• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.465-471
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• 2010

This study aims to investigate the relationship between air pollution exposure and the prevalence of allergic rhinitis in a young population in the Ulsan metropolitan region (UMR). Data on physician-diagnosed allergic rhinitis (past 12 months) in 1,449 infants and children aged 1-18 years who lived within 1.5 or 2 km of air quality monitoring sites were collected in a cross-sectional health interview survey conducted between January-February 2006 in the UMR. Comparisons of the spatial distribution of the prevalence rates for allergic rhinitis and annual average pollutant concentrations over the region showed that a relatively high prevalence rate occurred around the coastal industrial area, with high PM10 concentrations. A linear correlation analysis demonstrated a positive correlation relationship between them (R = 0.680, p = 0.04). Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that the combined effect of the PM10 and $SO_2$ variables accounts for approximately 81% of the variance (R-square: 0.81) in the prevalence rate. From the multiple logistic regression analysis after adjustment by age, sex, and air-pollutant factors, the PM10 and $SO_2$ which were mainly from industrialrelated emissions were found to be significantly associated with an increased risk of allergic rhinitis (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.15-2.70 for PM10 ; aOR: 1.63, 95% CI: 1.12-2.35 for SO2).

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.244-254
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• 2018

Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia, is subject to high levels of atmospheric pollution during winter, which severely threatens the health of the population. By analyzing surface meteorological data, ground-based LIDAR data, and radiosonde data collected from 2008 to 2016, we studied seasonal variations in particulate matter (PM) concentration, visibility, relative humidity, temperature inversion layer thickness, and temperature inversion intensity. PM concentrations started to exceed the 24-h average standard ($50{\mu}g/m^3$) in mid-October and peaked from December to January. Visibility showed a significant negative correlation with PM concentration. Relative humidity was within the range of 60-80% when there were high PM concentrations. Both temperature inversion layer thickness and intensity reached maxima in January and showed similar seasonal variations with respect to PM concentration. The monthly average temperature inversion intensity showed a strong positive correlation with the monthly average $PM_{2.5}$ concentration. Furthermore, the temperature inversion layer thickness exceeded 500 m in midwinter and overlaid the weak mixed layer during daytime. Radiative cooling enhanced by the basin-like terrain led to a stable urban atmosphere, which strengthened particulate air pollution.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.6
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• pp.478-490
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• 2017

Objectives: The association of air pollution levels and land-use types with changes in the prevalence of allergic diseases (allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis) was investigated for seven metropolitan cities in Korea Methods: Data on daily hospital visits and admissions (of those under 19 years old) for 2003-2012 were obtained from the National Health Insurance Cooperation. Meteorological data on daily mean temperature, humidity, and air pressure were obtained from the Korea Meteorological Administration. Daily mean or maximum concentration data for five pollutants ($PM_{10}$, $O_3$, $NO_2$, $SO_2$, and CO) as measured at air quality monitoring sites operated by the Ministry of Environment were used. We estimated excess risk and 95% confidence intervals for the increasing interquatile range (IQR) of each air pollutant using Generalized Additive Models (GAM) appropriate for time series analysis. Results: In this study, we observed a significant association between the IQR increases of air pollutants and the prevalence risk of allergic diseases (allergic conjunctivitis, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and atopic dermatitis) in all metropolitan cities after adjusting for temperature, humidity, and air pressure at sea level. Among the air pollutants, $NO_2$ and $PM_{10}$ were associated with the prevalence of asthma, and $O_3$ was associated with only allergic conjunctivitis in regression analysis. However, in GAM analysis considering land-use, $O_3$ and $SO_2$ were associated with allergic conjunctivitis, PM10, O3, NO2, and CO were associated with allergic rhinitis, and $PM_{10}$, $O_3$ and $NO_2$ were associated with asthma in industrial area. Conclusion: This study found a significant association between air pollution and the prevalence of allergic related diseases in industrial areas. More detailed research considering mixed traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) and conducting meta-analyses combining data of the all cities is required.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.37-48
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• 1975

