• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.59-71
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• 2014

We investigated soil contamination depending on the land use by examining the contamination levels and distribution characteristics of 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the national soil. Total PAHs (the sum of 16 PAH concentrations) and carcinogenic PAHs (the sum of seven carcinogenic PAH concentrations) were $8.50{\sim}3,437.16{\mu}g/kg$ and $2.94{\sim}2,136.96{\mu}g/kg$, respectively. The concentration of benzo(a)pyrene, one of the contaminants regulated by the soil quality standard in the nation, was $ND{\sim}924.73{\mu}g/kg$. Its maximum value of $924.73{\mu}g/kg$ was detected in railroad (Region 3) and is approximately 13% of the standard value for Region 3 (i.e., 7 mg/kg). We also investigated the characteristics of contamination sources of PAHs in soil of the upland, forests, roads, and railroads, examining the fraction distribution of PAHs concentration by the number of benzene rings against the total PAHs concentration. The results demonstrate that the mean fraction of 4~6-ring PAHs against total PAHs concentration in soil was in the range of 51.8~80.7% with relative abundance of high-molecular PAHs, showing that the origin of contamination is under the category of combustion sources. When the molecular indices (Flu/(Flu/Pyr), Ant/(Ant+Phe), InP/(InP+BP), and BaA/(BaA+Chr)) were applied, they were also categorized as petroleum-based combustion sources. The individual PAH concentrations in soil by the land use were grouped into Regions 1, 2, and 3, which are statistically treated and are the parts of the national category system of soil quality standard. As a result, the concentration level of 16 PAHs was $0.02{\sim}2.63{\mu}g/kg$ in Region 1, $0.05{\sim}4.26{\mu}g/kg$ in Region 2, and $2.36{\sim}178.27{\mu}g/kg$ in Region 3. The concentration level of 6 carcinogenic PAHs was 14.2~320.4% against that of benzo(a)pyrene in Region 3 and sites of recycling waste sleepers. Considering that there were similarities among PAHs in terms of structures and toxicities, it would be recommended to review other types of carcinogenic PAHs together with benzo(a)pyrene when developing the soil quality standards in the nation.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
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• v.53 no.3
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• pp.170-180
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• 2022

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs) contents were analyzed by measuring benz(a)anthracene(BaA), chrysene(Chr), benzo(b)fluoranthene(BbF) and benzo(a)pyrene(BaP), and the related risk characterization was conducted for 113 samples out of 14 different agricultural products used for food and medicine. Detection rate of PAHs was 90.3% as a whole, and the highest one was 80.5% for BaP. The detection rate of BaP exceeding the maximum permitted concentration of Rehmanniae Radix Preparata and Rehmanniae Radix, 5.0 ㎍/kg was 1.8%, and the detection rates of BaA, Chr and BbF were within the range of 2.7~10.6%. The highest average concentration of BaA was 3.41 ㎍/kg detected from Lycii Fructus, while those of Chr, BbF, BaP and PAH4(sum of detected BaA, Chr, BbF and BaP) were 5.00, 1.79, 2.36, 12.36 ㎍/kg, respectively, detected from Rehmanniae Radix Preparata. As for the risk characterization on PAHs, the overall MOE(Margin of Exposure) values were measured within the range of 10⁵~10⁷, which is unlikely to cause direct health concerns, but the worring values of MOE were measured 6.57×10⁴ for BaP and 6.10×10⁴ for PAH4 from Rehmanniae Radix Preparata, which may require an improvement plan to reduce BaP contents.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.31 no.7
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• pp.999-1010
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• 2021

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are ubiquitous in the environment. They are highly toxigenic and carcinogenic. Probiotic bacteria isolated from fermented foods were tested to check their ability to degrade and/or detoxify PAHs. Five probiotic bacteria with distinct morphologies were isolated from a mixture of 26 fermented foods co-cultured with benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) containing Bushnell Haas minimal broth. Among them, B. velezensis (PMC10) significantly reduced the abundance of BaP in the broth. PMC10 completely degraded BaP presented at a lower concentration in broth culture. B. velezensis also showed a clear zone of degradation on a BaP-coated Bushnell Haas agar plate. Gene expression profiling showed significant increases of PAH ring-hydroxylating dioxygenases and 4-hydroxybenzoate 3-monooxygenase genes in B. velezensis in response to BaP treatment. In addtion, both live and heat-killed B. velezensis removed BaP and naphthalene (Nap) from phosphate buffer solution. Live B. velezensis did not show any cytotoxicity to macrophage or human dermal fibroblast cells. Live-cell and cell-free supernatant of B. velezensis showed potential anti-inflammatory effects. Cell-free supernatant and extract of B. velezensis also showed free radical scavenging effects. These results highlight the prospective ability of B. velezensis to biodegrade and remove toxic PAHs from the human body and suggest that the biodegradation of BaP might be regulated by ring-hydroxylating dioxygenase-initiated metabolic pathway.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.159-159
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• 2003

