Epidemiology and Health

Cohort Profile

Study protocol for the Korean Human Exposure Safety Survey (KoHESS): a national biomonitoring program for food and consumer product safety: Hyeon-Jeong Lim, Sang-Yong Eom, Sun-Haeng Choi, Seonmi Hong, Byung-Sun Choi, Young-Seoub Hong, Kwan Lee, Won-Ju Park, Jae-Seok Song, Nam-Jun Kim, Hyo-Jeong Hwang, Rihwa Choi, Hosub Im, Youn-Seok Kang, Hye-Young Lee, Mi-Ran Kim, Hyunjin Son, Yong-Dae Kim; Epidemiol Health. 2025;47:e2025060. Published online October 29, 2025; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2025060

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Abstract Summary PDF Supplementary Material: Abstract
This protocol paper describes the design and methodology of the Korean Human Exposure Safety Survey (KoHESS), a three-year national biomonitoring program (2023-2025). Korea’s Act on Risk Assessment of Products for Human Use necessitates scientific evidence for aggregate exposure assessment and cumulative risk evaluation of hazardous substances in food and consumer products. Existing biomonitoring programs primarily focus on environmental exposures, limiting comprehensive assessment of products regulated by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. KoHESS employs repeated cross-sectional surveys targeting approximately 5,000 Koreans aged 3-79 years per cycle, using complex stratified multistage sampling for national representativeness. Data collection includes standardized anthropometric measurements, biological samples (blood, urine), comprehensive exposure source surveys, and 2-day 24-hour dietary recalls. Chemical analyses using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry measure 24 perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances compounds, 25 phthalate metabolites, and 7 heavy metals, with quality assurance through certified reference materials. KoHESS will provide scientifically robust data for establishing safety standards, enable advanced exposure modeling, facilitate risk assessments reflecting cumulative exposures, support targeted protection for vulnerable populations, and contribute to international biomonitoring networks while promoting preventive hazardous substance management systems.; Summary

Korean summary
- 식품의약품안전처(MFDS)가 주관하는 KoHESS (2023-2025)는 한국을 대표하는 5,000명의 국민(3~79세)을 대상으로 3년간 반복 수행되는 전국 규모의 인체 모니터링 프로그램이다. - 기존 환경 노출 데이터의 한계를 보완하여 식품 및 소비재 유래 유해 물질(PFAS 24종, 프탈레이트 25종, 중금속 7종)의 인체 노출 수준을 측정한다. - 수집된 과학적 데이터는 유해 물질의 통합 노출 평가, 누적 위해성 평가 및 제품 안전 기준 설정을 위한 핵심 근거 자료로 활용될 것으로 기대된다.

Key Message
- KoHESS (2023-2025) is a national, repeated cross-sectional biomonitoring program led by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), targeting 5,000 Koreans (3-79 years) per cycle. - It measures 24 PFAS, 25 phthalate metabolites, and 7 heavy metals, specifically focusing on hazardous substances from food and consumer products, filling gaps in existing environmental data. - The data provides robust scientific evidence crucial for aggregate exposure assessment, cumulative risk evaluation, and establishing safety standards for regulated products.

Data Profile

Introduction to the forensic research via omics markers in environmental health vulnerable areas (FROM) study: Jung-Yeon Kwon, Woo Jin Kim, Yong Min Cho, Byoung-gwon Kim, Seungho Lee, Jee Hyun Rho, Sang-Yong Eom, Dahee Han, Kyung-Hwa Choi, Jang-Hee Lee, Jeeyoung Kim, Sungho Won, Hee-Gyoo Kang, Sora Mun, Hyun Ju Yoo, Jung-Woong Kim, Kwan Lee, Won-Ju Park, Seongchul Hong, Young-Seoub Hong; Epidemiol Health. 2024;46:e2024062. Published online July 12, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.4178/epih.e2024062