Air pollutants were measured to get useful data in preventing and controlling the pollution at industrial and semi-industrial, commercial, cross-road and residential areas by season in Busan from September 1973 to June 1974. Teated were dustfalls(ton/$km^2$/month)by Deposit Gauge method, sulfuric anhydride(mg $SO_3/day/100cm^2 PbO_2$) by Lead Peroxide candle method. The relations between pollution and metherologlcal factors and source of pollution were discussed, The findings are as follows: 1. The mean value of dustfalls was 24.8 tons rangi~ng from 12.5 tons to 44.5 tons. The highest amount of dustfalls of 29.0 tons was measured in crossroad areas while the 1oeest of 22.7 tons in commercial areas, and Winter the highest of 27.7 tons while in Spring the lowest of 21.2 tons. 2. The mean value of water soluble substances was 31.7 per cent, and seasonal variation of pH was shown as 4.20 in Autumn, 3.85 in Summer and 2.76 in Winter. 3. The mean value of sulfuric anhydride was 1.54mg ranging from 0.197mg to 4.162 mg. The highest concentration of sulfuric anhydride of 2.03mg was detected in cross-road areas while thelowest of 1.23mg in residential areas, and Summer the highest of 2.18mg while in Spring the lowest of 1.09mg(0. 92mg in Nov. 1973) 4. Dustfalls are more with the decreased of relative humidity and precipitation while concentrat:on of sulfuric anhydrides are more with the increased of relative humidity. 5. There is a probability of occuring chronic symptoms(respiratory and others) as the dustfalls with 24.8 tons and sulfuric anhydride with 1.54mg in Busan. According to this, it is the time to discuss monitoring system and systematic preventing methods.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.358-366
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• 2011

The purpose of this study was to analyze the monthly and seasonal PM10 data using the Autoregressive Error (ARE) model at the southern part of the Gyeonggi-Do, Pyeongtaek monitoring site in Korea. In the ARE model, six meteorological variables and four pollution variables are used as the explanatory variables. The six meteorological variables are daily maximum temperature, wind speed, amount of cloud, relative humidity, rainfall, and global radiation. The four air pollution variables are sulfur dioxide ($SO_2$), nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$), carbon monoxide (CO), and ozone ($O_3$). The result shows that monthly ARE models explained about 17~49% of the PM10 concentration. However, the ARE model could be improved if we add the more explanatory variables in the model.

• Journal of the Korean Association of Geographic Information Studies
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.118-129
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• 2016

Many epidemiological studies, relying on administrative air pollution monitoring data, have reported the association between particulate matter ($PM_{10}$) air pollution and human health. These monitoring data were collected at a limited number of fixed sites, whereas government-generated health data are aggregated at the area level. To link these two data types for assessing health effects, it is necessary to estimate area-level concentrations of $PM_{10}$. In this study, we estimated district (Gu)-level $PM_{10}$ concentrations using a previously developed pointwise exposure prediction model for $PM_{10}$ and three types of point locations in Seoul, Korea. These points included 16,230 centroids of the largest census output residential areas, 422 community service centers, and 610 centroids on the 1km grid. After creating three types of points, we predicted $PM_{10}$ annual average concentrations at all locations and calculated Gu averages of predicted $PM_{10}$ concentrations as representative Gu-estimates. Then, we compared estimates to each other and to measurements. Prediction-based Gu-level estimates showed higher correlations with measurement-based estimates as prediction locations became more population representative ($R^2=0.06-0.59$). Among the three estimates, grid-based estimates gave lowest correlations compared to the other two(0.35-0.47). This study provides an approach for estimating area-level air pollution concentrations and assesses air pollution health effects using national-scale administrative health data.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Information and Communication Engineering
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.140-145
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• 2022

