--- title: Chang Geun Lee, Purdue University description: Welding, soldering, and brazing workers are a critical part of the US workforce, with over 574, 000 employees in 2020. Unfortunately, these workers are frequently exposed to welding fumes that contain metallic particles such as chromium, copper, manganese, iron, and nickel, which can lead to serious adverse health effects such as lung disease, Parkinson-like symptoms, and metal fume fever. However, the dose-response of different metals in a chronic exposure setting is not fully understood. Therefore, the development of a biomarker to assess chronic exposure is critical for assessing potential health risks. This study aims to investigate the use of toenail metal concentrations as biomarkers for chronic exposure to metals image: https://bcspshift.com/hubfs/LeeChangGeun.jpg --- [Skip to the main content.](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/chang-geun-lee-purdue-university#main-content) [![BCSP_Shift_FullLogo_Horizontal_Color-1](https://bcspshift.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BCSP_Shift_FullLogo_Horizontal_Color-1.png?width=3526&height=1126&name=BCSP_Shift_FullLogo_Horizontal_Color-1.png "BCSP_Shift_FullLogo_Horizontal_Color-1")](https://bcspshift.com) [![BCSP_Shift_FullLogo_Horizontal_Color-1](https://bcspshift.com/hs-fs/hubfs/BCSP_Shift_FullLogo_Horizontal_Color-1.png?width=3526&height=1126&name=BCSP_Shift_FullLogo_Horizontal_Color-1.png "BCSP_Shift_FullLogo_Horizontal_Color-1")](https://bcspshift.com) - [ Research ](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/chang-geun-lee-purdue-university#) - [ Articles ](https://bcspshift.com/articles) - [ Student Research ](https://bcspshift.com/student-research) - [ Issues ](https://bcspshift.com/issues) - [ Get Involved ](https://bcspshift.com/get-involved) - [ Author Guidelines ](https://bcspshift.com/author-guidelines) - [ Best Practice Guides ](https://bcspshift.com/best-practices) - [ About ](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/chang-geun-lee-purdue-university#) - [ About SHIFT ](https://bcspshift.com/about) - [ Editorial Team ](https://bcspshift.com/editorial-team) - [ Terms of Use ](https://bcspshift.com/terms-of-use) - [ News ](https://bcspshift.com/news) Search [ Subscribe ](https://bcspshift.com/subscribe) Toggle Menu Search Toggle Menu [ Subscribe ](https://bcspshift.com/subscribe) - [ Research ](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/chang-geun-lee-purdue-university#) - [ Articles ](https://bcspshift.com/articles) - [ Student Research ](https://bcspshift.com/student-research) - [ Issues ](https://bcspshift.com/issues) - [ Get Involved ](https://bcspshift.com/get-involved) - [ Author Guidelines ](https://bcspshift.com/author-guidelines) - [ Best Practice Guides ](https://bcspshift.com/best-practices) - [ About ](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/chang-geun-lee-purdue-university#) - [ About SHIFT ](https://bcspshift.com/about) - [ Editorial Team ](https://bcspshift.com/editorial-team) - [ Terms of Use ](https://bcspshift.com/terms-of-use) - [ News ](https://bcspshift.com/news) # Chang Geun Lee, Purdue University ![Chang Geun Lee, Purdue University](https://bcspshift.com/hubfs/LeeChangGeun.jpg) View Poster About the Research About the Student ![BCSP_Poster_Chang-Geun-Lee](https://bcspshift.com/hs-fs/hubfs/social-suggested-images/BCSP_Poster_Chang-Geun-Lee.png?width=1920&height=1440&name=BCSP_Poster_Chang-Geun-Lee.png) Welding, soldering, and brazing workers are a critical part of the US workforce, with over 574, 000 employees in 2020. Unfortunately, these workers are frequently exposed to welding fumes that contain metallic particles such as chromium, copper, manganese, iron, and nickel, which can lead to serious adverse health effects such as lung disease, Parkinson-like symptoms, and metal fume fever. However, the dose-response of different metals in a chronic exposure setting is not fully understood. Therefore, the development of a biomarker to assess chronic exposure is critical for assessing potential health risks. This study aims to investigate the use of toenail metal concentrations as biomarkers for chronic exposure to metals. Key Insights The main