• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.17 no.5
• /
• pp.501-507
• /
• 2008

The concentrations of HCHO(formaldehyde), $PM_{10}$(particulate matter), $CO_2$(carbon dioxide) and TBC(total bacteria counter) distribution in schools(Chung-Nam Area) were examined, and the results were compared with the recommended criterion of the administration law of indoor air. The subjects were an elementary school, a middle school and a high school in Chung-Nam area, and the concentration of TBC was examined by Single Stage Air Cascade Sampler, which applied the inertia collision catching method of 28.29L/min(flux) during 5 months from March, 2007 to July, 2007. The instrument(LD-3B, SIBATA Company)was used to examine $PM_{10}$, by a light scattering method and a light transmission method. The instrument(Airboxx(KD Engineering) was used to examine $CO_2$. The instrument(Z300XP(Environmental sensor)was used to examine HCHO. The result indicated that the $PM_{10}$ average concentrations of the surveyed classrooms were $49{\mu}g/m^3$ in Spring and $59{\mu}g/m^3$ in Summer. The $CO_2$ average concentration of the surveyed schools were 576 ppm in the classroom and 527 ppm in the stateroom. The average concentration of TBC were $729CFU/m^3$ in an elementary school, $401CFU/m^3$ in a middle school, $381CFU/m^3$ in a high school. The HCHO average concentration of the surveyed schools were 0.03 ppm in the classroom, 0.02 ppm in the stateroom.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
• /
• v.48 no.5
• /
• pp.80-88
• /
• 2020

With the issuance of one-week fine dust emergency reduction measures in March 2019, the public's anxiety about fine dust is increasingly growing. In order to assess the application of air purifying plant-based bio-filters to public facilities, this study presented a method for measuring pollutant reduction effects by creating an indoor environment for continuous discharge of particle pollutants and conducted basic studies to verify whether indoor air quality has improved through the system. In this study conducted in a lecture room in spring, the background concentration was created by using mosquito repellent incense as a pollutant one hour before monitoring. Then, according to the schedule, the fine dust reduction capacity was monitored by irrigating for two hours and venting air for one hour. PM₁₀, PM_2.5, and temperature & humidity sensors were installed two meters front of the bio-filters, and velocity probes were installed at the center of the three air vents to conduct time-series monitoring. The average face velocity of three air vents set up in the bio-filter was 0.38±0.16 m/s. Total air-conditioning air volume was calculated at 776.89±320.16㎥/h by applying an air vent area of 0.29m×0.65m after deducing damper area. With the system in operation, average temperature and average relative humidity were maintained at 21.5-22.3℃, and 63.79-73.6%, respectively, which indicates that it satisfies temperature and humidity range of various conditions of preceding studies. When the effects of raising relatively humidity rapidly by operating system's air-conditioning function are used efficiently, it would be possible to reduce indoor fine dust and maintain appropriate relative humidity seasonally. Concentration of fine dust increased the same in all cycles before operating the bio-filter system. After operating the system, in cycle 1 blast section (C-1, β=-3.83, β=-2.45), particulate matters (PM₁₀) were lowered by up to 28.8% or 560.3㎍/㎥ and fine particulate matters (PM_2.5) were reduced by up to 28.0% or 350.0㎍/㎥. Then, the concentration of find dust (PM₁₀, PM_2.5) was reduced by up to 32.6% or 647.0㎍/㎥ and 32.4% or 401.3㎍/㎥ respectively through reduction in cycle 2 blast section (C-2, β=-5.50, β=-3.30) and up to 30.8% or 732.7㎍/㎥ and 31.0% or 459.3㎍/㎥ respectively through reduction in cycle 3 blast section (C-3, β=5.48, β=-3.51). By referring to standards and regulations related to the installation of vegetation bio-filters in public facilities, this study provided plans on how to set up objective performance evaluation environment. By doing so, it was possible to create monitoring infrastructure more objective than a regular lecture room environment and secure relatively reliable data.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.208-215
• /
• 2016

