• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.153-161
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• 2008

The guidelines for indoor air quality of public transportations such as subway, train and bus was presented by Korean Ministry of Environment last end of year 2006 based on the great consequence of indoor air quality in daily life. Two main parameters, carbon dioxide($CO_2$) and particulate matters smaller than $10\;{\mu}m(PM_{10})$, were selected as index pollutants for the management of indoor air quality. The former pollutant, $CO_2$, is regarded as index of ventilation status and the major source of $CO_2$ in the train or subway is the exhalation of passengers. It is publically perceived that the high $CO_2$ concentration in a crowded subway will be reduced and ventilated with outdoor air by door-opening taken every 2 or 3 minutes when the train stops each station. However, there has not been any scientific proof and quantitative information on the effect of door-opening on the $CO_2$ reduction by ventilation with outdoor air. In this study, $CO_2$ concentration and number of passengers were measured at each station on the 3 lines of Korail metropolitan subway. In order to evaluate the effect of $CO_2$ reduction by door opening, the theoretical approach using the $CO_2$ balance equation was performed. By comparing the predicted data with monitoring one, the optimum $CO_2$ dilution factor was determined. For the first time, it was quantified that about 35% of $CO_2$ concentration in the subway indoor was removed by the door-opening at each station.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.57 no.2
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• pp.108-119
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• 2024

Objectives: Abrupt changes in air pollution levels associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak present a unique opportunity to evaluate the effects of air pollution on influenza risk, at a time when emission sources were less active and personal hygiene practices were more rigorous. Methods: This time-series study examined the relationship between influenza cases (n=22 874) and air pollutant concentrations from 2018 to 2021, comparing the timeframes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in and around Thailand's Khon Kaen province. Poisson generalized additive modeling was employed to estimate the relative risk of hospitalization for influenza associated with air pollutant levels. Results: Before the COVID-19 outbreak, both the average daily number of influenza hospitalizations and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 ㎛ or less (PM_2.5) concentration exceeded those later observed during the pandemic (p<0.001). In single-pollutant models, a 10 ㎍/m³ increase in PM_2.5 before COVID-19 was significantly associated with increased influenza risk upon exposure to cumulative-day lags, specifically lags 0-5 and 0-6 (p<0.01). After adjustment for co-pollutants, PM_2.5 demonstrated the strongest effects at lags 0 and 4, with elevated risk found across all cumulative-day lags (0-1, 0-2, 0-3, 0-4, 0-5, and 0-6) and significantly greater risk in the winter and summer at lag 0-5 (p<0.01). However, the PM_2.5 level was not significantly associated with influenza risk during the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusions: Lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic could mitigate the risk of PM_2.5-induced influenza. Effective regulatory actions in the context of COVID-19 may decrease PM_2.5 emissions and improve hygiene practices, thereby reducing influenza hospitalizations.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.213-220
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• 1993

The problem of disposing of huge quantities of used tires is of growing concern to every country. As an economical solid waste management, a gasification followed by incineration process was applied to scrap tires to recover heat and to reduce waste volume for final landfill disposal. The gasification temperature, combustible and non-combustible gasified products and possibly produced air pollutants were predicted by changing equivalent mole ratios of carbon to oxygen by a chemical equilibrium model. For a risk assessment of ash toxic pollutants including heavy metals and toxic organics were thoroughly analyzed. Gasification bottom ash contained much more toxic organic compounds than fly ash, whereas fly ash contained higher concentration of heavy metals such as Pb and Cd. Pretreatment or secure landfill technology is suggested for a safe management of ash produced from the gasification incinerators.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.272-279
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• 2015

The information about the dispersion and scavenging of traffic-related pollutants at the locations near busy expressways is very helpful to highway planners for developing better plans to reduce exposures to air pollution for people living as well as children attending schools and child care centers near roadways. The objective of the current study was to give information in the dispersion and scavenging of vehicle-derived pollutants at the region near a busy urban expressway by a combination of two different model calculations. The modified Gaussian dispersion model and the Lagrange type below-cloud scavenging model were applied to evaluate $NO_x$ dispersion and DEP (Diesel exhaust particles) wet removal, respectively. The highest $NO_x$ was marked 53.17 ppb within 20-30 meters from the target urban expressway during the heaviest traffic hours (08:00AM-09:00AM) and it was 2.8 times higher than that of really measured at a nearby ambient measuring station. The calculated DEP concentration in size-resolved raindrops showed a continuous decreasing with increasing raindrop size. Especially, a noticeable decrease was found between 0.2 mm and 1.0 mm raindrop diameter.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.14-18
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• 2007

The Korean government enacted the "Special Law for Improving Air Quality of Metropolitan Area" in 2003. According to this plan, Korean government plan to lower the concentrations of $PM_{10}$ and $NO_x$ to $40{\mu}g/m^3$ and 22 ppb, respectively, by 2014. In this study, we analyze emission reduction strategies to lower their concentration. Emission reduction for the supply of mass energy and regenerative energy are compared with several scenarios. According to the results, 713 t/y of $NO_x$ and 165 t/y of $PM_{10}$ will be reduced by enhancing the number of households supplied by local heating and air conditioning. And also 5 t/y of $PM_{10}$ and 312 t/y of $NO_x$ will be reduced by replacing conventional energy with solar energy by 2014.

