https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/hanyang/handle/2021.sw.hanyang/479 2026-07-04T13:34:41Z 2026-07-04T13:34:41Z Kim, Yangwoo Kim, Eun Mi Kim, Inah https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/hanyang/handle/2021.sw.hanyang/213270 2026-06-15T06:35:10Z 2026-06-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Welding and brazing fumes and lung cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis Authors: Kim, Yangwoo; Kim, Eun Mi; Kim, Inah Abstract: BackgroundPrevious systematic reviews have adopted binary exposure classifications without characterizing the heterogeneity of welding fume exposures. We aimed to estimate lung cancer risk from welding fumes with systematic exposure characterization by process type, base material, and metal fume component, and to examine evidence for related high-temperature processes.MethodsWe searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science through July 2025 for cohort, case-control and other epidemiological studies. Exposure information was systematically extracted from full-text descriptions and classified by welding process, base material, and metal fume component. Separate random-effects meta-analyses were performed for comparative risk and standardized ratio estimates.ResultsOf 86 studies meeting inclusion criteria, 58 were included in quantitative synthesis after excluding 12 overlapping cohorts and 16 high-risk-of-bias studies; 39 comparative risk and 22 standardized ratio studies were analyzed. The pooled relative risk was 1.51 (95% CI: 1.36-1.67; I2 = 39.4%) and standardized ratio was 1.32 (95% CI: 1.24-1.40; I2 = 76.6%). The association was robust across subgroup analyses: studies adjusting for smoking (RR = 1.55; n = 31) and asbestos (RR = 1.53; n = 12) yielded estimates consistent with the overall finding. A significant dose-response gradient was observed for both comparative risk (p = 0.03) and standardized ratio studies (p = 0.013). Gas metal arc welding (GMAW) and gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW) showed elevated point estimates, with stainless steel welding showing suggestive evidence of increased risk; however, secondary analyses were based on few studies with wide confidence intervals. Evidence of publication bias was detected but adjusted estimates remained significant. Evidence certainty was moderate for comparative risk and low for standardized ratio estimates.ConclusionsWelding fume exposure is associated with approximately 50% increased lung cancer risk, with consistent sensitivity analyses. Process-specific analyses suggest elevated risks for GMAW and stainless steel welding, though based on limited data, warranting further investigation alongside prioritized prevention efforts. Data on brazing, soldering, and flame cutting were limited, representing evidence gaps for future research.Trial registrationPROSPERO CRD420251238410

