly higher than that of refiners (p<0.05). The difference of blood pressure between refiners and weavers was significantly associated with noises (p<0.05), and not ages and their interactions. The study results support the hypothesis that exposure to excessive noise increases the blood pressure of workers.
Blood Pressure* ; Female ; Humans ; Noise ; Textile Industry* ; Textiles* ; Weights and Measures ; Workplace

OBJECTIVETo study neck and shoulder work-related muscle fatigue of female sewing machine operators.

METHODS18 health female sewing machine operators without musculoskeletal disorders work in Beijing garment industry factory as volunteers in participate of this study. The maximal voluntary contraction (MVC) and 20% MVC of bilateral upper trapezium and cervical erectors spinae was tested before sewing operations, then the whole 20 time windows (1 time window = 10 min) sewing machine operations was monitored and the surface electromyography (sEMG) signals simultaneously was recorded after monitoring the 20%MVC was tested. Use amplitude analysis method to reduction recorded EMG signals.

RESULTSDuring work, the median load for the left cervical erector spinae (LCES), right cervical erector spinae (RCES), left upper trapezium (LUT) and right upper trapezium (RUT) respectively was 6.78 ± 1.05, 6.94 ± 1.12, 5.68 ± 2.56 and 6.47 ± 3.22, work load of right is higher than the left; static load analysis indicated the value of RMS(20%MVC) before work was higher than that value after work, the increase of right CES and UT RMS(20%MVC) was more; the largest 20%MVE of bilateral CES occurred at 20th time window, and that of bilateral UT happened at 16th.

CONCLUSIONSThe work load of female sewing machine operators is sustained "static" load, and work load of right neck-shoulder is higher than left, right neck-shoulder muscle is more fatigable and much serious once fatigued.

Adult ; Electromyography ; Female ; Humans ; Muscle Fatigue ; physiology ; Posture ; Shoulder ; physiology ; Textile Industry ; Work ; Young Adult

Formaldehyde is a colorless irritating gas of pungent odor, which is used as a disinfectant, antiseptic, deodorant, tissue fixative and embalming fluid, It is used in the formation of resins, alcohols and acids, and in permanent press processes in the textile industry. If formaldehyde is swallowed, severe abdominal pain and vomiting is immediately noted. Corrosive gastritis can follow with diffuse ulceration, fibrosis and contracture of the stomach, resembling linitis plastica, which may be severe enough to require gastrectomy. We report a case of cicatricial contracted stomach due to the ingestion of formalin.
Abdominal Pain ; Alcohols ; Contracture ; Deodorants ; Eating* ; Embalming ; Fibrosis ; Formaldehyde* ; Gastrectomy ; Gastritis ; Linitis Plastica ; Odors ; Stomach* ; Textile Industry ; Ulcer ; Vomiting

To investigate the sleeping patterns and gastrointestinal disorders of shift workers, the auther studied 434 female workers who worked at textile industry ill Taejon city from september 1 ,1992 to september 31 ,1992. Shift pattern were divided into 3 categories; 3 shift (shifts per 8 hours), 2 shift (day and night shift) and day work. The results obtained were as follows: 1. The average sleeping hours when adjusted for the education level of the total study subjects was 6.1 hours. That of 3 shift workers was 6.1 hours, 2 shift workers was 6.0hours, but that of day workers was 6.5 hours. There were no significant difference among the shift workers. 2. For the 3 shift workers, the average physiologic adjusted duration in day shirt(2.2 days) was shorter than that or night shift(2.7 days) and there were significant difference among the rotating shift works (P<0.001). The sleeping problems in day shift was less than those of night shift (P<0.001). 3. 44.9% of 3 shift workers, 39.3% of 2 shift workers and 33.1% of day workers complained gastrointestinal symptoms when adjusted for the age, education level, job tenure, work post. And the rates of gastrointestinal symptoms complained increase with job tenures (P<0.001). 4. The most frequent gastrointestinal diseases were gastitis and gastric ulcer with 14.2 %, Irritable bowel syndrome with 3.1%, duodenitis and duodenal ulcer with 2.1% and combined gastrointestinal disease with 2.1%. Age, eating habit, amount of coffee per day, job tenure, work post and shift pattern showed no significant difference with the gastrointestinal diseases when adjusted for the age. According to the above results, the auther suggested that the shift pattern and job tenure can affect to the sleeping problem and gastrointestinal symptoms.
Coffee ; Daejeon ; Duodenal Ulcer ; Duodenitis ; Eating ; Education ; Female* ; Gastrointestinal Diseases ; Humans ; Irritable Bowel Syndrome ; Stomach Ulcer ; Textile Industry ; Textiles*

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence of respiratory symptoms, asbestos-related chest radiograph abnormalities and abnormal pulmonary function tests among former asbestos textile factory workers and to reveal the related factors of these abnormal findings. METHODS: There were 119 persons former asbestos textile industry workers registered in the health management pocketbook. Of 97 retired asbestos workers living in Busan, Yangsan and Gimhae, 63(64.9%) retired asbestos workers were enrolled into this study. The researchers administered questionnaires, and performed chest radiographys, and pulmonary function tests (PFT) on participants. The survey was conducted during July, 2009. RESULTS: Among former workers the number of lung fibrosis, pleural plaque, pleural calcification, and pleural thickening was 13(20.6%), 6(9.5%), 3(4.8%), and 1(1.6%) in chest radiography, respectively. Asbestos-related disorders and abnormal pulmonary function test groups had higher prevalence of respiratory symptoms. Participants with crocidolite exposure or long latency period had higher asbestos-related x-ray findings or abnormal PFT findings. CONCLUSIONS: Former asbestos textile workers had a high rate of asbestos-related disorders. Workers with crocidolite exposure or having had a longer latency period had more asbestos-related disorders. Because gradual increase of asbestos related disorders among high asbestos exposure group is expected, sustained, and intensive management is needed for these former workers.
Asbestos ; Asbestos, Crocidolite ; Fibrosis ; Humans ; Latency Period (Psychology) ; Lung ; Prevalence ; Questionnaires ; Respiratory Function Tests ; Retirement ; Textile Industry ; Textiles ; Thorax