• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.28 no.6
• /
• pp.616-625
• /
• 2019

Health impact assessment is implemented within the Environmental impact assessment for the purpose of minimizing health damage by predicting the impact on human health following implementation of the development project. In health impact assessment, manual revision is required due to the lack of consistency in the method of estimating hazardous air pollutants emissions. This study estimated the emissions by calculating the emissions of hazardous air pollutants based on the actual industrial complex development cases and completed health impact assessments. As a result of risk assessment based on exposure concentration using CALPUFF model, the risk assessment results were different for each of the emission estimation methods, and manual improvement on the emission estimation method is needed.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.48 no.3
• /
• pp.159-166
• /
• 2022

Background: A quantitative structure-activity relationship (QSAR) model was adopted in the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization, and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH, EU) regulations as well as the Act on Registration, Evaluation, etc. of Chemicals (AREC, Republic of Korea). It has been previously used in the registration of chemicals. Objectives: In this study, we investigated the correlation between the predicted data provided by three prediction programs using a QSAR model and actual experimental results (acute fish, daphnia magna toxicity). Through this approach, we aimed to effectively conjecture on the performance and determine the most applicable programs when designating toxic substances through the AREC. Methods: Chemicals that had been registered and evaluated in the Toxic Chemicals Control Act (TCCA, Republic of Korea) were selected for this study. Two prediction programs developed and operated by the U.S. EPA - the Ecological Structure-Activity Relationship (ECOSAR) and Toxicity Estimation Software Tool (T.E.S.T.) models - were utilized along with the TOPKAT (Toxicity Prediction by Komputer Assisted Technology) commercial program. The applicability of these three programs was evaluated according to three parameters: accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. Results: The prediction analysis on fish and daphnia magna in the three programs showed that the TOPKAT program had better sensitivity than the others. Conclusions: Although the predictive performance of the TOPKAT program when using a single predictive program was found to perform well in toxic substance designation, using a single program involves many restrictions. It is necessary to validate the reliability of predictions by utilizing multiple methods when applying the prediction program to the regulation of chemicals.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.49 no.2
• /
• pp.147-152
• /
• 2016

This study was conducted to develop a technique of ecosystem health assessment on Korea National Parks. The purpose of natural resource monitoring in national parks is to develop scientific information on the current status and long term trends in the composition, structure, and function of park ecosystems, and to determine how well current management practices are sustaining those ecosystems. The evaluation results will reflect in the park conservation and polices and promote the effect and functions of assessment program to the people. Health assessment steps were performed in order the establishing monitoring goals and objectives, development of the conceptual model, frame establishment, determination of indicators, standard and classification and health assessment. Health Indicators were selected the 13 with common, choice and climate indicators. We developed a pictogram and was separated into five colors to health condition, it was divided into three shape for comparison with the past state. Seoraksan, Odaesan National Park has been rated highly but Bukhansan, Kyeryongsan National Park has been underestimated.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
• /
• v.7 no.1
• /
• pp.1-29
• /
• 2008

The Ministry of Environment(MoE) of Korea has recently established the Environmental Health Act. This Act contains a clause related to implementation of Health Impact Assessment(HIA). So, selecting a landfill which was expected to have an influence on human health among major development projects, this study carried out the human risk assessment due to inhalation exposure to landfill gas emission and attempted to measure the possibility of domestic application of HIA in the future. The process for HIA on landfill site extension focusing on human risk assessment is as follows: The first step is to presume and calculate the amount of landfill gas emissions using LandGEM, The second step is to carry out exposure assessment using K-SCREEN Model which is used for predicting the concentration in a conservative method. The last step is to carry out human risk assessment of carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic substances. It is considered that it is likely to apply a technique for human risk assessment due to inhalation exposure to landfill gas emission performed here more specifically in the case of implementing HIA. In addition, it is also believed that more systematic studies are needed to overcome some weak points and limits found in this study and if these weak points and limits are improved more reliable outcomes will be produced.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
• /
• 2023.05a
• /
• pp.152-152
• /
• 2023

하천의 건강성을 평가하기 위해 일반적으로 수생태계 건강성 지표(TDI, BMI, FAI, HRI, RVI)가 사용되고 있다. 이 지표는 5가지 등급으로 구분하여 매우 좋음(A), 좋음(B), 보통(C), 나쁨(D), 매우나쁨(E)으로 구분된다. 하지만, 하천의 건강성 관점에서 수질, 토지이용, 지리적 특성, 경관지수와의 상관성을 바탕으로 어떤 영향을 미치는지에 대한 연구가 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 하천의 수생태계 건강성에 영향을 미치는 환경적 인자들과의 관계성을 분석하여 수생태계 건강성이 '좋음'에 해당되는 하천으로 분류하고자 한다. 이를 통해 환경적 인자들의 임계값을 산출하여 하천 관리에 대한 구체적인 우선순위 설정 방안을 제안하고자 한다. 낙동강대권역을 대상으로 수질, 토지이용, 지리적 특성, 경관지수의 여러 변수 중 수생태계 건강성과의 관계에서 대표성을 나타낼 수 있는 환경적 인자를 선정하기 위하여 정준상관분석(CCA)을 수행하였다. 또한 모델 기반의 클러스터 분석을 활용하여 소권역별로 수생태계 건강성이 '좋음'에 해당할 확률을 파악하고, 여기에 해당하는 소권역에 대하여 각각의 환경적 인자에 대한 임계값을 정량적으로 평가하였다. 본 연구에서는 하천의 환경 인자들과의 관계를 분석하여 수생태계 건강성을 평가하고 하천 관리에 대한 구체적인 우선순위를 파악하는 방법을 제안한다. 주성분 분석 및 모델 기반 클러스터 분석을 사용하여 각 소권역에 대한 환경 인자의 임계값을 평가하고, 정책 결정자들이 하천의 건강성을 유지하고 개선할 수 있는 정보를 제공할 수 있다.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.30 no.6
• /
• pp.413-424
• /
• 2021

