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KMID : 1039220220320040435
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Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
2022 Volume.32 No. 4 p.435 ~ p.448
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Effects of Grade and Wearing Time of Industrial Filtering Facepiece Respirator on Workers: Subjective Discomfort Level
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Kim Young-Mi
Choi Won
Lee Woo-Je
Kim Doo-Young
Kim Ki-Youn
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Abstract
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Objectives: As the time spent wearing masks has increased with spread of COVID-19, various research related to masks have been reported. However, there are still few experiments on the physiological response of the body to wearing industrial dust masks in South Korea. Considering the actual working hours at the work site, it is necessary to investigate the comfort of industrial dust masks. Therefore, this study aims to confirm the change in subjective discomfort level according to the wearing time for industrial dust masks in South Korea that have been certified for safety by KCS.
Methods: This study evaluated subjective discomfort level over four hours. The experimental conditions were five types: not worn (control group), special grade, first grade, second grade (with valve), and second grade (without valve). The subjective discomfort levels were classified for breathing, warmth (body and face) and wetness (body and face). Subjects recorded their discomfort level on a checklist every one hour.
Results: In special grade and second grade (without valve), the discomfort level in terms of breathing, warmth (face), and wetness (face) was significantly higher than that of the control group. However, the effects of all kinds of industrial dust masks on the discomfort level in the body were low.
Conclusions: Since this study was conducted on subjects working in an office with a comfortable working environment, it is difficult to apply it to workers at actual industrial sites. However, it is considered meaningful as the first clinical study to evaluate the subjective level of discomfort over a long time for domestic industrial dust masks that have been certified for safety by KCS.
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KEYWORD
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Industrial dust mask, grade, wearing time, discomfort level, KCS
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