In South Korea, many cases of humidifier disinfectant-associated lung injury (HDLI) have been reported among people who used humidifier products containing humidifier disinfectant (HD). The objective of this study is to characterize exposure to HD among a total of 221 HDLI patients who used HD. Information and data on the HDs used were collected through a structured questionnaire and home environmental investigations. The conditions of these 221 HDLI patients were clinically confirmed to be caused by the use of HD. Children aged under 5 years old made up the highest proportion of HDLI cases (n=125, 56.6 %), followed by pregnant women (n=35, 15.8%). Forty-three percent (n=95) of the victims died. There were three cases of fetuses and 35 pregnant women among the victims. The number of HDLI patients who used only the Oxy Saksak brand of HD was found to be 85 (38.5%), followed by the HD brands Cefu (n=24, 10.9%), Lottemart Wiselect (n=9, 4.1%) and Aekyung (n=3). Patients who exclusively used HD brands containing polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG) (n=13, 55.7%) as an active ingredient made up the largest share, followed by those who exclusively †

We assumed the situation where an eruption column had been formed by the explosive Plinian eruption from Mt. Baekdu and that the collapse of eruption column had caused pyroclastic density currents to occur. Based on this assumption, we simulated by using a Titan2D model. To find out about the range of the impacts of pyroclastic density currents by volcanic eruption scenarios, we studied the distance for the range of the impacts by VEIs. To compare the results by each volcanic eruption scenario, we set the location of the vent on the 8-direction flank of the outer rim and on the center of the caldera, the internal friction angle of the pyroclastic density currents as 35 o , the bed friction angle as 16 o . We set the pile height of column collapse and the vent diameter with various VEIs. We properly assumed the height of the column collapse, the diameter of the vent, the initial rates of the column collapse and the simulation period, based on the VEIs, gravity and the volume of the collapsed volcanic ash. According to the comparative analysis of the simulation results based on the increase of the eruption, the higher VEI by the increase of eruption products, the farther the pyroclastic density currents disperse. To the northwest from the vent on the northeast slope of the outer rim of the caldera, the impact range was 3.3 km, 4.6 km, 13.2 km, 24.0 km, 50.2 km, 83.4 km or more from VEI=2 to VEI=7, respectively. Once the database has been fully constructed, it can be used as a very important material in terms of disaster prevention and emergency management, which aim to minimize human and material damages in the vicinity of Mt. Baekdu when its eruption causes the pyroclastic density currents to occur.

Between January 2010 and March 2011, there were three outbreaks of foot and mouth disease (FMD) in South Korea. Over 3.45 million animals (5,660 farms) were slaughtered, which was 33.3% of the existing pigs, 8.4% of dairy cows and 3.4% of cattle. FMD disaster costs were estimated at around three billion Korean won. Nine civil servants were killed, over 150 people were wounded and 4,788 landfills were confronted with a pollution problem. Vaccination and slaughter are the two basic alternatives for eradication of FMD. Although slaughter is more violent, risky and expensive than vaccination, the Korean government had chosen only slaughter eradication by the end of 2010. Even though over three million animals were killed, FMD spread out over most of the country. Finally, the government chose to begin vaccination. Following vaccination, outbreaks decreased dramatically. The purpose of this report is a cultural analysis of the related decision-making process, laws and systems. For the culture analysis, we utilize interviews, symposiums, laws, FMD manual, government reports and press releases. In conclusion, we found that the FMD massacre was influenced by cultural and organizational factors. The cultural factors were economism, cheapening of the value of life, biased perceptions and fears. The organizational factors were a closed process of decision-making, monopoly system, a small homogeneous group and group-think. Therefore, more studies will be needed for those factors of FMD disasters in national-scale cases.

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