• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.106-113
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• 2012

The present study was conducted to assess the dietary exposure to mercury and the associated risks for Koreans resulting from their food intake. The probabilistic approach in the Monte Carlo simulation was used to estimate dietary exposures. Based on several reports regarding heavy metals published by KFDA in the 2000s, 178 types of representative foods were selected and data were collected on the occurrence of mercury. The contents of mercury in foods ranged: agricultural products 0.1 (fruits)-45.4 ${\mu}g/kg$ (mushrooms), 3.7 ${\mu}g/kg$ (meat), and 9.3 (Echinodermata, chordata)-194.9 ${\mu}g/kg$ (fish). Others categories investigated were alcoholic beverages (0.7 ${\mu}g/kg$) and processed food (4.4 ${\mu}g/kg$). The mean and 95th percentile for exposure to dietary mercury were 4.29 and 12.48 ${\mu}g/day$, corresponding to 13.6% and 39.7% of PTWI (Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake), respectively. Therefore, overall level of mercury exposure for Koreans through food intake is below levels recommended by JECFA, indicating the least possibility of risk, and is less than or similar to levels reported in other countries.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.30 no.2 s.57
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• pp.392-401
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• 1997

Generally working environment and worker's health status of small scale industries (SSI) which employ less than 50 workers are known to be poorer than those of large scale industries(LSI) which employ more than 500 workers. However, according to the analysis of occupational injuries in Korea, prevalence rate of occupational injuries of SSI was 3.1 times as high as LSI. But there was no difference in prevalence rate of occupational disease and werkers with suspected occupational disease(D1) between SSI and LSI. To confirm these two different facts, we surveyed working environment and worker's health status of SSI and LSI in Kyeungin industrial complex. Workers in SSI were 10,878 and workers in LSI were 8,291 and number of hazardous agents in SSI were 3,554 and those of LSI were 1,916. We found following results. First, proportion of male workers and workers who were less than 30 yens old and more than 50 yens old was higher in SSI compared to LSI. Second, worker in SSI had more liver disease, viral hepatitis, and pneumoconiosis than in LSI, and there were more worker with suspected occupational disease, general disease, and worker needed close observation in SSI. But these effects had not statistical significance under the condition controlled by age and sex with logistic regression. Third, the numbers measured for specific chemicals, organic solvents, and heavy metals in SSI was more than in LSI. However there was on difference in the excess rate of each hazardous agent between SSI and LSI. As the above results workers' health status in SSI was poorer than in LSI, but these results were mainly due to the population structure difference. Although there were some limitation of this study and problems of sensitivity and validity for periodic health examination and working environment evaluation method, the concept that working environment and worker's health status in SSI should be reviewed. In future the study that will reveal the real weak point of SSI should be performed.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2017

Surface soils on Barton Peninsula, King George Island, West Antarctica were investigated to acquire the mineralogical and geochemical data of soil in Antarctica. Multiline of techniques for example, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM)-electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), and wet chemistry analysis were performed to measure the composition of clay minerals, Fe-oxidation states, cation exchange capacity, and total cation concentration. Various minerals in sediments such as smectite, illite, chlorite, kaolinite, quartz and plagioclase were identified by XRD. Fe-oxidation states of bulk soils showed 20-40% of Fe(II) which would be ascribed to the reduction of Fe in clays as well as Fe-bearing minerals. Moreover, redox states of Fe in smectite structure was a ~57% of Fe(III) consistent to the values for the bulk soils. The cation exchange capacity of bulk soils ranged from 100 to 300 meq/kg and differences were not significantly measured for the sampling locations. Total cations (Mg, K, Na, Al, Fe) of bulk soils varies, contrast to the heavy metals (Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Mn). These results suggested that composition of bed rocks influenced the distribution of elements in soil environments and soils containing clay compositions may went through the bio/geochemical alteration.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.539-543
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• 2006