• Proceedings of the SAREK Conference
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• 2006.06a
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• pp.283-288
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• 2006

Indoor Air Quality Guideline of Kindergarten in korea didn't consider the vulnerable properties of children to indoor air pollutants. For this reason, Suggestion for the IAQ guideline of formaldehyde and minimum ventilation rate was made in this study. Suggested IAQ guidelines for formaldehyde in the respect of children's vulnerable immune system is $30{\mu}g/m^3$ and $50{\mu}g/m^3$, and for the ventilation rate 11.9 ACH, 5.8 ACH, respectively. This value is based only formaldehyde and CO2 concentrations in child-care room of Kindergarten and needed to be verified by further investigations and studies. However it is discovered that lower formaldehyde concentration can do mal-effects to children's health by literature review.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.453-459
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• 2007

This study is for investigation of indoor conditions with air contamination after occupation 120 households in brand-new apartments by measuring the concentration of VOCs and carbonyl compounds. It has been found that TVOC (total volatile organic compounds; TVOCs) were $688.61{\mu}g/m^3$ after moving in. And formaldehyde, toluene, m, p-xylene, acetone and ethylbenzene were $158.56{\mu}g/m^3$, $146.58{\mu}g/m^3$, $69.28{\mu}g/m^3$, $63.80{\mu}g/m^3$ and $29.65{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. The mean concentrations of indoor air pollutants tend to decrease along an increase dwelling period. But, the mean concentration of d-limonene increased from 2 months to 10 months. Also, toluene, ethylbenzene, m, p, o-xylene amounted to 38.8 % among VOCs studied, this ratio tend to decrease along with and increased dwelling period.

• 보존과학연구
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• s.23
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• pp.95-112
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• 2002

Seoul City built a facility for conservation of the Wongaksajisipcheungseoktap (Ten storied stone pagoda of Wongaksa Temple site, National treasure No. 2). It has speciality glass(thickness 21.5㎜) between steel-frames(8.4m, length 8.4m, height 15.4m). So we investigated the inside of facility to know whether the environment alvariation exists. We measured continuously the temperature and relative humidity, twice for the particulate, once for the $SO_2$(sulfur dioxide), $NO_2$(nitrogen dioxide)and $O_3$(ozone) from September $1_st$, 2000 to August $31_st$, 2001.The temperature and relative humidity, have a tendency to vary, and they have no difference between the inside and the outside. As dewy phenomenon doesn appear on the surface of the Pagoda and facility we know that the inside air is moving. As a result of the particulate is $64\mug$/$m_3$ of average concentration, the particulate fluxed inside don’t flow out because air-velocity of the outside is faster than that of the inside. The air pollutants are 0.036ppm/hr of SO$_2$average concentration, 0.028ppm/hr of $NO_2$ average concentration and 0.008ppm/hr of $O_3$ average concentration which are lower than the Environmental Air Quality Standards($SO_2$ : 0.15ppm/hr, $NO_2$ : 0.25ppm/hr,O3 : 0.1ppm/hr).

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.12 no.12
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• pp.1235-1243
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• 2003

Under controlled conditions in an environmental chamber, 24 experiments were performed to compare the ability of a Variable-Air-Volume/Bypass Filtration System(VAV/BPFS) to remove indoor pollutants and to conserve energy with the ability of conventional Variable Air Volume(VAV) system. The specific conclusions of this paper were; first, the VAV/BPFS was more efficient than the VAV system in removing particulate matter, TVOC, and target VOCs. The total effective removal rate of PM for the VAV/BPFS was two times as high as that of the VAV system. The total effective removal rate of TVOC for the VAV/BPFS was 20 percent higher than that of the VAV system. Also each target VOC concentration was reduced by using the VAV/BPFS. Second, clean air delivery rate was increased by using VAV/BPFS due to additional filtration rate. Otherwise, the VAV/BPFS decreased outdoor supply air rate above 25 percent relative to the rate of VAV system. Third, total energy consumption by the VAV/BPFS was lower than that of the VAV system during the period with indoor thermal load, occupied time. The energy saving of the VAV/BPFS ranged from 11 to 16 percent. The VAV/BPFS improves indoor air quality more efficiently than the VAV system, and it reduced energy consumption. Retrofitting the VAV system with the VAV/BPFS was easy The use of VAV/BPFS is, therefore, recommended far buildings with VAV system as well as for buildings at designing stage.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.488-496
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• 2002

SPME techniques have proven to be very useful tools in the analysis of wide VOCs in the air. In this study, we estimated VOCs in ambient and workplace air using a Tedlar ba /SPME/GC/MS system. The calibration curve was set to be linear over the range of 1-30 ppbv. The detection limits ranged from 10 pptv to 0.93 ppbv for all VOCs. Reproducibility of TO-14 target gas mixtures by SPME/GC/MS averaged at 8.8 R.S.D (%). Air toxic VOCs (hazardous air pollutants, HAPs) containing a total of forty halohydrocarbons, aromatics, and haloaro-matic carbons could be analyzed with significant accuracy, detection limit and linearity at low ppbv level. Only reactive VOCs with low molecular weight, such as chloromethane, vinylchloride, ethylchloride and 1,2-dichloro-ethane, yielded relatively poor results using this technique. In ambient air samples, ten VOCs were identified and quantified after external calibration. VOC concentration in ambient and workplace air ranged from 0.04 to 1.85 ppbv. The overall process was successfully applied to identify and quantify VOCs in ambient/workplace air.