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Abstract Summary PDF

Abstract

This research group (forensic research via omics markers in environmental health vulnerable areas: FROM) aimed to develop biomarkers for exposure to environmental hazards and diseases, assess environmental diseases, and apply and verify these biomarkers in environmentally vulnerable areas. Environmentally vulnerable areas—including refineries, abandoned metal mines, coal-fired power plants, waste incinerators, cement factories, and areas with high exposure to particulate matter—along with control areas, were selected for epidemiological investigations. A total of 1,157 adults, who had resided in these areas for over 10 years, were recruited between June 2021 and September 2023. Personal characteristics of the study participants were gathered through a survey. Biological samples, specifically blood and urine, were collected during the field investigations, separated under refrigerated conditions, and then transported to the laboratory for biomarker analysis. Analyses of heavy metals, environmental hazards, and adducts were conducted on these blood and urine samples. Additionally, omics analyses of epigenomes, proteomes, and metabolomes were performed using the blood samples. The biomarkers identified in this study will be utilized to assess the risk of environmental disease occurrence and to evaluate the impact on the health of residents in environmentally vulnerable areas, following the validation of diagnostic accuracy for these diseases.

Summary

Korean summary
환경보건 취약지역 주민을 대상으로 실시한 현장 역학 조사에서 혈액과 소변 시료를 안정적으로 확보하였다. 현장에서 확보한 시료는 즉시 이송하여 오믹스 분석을 통해 환경유해인자별, 환경성질환별 특이적인 바이오마커를 개발한다.

Key Message
Blood and urine samples were stably obtained from on-site epidemiological investigations done on residents in environmental health vulnerable areas, and samples obtained from the sites were immediately transported to the omics laboratory after separation under biobank system. Through this analysis, we aimed to develop biomarkers specific to each environmental hazard and disease.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Mediation Effect of Oxidative Stress in the Associations between Cadmium Exposure and Renal Tubular Damage of Residents in Metal-Polluted Regions in Korea
Dahee Han, Kyung-Hwa Choi, Jang-Hee Lee, Young-Seoub Hong, Woo Jin Kim, Yong Min Cho
Exposure and Health.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Integrative methylation profiling uncovers IL10RB hypomethylation as a mediator between environmental heavy metal exposure and lung cancer risk
Hyeongyu Shin, Chul-Hong Kim, Jeeyoung Kim, JungYeon Kwon, Min Heo, Nam-Eun Kim, Sujin Seo, Yong Min Cho, Young-Seoub Hong, Jung-Woong Kim, Woo Jin Kim, Sungho Won
Environmental Pollution.2026; 390: 127537. CrossRef
Heavy metal exposure and its effects on APOC3, CFAI, and ZA2G
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Journal of Hazardous Materials.2025; 482: 136574. CrossRef
A Comparative Study on the Paradoxical Relationship Between Heavy Metal Exposure and Kidney Function
Jee Hyun Rho, Seungho Lee, Jung-Yeon Kwon, Young-Seoub Hong
Diagnostics.2025; 15(1): 86. CrossRef
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Epidemiology and Health.2025; 47: e2025007. CrossRef
PAHs and VOCs Exposures of Residents Living near a Smelter and Their Relationship to Inflammation and Chronic Diseases: A Cross-Sectional Study
Haneul Kim, Yong Min Cho, Dahee Han, Mi Jeong Kim, Minju Chae, Yeonseo Cho, Jang-Hee Lee, Min-Ho Yang, Kyung-Hwa Choi, Young-Seoub Hong, Woo Jin Kim
Journal of Environmental Health Sciences.2025; 51(4): 222. CrossRef
Development and application of an LC-MS/MS method for urinary DNA adduct profiling in residents of environmentally vulnerable areas
Bo-Ri Kim, Jeong-Kyu Ji, Jang-Hun Jeong, Kyung-Hwa Choi, Yong Min Cho, Woo Jin Kim, Yong-Dae Kim, Heon Kim, Young-Seoub Hong, Sang-Yong Eom
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.2025; 303: 118833. CrossRef

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