2026-06-01T00:00:00Z Kim, Yangwoo Kim, Inah Song, Jaechul https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/hanyang/handle/2021.sw.hanyang/213288 2026-06-16T05:00:17Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Work-Related Asthma: An Occupational Medicine Perspective Authors: Kim, Yangwoo; Kim, Inah; Song, Jaechul Abstract: Work-related asthma (WRA), encompassing occupational asthma and work-exacerbated asthma, is among the most prevalent yet preventable occupational respiratory diseases, with population-based studies estimating that 10% to 25% of adult asthma cases are attributable to workplace exposure. This review examines epidemiology, causative agents, pathogenesis, clinical evaluation, management, and WRA prevention from an occupational medicine perspective, with emphasis on Korean surveillance data. The Korea Work-related Asthma Surveillance program (2004–2009) identified 236 cases with a crude incidence of 3.31 per million workers, revealing a 40- to 90-fold detection gap when compared to European population-based estimates of 250 to 300 per million workers annually. Korean cases showed a distinctive agent profile, with isocyanates accounting for 46.6%—a figure that far exceeds the 13% to 23% in Western surveillance systems—which reflects the prominence of the furniture manufacturing industry. Temporal trends demonstrated successful prevention, with isocyanate-related cases decreasing from 65.0% to 26.9% during the period 2004–2009. Despite treatment advances, the prognosis remains poor: only 32% of patients achieve symptomatic recovery following the complete avoidance of exposure, and continued exposure increases the symptom burden 10-fold. Workers' compensation data confirm persistent underdiagnosis, with only 0 to 5 cases annually approved during the period 2013–2023 despite expanding recognition of occupational diseases overall. The Korea Occupational Disease Surveillance Center, established in 2022, offers an opportunity to bridge the prolonged surveillance gap. Clinicians treating working adults should maintain a high index of suspicion for the occupational causes of asthma, pursue early diagnosis and exposure cessation, and integrate workplace assessments into their routine clinical evaluations.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Kim, Yangwoo Kim, Inah Min, Jeehee Lee, Soo-Jin https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/hanyang/handle/2021.sw.hanyang/213327 2026-06-17T04:30:30Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Long-term effectiveness of banning highly hazardous pesticides on suicide mortality: a 12-year quasi-experimental study in South Korea Authors: Kim, Yangwoo; Kim, Inah; Min, Jeehee; Lee, Soo-Jin Abstract: Aims Pesticide self-poisoning accounts for 14–20% of global suicides, predominantly in agricultural regions where highly hazardous pesticides (HHPs) remain accessible. This poses a critical challenge in South Korea despite its advanced healthcare system. In response, South Korea implemented a phased ban on HHPs, including paraquat, beginning in November 2011. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effect of this ban on pesticide suicide mortality. Methods We conducted an interrupted time series study using national mortality data from 2004 to 2023, with autoregressive integrated moving average errors to account for autocorrelation. Sensitivity analyses included alternative intervention timings, period definitions and outcome measures. The primary outcome was the monthly count of pesticide-related suicides. Results Among 268,869 suicide deaths recorded during the study period, 34,962 (13.0%) involved pesticide poisoning. The monthly pesticide suicide counts declined from a mean of 244 before the ban to 81 afterwards. The interrupted time series analysis revealed no immediate level change following the ban (−0.204; 95% confidence interval [CI]: −0.989 to 0.581; P = 0.61) but showed a significant acceleration in the decline during the first 36 months (initial slope change: −0.122; 95% CI: −0.163 to −0.082; P < 0.001). Counterfactual projections estimated 10,846 deaths averted (95% CI: −567 to 29,715), representing a 48% model-based reduction. These effects were robust across all sensitivity analyses. Structural breakpoint analysis identified an increase in gas poisoning suicides in August 2008, more than three years before the ban, indicating no evidence of method substitution. The demographic profiles of pesticide and gas poisoning suicides differed substantially. Conclusions The ban on HHPs in South Korea was associated with a sustained decline in pesticide suicide mortality over 12 years, with no evidence of method substitution. These findings support the means restriction through pesticide regulation as an effective suicide prevention strategy.

2026-05-01T00:00:00Z Kim, Youjin Lee, Seunghyun Lee, Jongin Park, Min Young Min, Jeehee Ma, Xiaoxue Sumikawa, Maiko Hajime Yoon, Jin-Ha Lee, Wanhyung https://scholarworks.bwise.kr/hanyang/handle/2021.sw.hanyang/214443 2026-06-23T05:30:16Z 2026-05-01T00:00:00Z

Title: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study of the causal relationship between respiratory diseases, gastric cancer risk, and Helicobacter pylori infection Authors: Kim, Youjin; Lee, Seunghyun; Lee, Jongin; Park, Min Young; Min, Jeehee; Ma, Xiaoxue; Sumikawa, Maiko Hajime; Yoon, Jin-Ha; Lee, Wanhyung Abstract: Background Gastric cancer is a major global burden, yet evidence linking respiratory diseases to gastric cancer is limited. This study examined whether genetic susceptibility to respiratory diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and lung diseases due to external agents (LDEA) was associated with gastric cancer and Helicobacter pylori infection, given shared immune and inflammatory pathways. Methods We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis using genetic variants as instrumental variables to assess causal associations between respiratory diseases and risk of gastric cancer and H. pylori infection. GWAS summary statistics for respiratory diseases were obtained from FinnGen, and for gastric cancer and H. pylori infection from the UK Biobank. Analyses were adjusted for confounders such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Sensitivity analyses evaluated robustness and assessed potential pleiotropy and heterogeneity among genetic variants. Results No significant direct causal associations were found between respiratory diseases and gastric cancer risk. However, asthma and LDEA were significantly associated with increased risk of H. pylori infection. No associations were observed for COPD or IPF with either outcome. Sensitivity analyses indicated minimal pleiotropic or heterogeneity effects. Conclusion This study investigated genetic susceptibility to respiratory diseases and their potential links to gastric cancer and H. pylori infection. While direct genetic evidence linking respiratory disease susceptibility to gastric cancer was limited, significant associations with H. pylori infection suggest possible indirect pathways involving respiratory diseases.

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