Health impact assessment in the environmental impact assessment is conducted to determine whether to exceed the standard of each single substance and to establish appropriate reduction measures. In some development projects, although all substances in risk assessment meet the standard, exposure concentration is very close to it. However, considering the cumulative exposure of all substances, health effects are likely to occur considerably severer than those of individual substances, so it is necessary to prepare a concrete and improved methodology for integrating evaluation of emissions to identify the health effects actually exposed to receptors of living things. This study established the definition of cumulative risk assessment through overseas advanced cases and domestic and foreign literature reviews, and proposed a methodology for utilizing cumulative risk assessment considering health effects on multiple substances when developing industrial complexes. Applied by the proposed methodology, integrated indicators forfourtypes of hazardous heavy metals (Ni, Cr⁶⁺, Cd, As) emitted from industrial complexes were calculated, and applicability was tested with case of the industrial complex development projects conducted over the last decade (2011-2020).

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
• /
• v.20 no.1
• /
• pp.93-105
• /
• 2024

Purpose: This study aims to quantitatively determine the impact on nearby risidents by selecting the amount of chemicals emitted from the workplace among the substances subject to the chemical emission plan and predicting the concentration with the atmospheric diffusion program. Method: The selection of research materials considered half-life, toxicity, and the presence or absence of available monitoring station data. The areas discharged from the materials to be studied were selected as the areas to be studied, and four areas with floating populations were selected to evaluate health risks. Result: AERMOD was executed after conducting terrain and meteorological processing to obtain predicted concentrations. The health hazard assessment results indicated that only dichloromethane exceeded the threshold for children, while tetrachloroethylene and chloroform appeared at levels that cannot be ignored for both children and adults. Conclusion: Currently, in the domestic context, health hazard assessments are conducted based on the regulations outlined in the "Environmental Health Act" where if the hazard index exceeds a certain threshold, it is considered to pose a health risk. The anticipated expansion of the list of substances subject to the chemical discharge plan to 415 types by 2030 suggests the need for efficient management within workplaces. In instances where the hazard index surpasses the threshold in health hazard assessments, it is judged that effective chemical management can be achieved by prioritizing based on considerations of background concentration and predicted concentration through atmospheric dispersion modeling.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.63-82
• /
• 2009

Because many people suffer from physical and mental damage caused by the noise created by transportation infrastructure, including road traffic, rail, and aircraft, developed countries have conducted research on predicting and solving the impact to human health from being exposed to transportation noise. Therefore, this study suggests a fundamental plan to assess the health impact of transportation noise on the basis of domestic and foreign prediction results regarding the health impact of transportation noise. The domestic and foreign exposure-response expressions, including the noise index and the health impact indicator of annoyance and sleep disturbance, are compared, and it is found that domestic individuals show a more sensitive response to transportation noise. Based on domestic and foreign research, and a case study regarding the health impact of transportation noise, a fundamental plan to assess the health impact of transportation noise comprises the preparation of objective assessment standards through the improvement of exposure-response models, and the establishment of reduction measures which can improve the quality of the transportation noise environment.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.112-122
• /
• 2023

To restore the ecological function of contaminated soil and maximize the ecological services provided by the soil, besides the toxicity orrisk caused by pollutants, the functional aspects of the soil ecosystem should be considered. In this study, a method for evaluating the health of cleaned soil was presented, and the applicability of the proposed evaluation method was examined by applying it to soil treated with washing and landfarming. Productivity, habitat, water retention capacity, nutrient cycling, carbon retention capacity, and buffering capacity were used as soil health evaluation indicators. The results showed that the soil health was not completely recovered after remediation, and even in the case of the washed soil, the health was lower than before remediation. On the other hand, there was no significant change in soil quality due to oil pollution, but soil health deteriorated. Unlike the slightly improved soil quality after landfarming treatment, soil health was not completely restored. Therefore, the results of this study indicate that it is desirable to consider both soil quality and health when evaluating the remediation effect. The soil health evaluation method proposed in this study can be usefully utilized for the sustainable use of cleaned soil and to promote ecosystem services.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
• /
• 1997.12a
• /
• pp.91-99
• /
• 1997

과거에는 환경오염에 의한 피해의 유무, 즉 인과관계를 규명하는 것이 일차적인 관심 대상이었다. 그러나 구체적이고 정량적인 정보를 요구하는 현대사회에서는 오염피해의 정도와 심각성을 평가하여 주민에게 알려 주어야 하며, 어느 정도의 오염수준을 우리사회에서 받아들일 수 있는가의 판단이 매우 중요한 문제로 떠오르게 되었다. 또한 복잡다기화 되어가고 있는 사회 현상속에서 이해관계와 불확실성으로 얽혀 있는 환경문제를 풀어나가기 위해서는 과학적이고 합리적인 방법론이 요구되고 있다. 이를 위해 제시될 수 있는 방법론이 위해성 평가(decision-making) 수단이나 연구의 한 분야로 지난 30여년 동안 비교적 빠르게 발전되어져 왔다. 우리나라의 경우도 이미 위해성 평가에 대한 연구가 계속 발전중에 있으며, 특히 수계에서 검출 가능하고 잠재적인 위해성을 지니는 수질오염물질에 대한 전반적인 위해성을 평가하여 우리나라 수질관리정책에 유용한 기초자료들을 지시한 바 있다. 본문에서는 수질중 chloroform을 대상으로 확률분포를 이용한 위해성 평가 방법론과 대기중 benzene을 대상으로 노출 허용량(margine of exposure) 접근법을 소개하고자 한다.