Comet assay is a potential monitoring tool because DNA strand breakage may be produced by a wide range of agents. The comet assay, also called the single-cell gell electrophoresis (SCGE) assay, is rapid and sensitive method for the detection of DNA damage in cells. This study was performed for the identification of DNA damage in the cells from flounders and clams exposed to PAHs. As a control experiments, flounder and clam cells were exposed to $H_2O$$_2$. The cells exposed to $H_2O$$_2$ were displayed a typical nuclei movement DNA damage of cells were significantly increased when the isolated cells from the blood of flounders and the tissue of clams were in vitro exposed to the different concentrations (5, 10, 50, 100 ppb) of five kinds of PAHs (benzo[a]pyrene, pyrene, fluoranthene, anthrancene, and phenanthrene). For the in vivo test, flounders and clams were exposed to the different concentrations of BaP for 4 days. The results showed that DNA strand breakage was effected by the concentration of BaP and the duration of exposure. In high concentration of BaP, the mean tail lengths of nuclei was longer than it In low concentration, while the mean size of head DNA decreased. In this research, both in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity of PAHs could be biomonitored by the comet assay. Especially, clams and flounders seem to be useful as materials for monitoring genotoxic damage by comet assay.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2004

This study was executed to determine the cumulative dietary risk of PAHs exposed by food ingestion. Food samples including barbecued beef, barbecued pork, grilled chicken, ham, bacon and vegetable oil which were collected from food markets. These samples were saponified, extracted and cleaned up to purify PAHs, and then the purified sample solutions were analyzed by HPLC-FL. Generally, the levels of total PAHs in barbecued beef (0.2 ppb), bacon (0.3 ppb), barbecued pork (0.7 ppb), ham (0.8 ppb), and vegetable oil (1.2 ppb) were low, whereas the level of total PAHs in grilled chicken (9.3 ppb) was significantly high. For the exposure assessment of PAHs due to food ingestion, PAHs levels converted into TEQ$_{BaP}$, the average body weight for 20-73 age group and consumed levels of food proposed from report on the National Health and Nutrition Survey were used. The estimated lifetime average daily intake of dietary PAHs was 4.32${\times}$10$^{-4}$ $\mu\textrm{g}$-TEQ$_{BaP}$kg/day as the mean value. The dietary risk adjusted to cancer potency of benzo(a)pyrene as 7.3 (mg/kg/day)$^{-1}$ was 3.44${\times}$10$^{-6}$ based on current data.ata.

• Environmental Mutagens and Carcinogens
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.89-94
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• 2001

Recently, single cell gel electrophoresis, also known as comet assay, is widely used for the detection and measurement of DNA strand breaks in vitro and in vivo in many toxicological fields such as radiation exposure, human monitoring and toxicity evaluation. As well defined, comet assay is a sensitive, rapid and visual method for the detection of DNA strand breaks in individual cells. Briefly, a small number of damaged cells suspended in a thin agarose gel on a microscope slide were lysed, unwinded, electrophoresed, and stained with a fluorescent DNA binding dye. The electric current pulled the charged DNA from the nucleus such that relaxed and broken DNA fragments migrated further. The resulting images which were subsequently named for their appearance as comets, were measured to determine the extent of DNA damages. However, some variations could be occurred in procedures, laboratories's conditions and kind of cells used. Hence, to overcome and to harmonize these matters in comet assay, International Workshop on Genotoxicity Test Procedure (IWGTP) was held with several topics including comet assay at Washington D.C. on March, 1999. In spite of some consensus in procedures and conditions in IWGTP, there are some problems still remained to be solved. In this respect, we attempted to set the practical optimal conditions in the experimental procedures such as lysis, unwinding, electrophoresis and neutralization conditions and so on. First of all, we determined optimal lysis and unwinding time by using 150 $\mu$M methyl methanesulfonate (MMS) which is usually used concentration. And then, we determined optimal positive control concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) and MMS in the presence and absence of S9 metabolic activation system, respectively.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.187-195
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• 2010

