Cooking oil fume exposure and Lung-RADS distribution among school cafeteria workers of South Korea.

Background: Cooking oil fumes (COFs) from cooking with hot oil may contribute to the pathogenesis of lung cancer. Since 2021, occupational lung cancer for individual cafeteria workers has been recognized in South Korea. In this study, we aimed to identify the distribution of lung-imaging reporting and data system (Lung-RADS) among cafeteria workers and to determine factors related to Lung-RADS distribution.

Effects of a supportive workplace environment on the success rate for smoking cessation camp.

Background: This study was conducted to identify the success rate for smoking cessation over time after participation in a therapeutic smoking cessation camp, and to identify how participant characteristics, including a supportive workplace environment for smoking cessation (SWESC), affect the success rate for smoking cessation.

Methods: In all, 296 participants at smoking cessation camps in Ulsan between 2015 and 2020 were investigated. The success rates of smoking cessation after weeks 4, 6, 12, and 24 at camp were investigated.

Persistent impacts of smoking on resting-state EEG in male chronic smokers and past-smokers with 20 years of abstinence.

Smoking is a severe addictive health risk behavior and notorious for the high likelihood of relapse after attempted cessation. Such an addictive pattern in smoking has been associated with neurobiological changes in the brain. However, little is known whether the neural changes associated with chronic smoking persist after a long period of successful abstinence.

Nickel dust-induced occupational contact dermatitis by welding and grinding work in shipyard workers: a report of nine cases.

Background: Occupational skin diseases are skin conditions that occur or worsen in relation to work and known to be the second most common type of occupational disease affecting individuals in the United States. In Korea, epidemiological reports related to occupational skin diseases are rare. But, no cases of occupational contact dermatitis caused by welding and grinding work have been reported previously.

Risk factors including night shift work of colorectal polyp.

Background: The destruction of circadian rhythms by night shift work affects major circadian genes, which are known to play a role in advancing or killing the cell cycle through tumor suppressor genes. To find out whether night shift work affects the incidence of colorectal cancer, which was found to be associated with long-term night shift work in previous studies, we surveyed effect of night shift work on colorectal polyps that have a higher incidence than colorectal cancer and can progress to colorectal cancer.

Methods: To examine the correlation between rotating night shifts and colorectal polyps, a survey was conducted with 299 men aged 40-60 years from two university hospitals.

N,N-dimethylformamide: evidence of carcinogenicity from national representative cohort study in South Korea.

Objective There is limited epidemiological evidence of carcinogenicity on exposure of N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF). This study aimed to identify the possible association between cancer mortality and DMF exposure. Methods A cohort of 11 953 workers exposed to DMF between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2004 was studied.

Application of cold intolerance symptom severity questionnaire among vibration-exposed workers as a screening tool for the early detection of hand-arm vibration syndrome: a cross-sectional study.

Background: The detection rate of hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) is very low in South Korea compared with other countries. The absence of uniform consensus and guidelines for diagnosing HAVS has been presumed to be one of the reasons. The HAVS has various manifestations including cold intolerance and its severity can be measured using the cold intolerance symptom severity (CISS) questionnaire.

Cancer mortality in Korean workers occupationally exposed to methanol: a cohort study.

Purpose: Recently, the international agency for research on cancer recommended that methanol should be recognized as a medium-priority, human cancer risk. Therefore, we performed an epidemiological study to evaluate the relationship between methanol exposure and the cancer mortality of Korean workers occupationally exposed to methanol.

Methods: The study cohort was composed of methanol-exposed 25,218 male workers, data on whom were available from the Korea Occupational Safety and Health Agency; all participants underwent methanol-associated medical check-ups at least once between January 2000 and December 2004.

Comparing Attention and Cognitive Function in School Children across Noise Conditions: A Quasi-Experimental Study.

Objective: The effect of acute noise on cognitive function has long been a topic of study, yet these effects remain a serious problem for learning performance in school children.

Methods: From November 15, 2010 to December 8, 2010, we enrolled 268 students from three elementary schools (135 boys and 133 girls, 10-12 years old) in Ulsan, Korea. The study subjects were divided into two groups according to their test conditions (background versus additional noise), and tests were conducted using psychological examination tools.

Comparison of a 10-Year Cumulative Age-Standardized Incidence Rate of Lung Cancer among Metropolitan Cities in Korea (During the 2000⁻2009 Period): Review of Occupational and Environmental Hazards Associated with Lung Cancer.

In Korea, lung cancer is a common cancer, and has the highest mortality rate in both males and females. Approximately 80% of lung cancer is due to smoking, and the remaining cases are known to be due to genetic factors, history of respiratory disease, infection, diet, and occupational and environmental factors. Since the occupational and environmental hazards may differ from region to region, the lung cancer risk may differ too.

Environmental and Body Concentrations of Heavy Metals at Sites Near and Distant from Industrial Complexes in Ulsan, Korea.

Background: Industrial pollution may affect the heavy metal body burden of people living near industrial complexes. We determined the average concentrations of atmospheric heavy metals in areas close to and distant from industrial complexes in Korea, and the body concentrations of these heavy metals in residents living near and distant from these facilities.

Methods: The atmospheric data of heavy metals (lead and cadmium) were from the Regional Air Monitoring Network in Ulsan.

Effect of shift work on hypertension: cross sectional study.