We investigated Cd and Pb accumulation levels in tissues of 25 individuals of three species of loons wintering in coastal areas of Busan, Korea. Their liver, muscle, kidney and bone tissues were analyzed for Cd and Pb concentrations. Significant difference of Cd and Pb concentrations was not found among the three species (p>0.05). Individual Cd values ranged from 0.02 to $18.3{\mu}g/g$. Cd concentrations were highest in kidney and lowest in bone. Levels (3.45$\sim$6.34 ${\mu}g/g$) of all the analyzed liver Cd were similar in comparison with those (ND$\sim$7.11${\mu}g/g$) reported for the loons in different areas. All but one (Gavia arctica) of kidney Cd levels were lower than the exposed level (>30 ${\mu}g/g$). Individual Pb values ranged from 0.03 to 1.49 ${\mu}g/g$. Pb concentrations were highest in bone and lowest in muscle. Liver Pb levels in this study were similar to those of normal loons reported from different countries. Based on hepatic Pb levels, almost all of the samples were classified as background level (0.15$\sim$3.0 ${\mu}g/g$).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.360-372
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• 2010

Concentrations of ambient air particles such as total suspended particulates (TSP), particulate matter $(PM)_{10}$, and $PM_{2.5}$, were monitored simultaneously from May to June, 2007, at four locations at Alashan and Beijing in China, and Seoul and Gosan in South Korea. These monitoring sites are in the pathway of Asian dust (AD) storms traveling from China to the Korean peninsula. An AD event was observed in the Korean peninsula on May 25-26. During the sampling period, the average concentrations of TSP and PM10 were each higher than $150\;{\mu}g/m^3$ in Alashan and Beijing, but not in Seoul and Gosan. The concentration of TSP in Alashan (where the dust storm originated) on the day of the AD event reached $1824.7\;{\mu}g/m^3$, this being the highest concentration of air particles observed during the sampling period. The level was decreased to 15% of this ($274.7\;{\mu}g/m^3$) in Seoul and to 8.7% ($159.0\;{\mu}g/m^3$) in Gosan when the AD was observed two days later in Korea. Gosan, a representative background site in East Asia, displayed the lowest concentration of particles, with this maximal TSP concentration of $159\;{\mu}g/m^3$. Inorganic element contents in the air particles were also measured, and the concentrations in the four different regions compared. Concentrations of anthropogenically-enriched heavy metals in $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$, such as lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury, were higher in the metropolitan cities of Beijing and Seoul compared to non-industrialized regions of Alashan and Gosan. However, the concentrations of inorganic soil elements including iron, magnesium, aluminum sodium, and manganese, were higher in Alashan compared to those in other sampling sites.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 1987

This study was conducted to find out the effect of several improvers such as triple super phosphate, slaked lime, wollastonite and gypsum for reducing Cd content in brown rice. Several improvers were applied to two different types of soils which are contaminated with copper-zinc mine wasted and sludge.(Soil I contained Cd : 7.88, Cu : 57.9, Zn : 175.0 ppm, Soil II contained Cd : 3.95, Cu : 30.2, Zn :124.0 ppm) In general, effects of improvers on reducing content of Cd, Cu and Zn in brown rice were greater in soil I than soil II. In soil I, the Cd content of brown rice was reduced to 0.4ppm below by application of triple superphosphate, fused phosphate, slaked lime and gypsum, 98, 225, 190 and 276Kg/10a, respectively. Triple superphosphate was more effective than fused phosphate in reducing uptake of Cd, Cu and Zn by applying them as an equal amount of phosphorous, also to equal alkalinity, slaked lime had the highest effect. Negatively linear effect was found between soil pH and Cd and Zn content in brown rice. As to above results, it was no doubt that triple superphosphate, fused phosphate and slaked lime would be applied to reduced heavy metals in brown rice. The slaked lime, triple super phosphate and fused phosphate were available to reduce uptake of Cd, Cu and Zn by rice plant grown in the soil contaminated with mine waste and sludge.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.167-176
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• 2015