To assess health risk for the intake among residents after the Hebei Spirit oil spill, 16 Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in seafood samples from oil contaminated bay were determined by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MSD) and samples were personally collected and purchased by residents. Samples were hydrolyzed with KOH and extracted with methylene chloride. The extracted solution were cleaned up using silica/florisil column and 16 PAHs were eluted by methylene chloride : n-hexane (1:9) mixture and determined by GC-MSD in Selected Ion Monitoring (SIM) mode. The mean recoveries for 16 PAHs ranged from 79% to 85%. The 16 PAHs levels in 126 samples ranged from 0.17 to $6.04\;{\mu}g$/kg and the TEQBaP (Toxic EQuivalents) levels in 126 samples were calculated using benzo(a)pyrene toxic equivalency factor for individual 16 PAHs and ranged from 0 to $0.91\;{\mu}gTEQ$/kg. The average Benzo(a)pyrene dietary exposure of residents was $5.5{\times}10^{-8}\;mg/kg$ bw/day and the average PAHs chronic dietary exposure was $1.3{\times}10^{-5}\;mg$ TEQ/kg bw/day. The margin of exposure (MOE) and the excess cancer risk and were $1.8{\times}10^6$ and $9.8{\times}10^{-8}$, respectively. Therefore, the assessment result was considered as low concern for health risk.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.151-158
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• 1996

Antimutagenic effect of Doenjang (Korean soy paste) on various carcinogens in Salmonella typhimurium strains of TA98 and TA100 were studied. By the addition of methanol extract of Doenjang to aflatoxin B₁(AFB₁)in the experimental system, the mutagenicity of AFB₁ on the strains of TA98 and TA100 was com-pletely inhibited. The methenol extract of the Doenjang also inhibited the mutagencities induced by direct mutagens such as N-methy1-N'-nitro-N-nitroguanidine(MNNG)and 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide(4-NQO), and another indirect mutagens of benzo(a) pyrene(BaP) and dimethylnitrosamine(DMN). From the solvents and thin layer chromatographic(TLC) fractionations, free fatty acid(s), especially linoleic acid in Doenjang seemed to be one of the active antimutagenic compounds.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.339-348
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• 2003

Determination of some PAHs in used engine oils have been carried out by extraction of the components into acetonitrile followed by GC/FID and synchronous spectrofluorimetric technique. 7 PAHs, such as acenaphthene (Ace), anthracene (Anth), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), chrysene (Chry), phenanthrene (Phen), fluoranthene (Ft), and perlyrene (Per) in used engine oil sample were able to determine separately by synchronous spectrofluorimetry. Calibration curves for those components were linear for the concentration range of 0.4~166 ppb PAHs with the corelation factor of 0.9985~0.9999. The peak areas produced by GC/FID split ratio program were used for the calibration curves of the other 8 PAHs. Detection sensitivity of the synchronous spectrofluorimetry seems to be 100 times more sensitive than GC/FID method. The total amount of PAHs in the used engine oil were 5.5 ng/g for LNG (bus), 10.5 ng/g for LPG(taxi), 92.2 ng/g for gasoline-passenger car, and 130 ng/g for diesel trailer, respectively.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.296-303
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• 2008

This study was performed to establish an analytical method of PAHs in oil contaminated soil of these methods by evaluating the PAHs test methods from US EPA and ISO etc. The application to domestic contaminated soil leads to a conclusion that alumina column is a more effective clean-up procedure for oil contaminated soil rather than the others. It is proposed with the new analytical method of 12 PAHs except for more volatile compounds (naphthalene, acenaphthylene, acenaphthene, fluorene). The recovery of PAHs in this method ranged 67~107%. The oil contaminated soil samples were analyzed using GC/MSD. The concentration of PAHs ranged $78.68{\sim}275.57{\mu}g/kg$. The predominated compounds were fluoranthene, pyrene and chrysene attributing about 70% of total concentration. The level of Benzo[a]pyrene ranged $1.76{\sim}24.65{\mu}g/kg$.