Development of Korean Exposure Factors for Children in Korea

Abstract

Objectives: Children may be more exposed to certain environmental contaminants because they react with greater sensitivity and have different food intakes and breathing rate per unit of body weight compared to adults. The aim of this study was to determine general exposure factors such as skin surface area, period and frequency of exposure, and others among Korean children aged ≤ 18 years old. This study was carried out as the first of its kind in Korea. Methods:We developed 23 recommended exposure factors for Korean children aged 0 to 18 years by reclassifying raw data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and the National Statistical Information Service, as well as through investigation by experiments in the absence of related data.Results: Reflecting the activity patterns of about 9,000 children, the daily inhalation rates for long-term exposure ranged from 9.49 m 3 /day for children from birth to <2 years to 14.98 m 3 /day for children aged 16 to <18 years. The research found that Korean children spent an average of 22.21 hours indoors, 0.67 hours outdoors, and 1.12 hours in-transit every day. Young children (≤ 2 years old) spent approximately 34 more minutes outdoors on weekends than they did on weekdays.Conclusion: Various physiological variables in the human body reflect characteristics of children that can directly influence risk exposure. Therefore, the identification of general exposure factors based on Korean children is required for appropriate risk assessment.

Investigation of bacterial and fungal communities in indoor and outdoor air of elementary school classrooms by 16S rRNA gene and ITS region sequencing

“…Therefore, indoor environmental quality has a significant effect on health and quality of life, especially for groups disproportionately affected such as children, adolescents, the elderly, and people suffering from respiratory diseases 3 . Children may also be exposed to airborne pollutants more than adults because their respiration rate per unit weight is higher 4 . In addition, the high activity level of students in elementary schools may also contribute to increase classroom airborne concentrations of particulate matter (PM) through resuspension of settled surface dusts 5 …”

Combined Assessment of Preschool Childrens’ Exposure to Substances in Household Products

“…The AF (air-borne fraction, 1) is assumed to be unity according to the NIER notification. BW (body weight, kg) and IR (resting inhalation ratio, m 3 /day-kg) values per age were sourced from the Korean Exposure Factors Handbook and Korean Exposure Factors Handbook for Children [ 39 , 40 ]. In addition, we compared the calculated inhaled combined exposure data between infants, toddlers, children, and youths ( Table 6 ).…”

Development of General Exposure Factors for Risk Assessment in Korean Children

“…Additionally, exposure factors that represent Korean children's unique characteristics should also be determined to ensure accurate risk assessment and to better establish relevant environmental national standards [9]. We have been studying the general exposure factors in Korean children since 2013; the results were published in 2017 [10]. In contrast, this study was carried out for international comparative evaluation by adding updated national statistics and new experiments, such as those for the rates of soil and dust ingestion and unintentional exposure through hand-to-mouth contact.…”