The water quality of the Gulpo Stream flowing through Incheon, Bucheon, Seoul, and Kimpo is getting worse due to a slow flow rate and bank constructions by stream channelization as well as an inflow of pollutants from living-sewages and factory-sewages. Besides, a dry stream phenomenon caused by a lack of maintenance water upstream makes a self-purification system worse, and the water quality of the Gulpo Stream is currently at its lowest level. The accumulated sludge of the streambed is mostly formed by the deposition of particle pollutants due to the slow flow rate and an artificially straightened stream channel. This accumulated sludge adsorbs a great quantity of organic materials and heavy metals. Because of the internal contamination possibility by a re-gushing, even after the pollution source is removed, it can cause future water pollution. Without a total examination as previously recommended, it is considered difficult to accomplish practical efficiency. In conclusion, the management of periodic sediment management such as dredging would be necessary in the Gulpo Stream because sediment could be an internal pollution source of stream water under anaerobic conditions.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.83-89
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• 2000

Bentonite has been considered as a liner material to restrict the release of hazardous heavy metals from the landfill. The adsorption of copper onto a domestic bentonite was studied to provide the adsorption isotherm and the effect of solution chemistry and temperature. The copper adsorption was fitted well to a Freundlich isotherm, in which Freundlich constants and correlation coefficient were calculated to be $K_F=1.18$, n=1.65, and $r^2=0.97$, respectively. The distribution coefficients ($K_d$) for the adsorption of copper decreased with increasing initial copper concentration. The $K_d$ increased with increasing the pH of solution, and drastically increased at pH > 5.3 because of precipitation of most copper species. As the ion strength of $Na^+$ in solution increased the $K_d$ decreased, while it increased with increasing the concentration of $SO_4{^{2-}}$ in solution. An increase in the temperature of experimental solution decreased the $K_d$ values.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.35 no.10
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• pp.737-742
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to remove sediments obtained from breeding ground using supersonics and micro-air flotation method. Sediments from Tongyong breeding grounds showed no contaminations of heavy metals but had great amount of organics. Thus, efficient removal of sediments was required to preserve water quality near breeding ground. Supersonics treatment for sediments was determined to be essential because higher removal efficiency of sediments was obtained when supersonics treatment was used. In addition, application of coagulants increased removal efficiency because its usage increased particle size of sediments, which enabled easy trapping of sediments particle into micro-air bubbles. Removal efficiency of sediments slightly decreased from 95.8% (1 g/L) to 83.9% (8 g/L) at the tests for different amount of sediments, but most of tiny particles were removed from water where sand size particles were left in the bottom of reactors.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.75-81
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• 2004

A large amount 2.1×106 ㎥ of the polluted sediment was dredged from the Masan Bay and deposited in Gapo confined area, Masan. The dissolved metal concentrations of seawater in the dumping site (Gapo area) were observed during one tidal cycle and compared with those of seawater obtained from Jinhae Bay. The sediment was evaluated as from Non polluted to Moderately polluted by USEPA standards. It was judged that toxicological effects of sediment analyzed ranged from ERL to ERM with copper and zinc, and ERL with cadmium, chrome, lead, and nickel by the Adverse Biological Effects. The pollutant concentration was low in surface sediment compared to deeper sediment since the sediments with relatively low concentrations of pollutant were dumped to the surface. The pollutant concentration was low in surface sediment compared to deeper sediment since the sediments with relatively low concentrations of pollutant were dumped to the surface. The benthic organisms in Gapo area had higher concentrations of trace metals (Oyster: Zn 238.96, Cu 5.29 ㎍/g wet wt., Clam: Zn 17.71, Cu 1.00 ㎍/g wet wt., Mussel. Zn 187.98, Pb 0.28, Cr 0.15, Mn 4.23, Sr 1.45 and Fe 100.33 ㎍/g wet wt.) compared to outside of dumping site. However, the trace metal level in the bivalves was less than the NFPQIS (National Fisheries Products Quality Inspection Service) standard.