In an advanced modern society, among air pollutants caused by urban industrialization and public transportation, fine dust flows into indoors from the outdoors. The fine dust meter used indoors provides limited information and measures the pollution level differently, so there is a problem that users cannot monitor and monitor the data they want. To solve this problem, in this paper, indoor air quality data fine dust and ultra-fine dust (PM1.0, PM2.5, PM10), VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds) and PIR (Passive Infrared Sensor) are used to measure fine dust. and a monitoring system were designed and implemented. We propose a fine dust meter and monitoring system that is installed in a designated area to measure fine dust in real time, collects, stores, and visualizes data through App Engine of Google Cloud Platform and provides it to users.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.99-106
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• 2010

The project of Cheonggyecheon revived the 5.8 kilometer stream and it removed the cover of stream and Cheonggye elevated road. It was begin October of 2003 and completed October of 2005. The purpose of this study is to analyze the air pollution change of Cheonggyecheon area and neighboring area from before and after the project. The change of concentration is compared with an air monitoring station data and measurement data. The analyzed pollutants are $NO_2$, $PM_{10}$, heavy metal, VOC which are measured at Cheonggyecheon and neighboring area. As the results, $NO_2$ concentration shows 10 % decreases in Cheonggyecheon area and neighboring area shows 16 % decreases by Chenoggyecheon restoration, and $PM_{10}$ concentration shows 15 % decreases in Cheonggyecheon area and neighboring area shows 16 % increases. One of VOC, benzene is increased in Cheonggyecheon area compared with neighboring area but Toluene, Ethylbenzene, m+p Xylene increased in neighboring area. After the Cheonggyecheon restoration, The heavy metals are not shows the improvement, but $PM_{10}$ and $NO_2$ concentration improved more than the changes of neighboring area. These improvements of pollution due to reduction of transportation and clearing of elevated road by Cheonggyecheon restoration project.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.29
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• pp.9.1-9.3
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• 2014

Diesel exhaust particles (DEP) contain elemental carbon, organic compounds including Polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), metals, and other trace compounds. Diesel exhaust is complex mixture of thousands of chemicals. Over forty air contaminants are recognized as toxicants, such as carcinogens. Most diesel exhaust particles have aerodynamic diameters falling within a range of 0.1 to $0.25{\mu}m$. DEP was classified as a definite human carcinogen (group 1) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer at 2012 based on recently sufficient epidemiological evidence for lung cancer. Significant decreases in DEP and other diesel exhaust constituents will not be evident immediately, and outworn diesel car having longer mileage still threatens health of people in spite of recent remarkable development in diesel engine technology. Policy change in South Korea, such as introduction of diesel taxi, may raise health risk of air pollution in metropolitan area with these limitations of diesel engine. To protect people against DEP in South Korea, progressive strategies are needed, including disallowance of diesel taxi, more strict regulation of diesel engine emission, obligatory diesel particulate filter attachment in outworn diesel car, and close monitoring about health effects of DEP.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.339-346
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• 2009

The objectives of this study were to introduce spatial interpolation methods which have been applied in recent papers, to apply three methods (nearest monitor, inverse distance weighting, kriging) to domestic data (Ulsan cohort) as an example of estimating the personal exposure levels. We predicted the personal exposure estimates of 2,102 participants in Ulsan cohort using spatial interpolation methods based on information of their residential address. We found that there was a similar tendency among the estimates of each method. The correlation coefficients between predictions from pairs of interpolation methods (except for the correlation coefficient between nearest montitor and kriging of CO and $SO_2$) were generally high (r=0.84 to 0.96). Even if there are some limitations such as location and density of monitoring station, spatial interpolation methods can reflect spatial aspects of air pollutant and spatial heterogeneity in individual level so that they provide more accurate estimates than monitor data alone. But they may still result in misclassification of exposure. To minimize misclassification for better estimates, we need to consider individual characteristics such as daily activity pattern.