Pinic acid (PA) and cis-pinonic acid (CPA) in the atmospheric particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to a nominal $10{\mu}m$ ($PM_{10}$) were analyzed for the samples collected during the period of April 2010 to April 2011 at Jongro in Seoul. Both pinic acid and cis-pinonic acid showed higher seasonal average concentrations in summer (PA; $18.9ng/m^3$, CPA; $16.0ng/m^3$) than winter (PA; $5.3ng/m^3$, CPA; $5.9ng/m^3$). They displayed a seasonal pattern associated with temperature reflecting the influence on emissions of ${\alpha}-pinene$ and ${\beta}-pinene$ from conifers and their photochemical reaction. These results were confirmed through Pearson correlation coefficient between CPA, PA and $O_3+NO_2$, temperature. CPA was only correlated with n-alkanes ($C_{29}$, $C_{31}$, $C_{33}$) from biogenic source. PA was correlated with n-alkanes ($C_{29}$, $C_{31}$, $C_{33}$), n-alkanoic acid ($C_{20}$, $C_{22}$, $C_{24}$) from biogenic source and n-alkanes ($C_{28}$, $C_{30}$, $C_{32}$), and n-alkanoic acid ($C_{16}$, $C_{18}$) from anthropogenic source. These results showed that the formation of PA and CPA from ${\alpha}-pinene$ and ${\beta}-pinene$ is related to organic compounds from biogenic source. And it is possible for PA to be effected by organic compounds from anthropogenic source.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.48 no.2
• /
• pp.66-74
• /
• 2022

Background: The health effects of particulate matter (PM_2.5) bonded with various harmful chemicals differ based on their composition, so investigating and managing their concentrations and composition is vital for long-term management. As industrial complexes emit considerable quantities of pollutants, higher PM_2.5 concentrations and chemical component effects are expected than in other places. Objectives: We investigated the concentration distribution ratios of PM_2.5 chemical components to provide basic data to inform future major emissions control and PM_2.5 reduction measures in industrial complexes. Methods: We monitored five sites near the Ansan and Siheung industrial complexes from August 2020 to July 2021. Samples were collected and analyzed twice per week in spring/winter and once per week in summer/autumn according to the National Institute of Environmental Research in the Ministry of Environments' Air Pollution Monitoring Network Installation and Operation Guidelines. We investigated and compared composition ratios of 29 ions, carbon, and elemental components in PM_2.5. Results: The analysis of PM_2.5 components at the five sites revealed that ion components accounted for the greatest total mass at approximately 50% while carbon components and elemental components contributed 23~28% and 8~10%, respectively. Among the ionic components, NO₃^- occupies the greatest proportion. OC occupies the greatest proportion of the carbon components and sulphur occupies the greatest proportion of elemental components. Conclusions: This study investigated the concentration distribution ratios of PM_2.5 chemical components in industrial complexes. We believe these results provide basic chemical component concentration ratio data for establishing future air management policies and plans for the Ansan and Siheung industrial complexes.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
• /
• v.28 no.4
• /
• pp.382-392
• /
• 2018

Objective: Allergic diseases such as asthma due to fungal exposure in houses have increased, and proper management is urgent. Mold can grow in the air, floor, walls, and other areas according to environmental conditions, and there are many limitations to the conventional methodology for examining fungal exposure. For this reason, the degree of fungal contamination is being evaluated by ERMI (Environmental Relative Moldiness Index), a quantitative analysis method proposed by the EPA. In this study, we compared ERMI values between water-damaged dwellings and non-damaged ones to evaluate the effectiveness of Korean ERMI values. We also explored the association of ERMI values with the level of airborne mold and characteristics of dwellings. Methods: Floor dust was collected after installing a Dustream collector on the suction port of a vacuum cleaner. The collected samples were filtered to remove only 5 mg of dust, and DNA was extracted using the FastDNA SPIN KIT protocol. Results: The ERMI values were found to be 19.6 (-6.9-58.8) for flooded houses, 7.5 (-29.2-48.3) for leaks/condensation, and 0.8 (-29.2-37.9) for non-damaged dwellings. The airborne concentration of mold for flooded, leakage or condensed, and non-damaged houses were $684CFU/m^3$, $566CFU/m^3$, and $378CFU/m^3$, respectively. The correlation between ERMI values and the levels of airborne mold was low (R = 0.038), but a weakly significant association of the ERMI values with the concentration of particulate matter ($PM_{10}$) was observed as well(R=0.231,P<0.05). Conclusions: Our findings show that the reference value using ERMI can be used to distinguish water-damaged and non-damaged dwellings. It is believed that ERMI values could be a promising tool for assessing long-term fungal exposure in dwellings.