insight of this study is the significant association between metal concentrations in welding fumes and toenails, demonstrating the potential of toenail metal levels as biomarkers for chronic metal exposure. By analyzing metal concentrations in both welding fumes and toenails, the research found that welders had significantly higher metal levels compared to controls. As a results of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves plots, the most distinguishing biomarker was toenail Mn concentration to distinguish between welders and controls, with an impressive area under the curve (AUC) of 0.87 followed by iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), chromium (Cr), and copper (Cu) concentrations. These findings provide valuable insights into their potential as biomarkers for corresponding metal exposures and have important implications for occupational health monitoring and risk assessment in industries where metal exposure is prevalent. **Meet Chang Geun Lee** Chang received his BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from Yonsei University, Korea (’06 and ’09). After three years of military service as a specialized research agent, he worked for LG Electronics, Inc. for 7 years, where he developed refrigerators and water purifiers. During this time, his work on hygiene projects sparked an interest in health outcomes from contaminants exposure, leading him to pursue a Ph.D. in Health Sciences at Purdue University. His current research focuses on the health effects of welding fumes that could cause lung disease, neurotoxicity, cancer, etc. Analysis of toenails as a biomarker of the exposure is also his topic of interest.   [![Damyan Popov, University of Central Missouri](https://bcspshift.com/hubfs/Popov.jpg) ](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/damyan-popov-university-of-central-missouri) 2 min read #### [Damyan Popov, University of Central Missouri](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/damyan-popov-university-of-central-missouri) [SHIFT](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/author/shift) : Sep 9, 2025 1:16:32 PM [Read More](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/damyan-popov-university-of-central-missouri) [![Ibrahim Sanusi, 2020 BCSP Foundation Research and Innovation Grant Recipient](https://bcspshift.com/hubfs/Ibrahim_Sanusi.jpg) ](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/ibrahim-sanusi-2020-bcsp-foundation-research-and-innovation-grant-recipient) 2 min read #### [Ibrahim Sanusi, 2020 BCSP Foundation Research and Innovation Grant Recipient](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/ibrahim-sanusi-2020-bcsp-foundation-research-and-innovation-grant-recipient) [SHIFT](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/author/shift) : Sep 9, 2025 12:47:21 PM [Read More](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/ibrahim-sanusi-2020-bcsp-foundation-research-and-innovation-grant-recipient) [![Ashley Gill, MS, CSP Principal Consultant, Safety, ERM](https://bcspshift.com/hubfs/Gill.jpg) ](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/ashley-gill-ms-csp-principal-consultant-safety-erm) 3 min read #### [Ashley Gill, MS, CSP Principal Consultant, Safety, ERM](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/ashley-gill-ms-csp-principal-consultant-safety-erm) [SHIFT](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/author/shift) : Sep 9, 2025 12:50:37 PM [Read More](https://bcspshift.com/shift-blog/ashley-gill-ms-csp-principal-consultant-safety-erm) [![BCSP_Shift_Badge_Color](https://bcspshift.com/hubfs/BCSP_Shift_Badge_Color.png) ](https://bcsp-8981246.hs-sites.com/-slug-91cfd017-49b6-4a58-b937-ea77cf4385ab) - [Terms of Use](https://bcsp-8981246.hs-sites.com/-temporary-af70c9c5-d517-41d3-9fbf-7ce60bac3a09-fee9f7a2-dbed-4413-82aa-b5b980cc99cd-0dffb12c-8ccb-4d14-bf96-7a1e3894a65c) - [Privacy Policy](https://bcsp-8981246.hs-sites.com/shift-privacy-policy) © 2025 Copyright by BCSP [![BCSP_Logo](https://bcspshift.com/hubfs/BCSP_Full%20Logo_Black.png) ](https://bcsp.org) --- SHIFT and BCSP are committed to providing informative and unbiased content to our readers. 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