Ewha Med J.  2016 Oct;39(4):99-103. 10.12771/emj.2016.39.4.99.

Acute Occupational Poisoning in Korea

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Seoul, Korea. hyunjoo@ewha.ac.kr
  • 2Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.

Abstract

Although acute occupational poisonings are very rare officially, it seems that there are a considerable number of unreported cases seen from non-intentional poisoning cases of the national injury and poisoning survey on discharged patients. Establishing a proper national surveillance system for acute occupational poisonings is needed. It is difficult for clinical physicians to diagnose acute occupational poisonings appropriately because the victims who usually are not mentally alert can not provide the information on the workplace hazard. Consulting a specialist of occupational and environmental medicine may help to reveal the cause of poisoning. Furthermore, reporting to the public organization such as workers health center and Korea occupational safety and health is helpful to prevent additional injuries.

Keyword

Occupational poisoning; Korea

MeSH Terms

Environmental Medicine
Humans
Korea*
Occupational Health
Poisoning*
Specialization

Figure

  • Fig. 1 Occupational injuries and illness by toxic substances exposure during five years. (A) Number of occupational injuries and illness by toxic substances exposure. (B) Number of occupational injuries and illness by toxic causes.


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