Yong-Tae Yum

Air Pollution and Hospital Admissions for Respiratory Disease in Certain Areas of Korea

Air Pollution and Hospital Admissions for Respiratory Disease in Certain Areas of Korea: Belong Cho, et al. Department of Family Medicine, Clinical Research Institute, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul National University—Recently studies reporting the incidence of diseases at air pollution levels below the recognized standard levels are increasing and the issue is becoming a matter of concern. We therefore examined the relationship between the level of air pollution in three areas of Korea and the incidence of respiratory diseases. Poisson regression models were used to account for day‐of‐the‐week effects and nonparametric smoothing to make adjustments for season and weather in this time series analysis. The levels of air pollution across the three selected areas were characterized by the total suspended particle (TSP) concentration, which in Daejon was 61.28 ± 29.22, in Ulsan 72.01 ±25.99, and in Suwon was 82.84 ± 30.18. The total number of hospitalized cases due to respiratory diseases during the study period was 5,446. The relative risk of hospitalization due to respiratory diseases caused by air pollutants after accounting for seasonal and temperature effects were as follows:‐CO (R.R.; 1.21, 95% C.I.; 1.02‐1.44) in a residential area (Daejon), and NO2 (R.R.; 1.47, 95% C.I.; 1.03‐2.10) and CO (R.R; 2.51,95% C.I.; 1.06‐5.93) in a heavily industrialized area (Ulsan), and were statistically significant. When the TSP concentration was manipulated as a quintile dummy variable, the relative risk of admission increased by 2.48% (95% C.I.: 1.82%—3.15%) for every quintile increase. In conclusion, respiratory disease admissions are related to NO2, CO, and TSP concentrations below the environmental standard, but the significance of this relationship was area dependent.

Carbon Disulfide Poisoning in Korea with Social and Historical Background

Carbon Disulfide Poisoning in Korea with Social and Historical Background: Eunil Lee, et al. Department of Preventive Medicine and Institute for Environmental Health, College of Medicine, Korea University—In Korea, carbon disulfide was used mostly in a viscose rayon factory which was established in 1962 and was closed in 1993. About 550 workers were diagnosed and compensated for CS2 poisoning from 1987, to June 1995, and more workers will be diagnosed and compensated. There was no pertinent environmental monitoring or periodic medical examination for the workers exposed to CS2 until 1986. The first cases of CS2 poisoning reported in May, 1987 were 4 retired workers who were very sick. It became possible tor them to be diagnosed and compensated because a democratic movements pervaded all the country after the end of military rule in Korea. After they were compensated, many other retired workers also requested to be diagnosed and compensated for CS2 poisoning. Many radicals and radical doctors joined them against the government and company. The government promised that retired workers could be diagnosed by Compensation Insurance organization for Workers Injury managed by the Ministry of Labor. The rayon company also promised reparation for retired workers who had CS2 poisoning. The diagnosis of CS2 poisoning for retired workers was carried out by the commitee of doctors half of whom were appointed by the company and the remaining half by the workers. There were conflicts between conservative doctors and radical doctors in the diagnosis of CS2 poisoning even after the establishment of legal diagnostic criteria for CS2 poisoning. Workers pressured doctors and the goverment to bring about a change in the diagnostic criteria, and they succeeded. The important findings of CS2 poisoning among Korean workers were as follows: retinal microaneurysm, polyneuropathy, cerebrovascular infarction and intercapillary glomerulosclerosis.