Background: The need of efficient resource management and full-time accessibility to resources has increased with the development of industry, resulting in the increase of shift workers. Previous researches of past decades show that there are various health effects on shift workers. However, the definition and the form of shift work have varied from each research and occupational harmful factors except for shift work have not been excluded completely in previous researches.

Health care strategy for ensuring work ability in an aging Korea.

The rapid aging trend in South Korea will cause a growing shortage of labor and decreasing quality of the labor force. The purpose of this commentary is to recommend a health care strategy to maintain and promote the work ability of employees in an aging Korea. Strategies to promote the work ability require the collaboration of governmental agencies at the central and local levels.

A coronary heart disease prediction model: the Korean Heart Study.

Objective: The objectives of this study were to develop a coronary heart disease (CHD) risk model among the Korean Heart Study (KHS) population and compare it with the Framingham CHD risk score.

Design: A prospective cohort study within a national insurance system.

Setting: 18 health promotion centres nationwide between 1996 and 2001 in Korea.

Relationship of cigarette smoking and hearing loss in workers exposed to occupational noise.

Objectives: To investigate the effects of smoking on hearing loss among workers exposed to occupational noise.

Methods: From the results of a special workers health examination performed in 2011, we enrolled 8,543 subjects exposed to occupational noise and reviewed the findings. Using self-reported questionnaires and health examination results, we collected data on age, smoking status, disease status, height, weight, and biochemistry and pure tone audiometry findings.

Normative data for neuromuscular assessment of the hand-arm vibration syndrome and its retrospective applications in Korean male workers.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe normative data for the neuromuscular assessments of the hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) in Korean.

Methods: Data for the vibrotactile perception threshold (VPT) at three frequencies (31.5, 125, and 250 Hz), the hand grip strength (HGS), the finger pinch strength (FPS), the finger tapping test, and the Purdue pegboard tests were collected from 120 male office workers aged 30-59 years with no prior history of regular use of handheld vibrating tools.

The Korean Heart Study: rationale, objectives, protocol, and preliminary results for a new prospective cohort study of 430,920 men and women.

Background: To describe the rationale, objectives, protocol, and preliminary results for a new prospective cohort study of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in South Korea.

Methods: Study members were recruited from participants in routine health assessments at health promotion centres across South Korea. Established and emerging CVD risk factors were measured.

Metabolic syndrome, lifestyle risk factors, and distal colon adenoma: a retrospective cohort study.

Aim: To investigate relationships between colorectal adenoma incidence, metabolic syndrome (MS) components and lifestyle factors.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from individuals who had multiple sigmoidoscopies for colon cancer at the Health Promotion Center of Ulsan University Hospital in Korea from 1998 to 2007.

Results: By multivariate analysis, the incidence of distal colon adenoma was increased by more than 1.

Comparison of cancer incidence between production and office workers at a shipyard in Korea: a retrospective cohort study from 1992 to 2005.

Background: Cancer is a major concern in shipbuilding. Since 1970s, shipbuilding and repair has been a strategic industry in Korea, which has become currently the world's largest shipbuilding country. The aim of this study is to investigate the cancer incidence in shipyard workers in Korea.

MONW phenotype is associated with advanced colorectal adenoma in Korean men.

The aim of this study was to investigate whether there was a relationship between colorectal adenoma and metabolically obese but normal weight (MONW) among Korean men and women. The MONW phenotype is defined as a BMI <25, but fulfilling the metabolic syndrome (MS) criteria with a modified waist circumference (≥90 cm for men and ≥85 cm for women) appropriate for Korean. A total of 3,430 subjects (2,263 men and 1,167 women; 23-75 years old) were included in the study.

Nationwide cancer incidence in Korea, 2003-2005.

Purpose: To estimate the current cancer burden in Korea, newly diagnosed cancer cases and cancer incidence rates were calculated for the years 2003~2005.

Materials And Methods: The cancer incidence cases and rates were calculated from the Korea National Cancer Incidence Database. Crude and age-standardized incidence rates were calculated by gender for specified cancer sites in 5-year age groups.

National cancer incidence for the year 2002 in Korea.

Purpose: Since the revised Cancer Act of October 2006, cancer registration was reactivated, based on the Statistics Law.

Materials And Methods: The incidence of cancer during 2002 was calculated on the basis of the information available from the National Cancer Incidence Database. Crude and age-standardized rates were calculated by gender for 18 age groups (0 approximately 4, 5 approximately 9, 10 approximately 14, every five years, 85 years and over).

Smoke load/cancer death rate associations in Korea females, 1985-2004.

Background: Korea female death rates from many cancers have risen rapidly since 1985. The sources of those cancer death epidemics are unclear but may be related to rising cumulative tobacco smoke damage (smoke load). We assessed Korea female smoke load/cancer death rate associations from 1985 to 2004.

A retrospective cohort study of Parkinson's disease in Korean shipbuilders.

Objective: We performed a retrospective cohort study in South Korea to clarify the role of occupational exposure, especially to welding, in the etiology of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: We constructed a database of subjects classified into an exposure group (blue-collar workers) and a non-exposure group (white-collar workers) in two shipbuilding companies. Jobs of blue-collar workers were categorized into the first group of welding, the second group of fitting, grinding and finishing, cutting, and the other group.

Occupational hand-arm vibration syndrome in Korea.

Objectives: It is suspected that there is a large number of patients suffering from hand-arm vibration syndrome (HAVS) in Korea. However, no cases have been reported since 1992. This study was conducted to identify HAVS cases and determine the characteristics of the syndrome.