• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.63-74
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• 2019

This study carried out a human risk assessment of Cu, Pb, Zn and Ni contained in soil contaminated by improperly buried heavy metal wastes in railway sites. The purpose of the human risk assessment is to derive the need for soil remediation and factors that should be considered during soil remediation. Risk assessment was performed in accordance with the Environment Ministry's Risk Assessment Guidelines. The results of the human risk assessment of contaminated heavy metal soil contaminated by improperly buried waste in the railway site were presented after the process of determining exposure concentration, calculating exposure, and determining carcinogenic hazards. The heavy metal content of soil is 621.3 Cu mg/kg, 2,824.5 Pb mg/kg, 1,559.1 Zn mg/kg and 45 Ni mg/kg, which is the exposure concentration of the target contaminant. The results of human exposure according to exposure pathways were high in the order of soil outdoor dust >soil ingestion >soil contact, and Pb >Zn >Cu >Ni were higher in order of contaminant. The carcinogenic and noncarcinogenic risks of soil contaminated with heavy metal waste were higher than the allowable carcinogenic risks (TCR> $10^{-6}$) and the risk index (Hi < 1.0) suggested by USEPA. Therefore, the site needs to be remediated.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1994.02a
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• pp.412-415
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• 1994

The fundamental assumption that thresholds exist for noncarcinogenic toxic effects of chemicals is reviewed; this assumption forms the basis for the no-observed-effect level/ safety-factor (NOEL/SF) approach to risk assessment for such effects. The origin and evolution of the NOEL/SF approach are traced, and its limitations are discussed. The recently proposed use of dose-response modeling to estimate a benchmark dose as a replacement for the NOEL is explained. The possibility of expanding dose-response modeling of non carcinogenic effects to include the estimation of assumed thresholds is discussed. A new method for conversion of quantitative toxic responses to a probability scale for risk assessment via dose-response modeling is outlined.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.66-75
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• 2024

Heavy metals are naturally found in the ecosystem, and their presence in the freshwater river is increasing through anthropogenic activities which pose a threat to living beings. In this study, heavy metal concentrations (Zn, Mn, Cu, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, and Ni) in different organs (muscle, skin, and gill) of fish from the Padma River were evaluated to quantify, and compare the contamination levels and related human health risks. The results revealed that the heavy metal concentrations in the water, surface sediments, and fish taken from the Padma River were far below the WHO/USEPA's permitted limits. The estimated daily intake (EDI) value in muscle was less than the tolerable daily intake (TDI). The target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard indexes (HI) were less than 1, showing that consumers face no non-carcinogenic risk (CR). CR values of Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni ranged from 4.00 × 10^-8 to 6.35 × 10^-6, less than 10^-4, and total carcinogenic risk (CRt) values ranged from 9.85 × 10^-6 to 1.10 × 10^-5, indicating some pose a CR from consumption of those fish from the Padma River. To establish a more accurate risk assessment, numerous exposure routes, including inhalation and cutaneous exposure, should be explored.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.271-276
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• 2000

The research centers on the health risk assessment of airborne toxic metals in Taejon third and fourth industrial complexes. Total suspended particulates were collected on glass microfibre filters by high volume air samplers. Fifteen toxic metals including 6 carcinogenic metals were analyzed by ICP-MS and ICP-AES after the pre-treatment of mixed acid extraction. The following results were summarized from the research : 1) the concentrations of TSPs were $17.7{\sim}219.6{\mu}g/m^3$ while the arithmetic mean concentration was $101.7{\mu}g/m^3$; 2) the arithmetic mean concentrations of human carcinogens such as arsenic, hexavalent chromium and nickel subsulfide were 10.22, 6.96 and 6.42 $ng/m^3$, respectively while those of probable human carcinogens such as beryllium, cadmium and lead were 0.13, 3.41, 97.65 $ng/m^3$, respectively; 3) the point risk estimate for the inhalation of carcinogenic metals was $1.5{\times}10^{-4}$, which was much higher than a risk standard of $10^{-5}$; 4) approximately 93% of the cancer risk were to the inhalation of human carcinogens, arsenic and hexavalent chromium, which should be properly managed in Taejon third and fourth industrial complexes.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.141-147
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• 2004

Sixteen polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were analyzed in seventy marine organisms (40 species) from the Korean coast. PAHs were present in all the organisms. The level of total PAHs in the organisms varied from 0.45 to 224 ng/g dry weight and the carcinogenic PAHs varied from 0.05 to 49.8 ng/g dry weight. The PAHs residues according to the marine organisms showed a highest content in bivalve species, and followed by crustaceans, cephalopods, fish and gastropods. Human dietary intake of total PAHs through marine organism in Korea was estimated to be 4.12 ng/kg body weight/day and 0.67 ng/kg body weight/day for carcinogenic PAHs. The relative contributions of individual species to the total dietary intake of PAHs were in the order of bivalves $(53.4{\%})$, fish $(21.9{\%})$, crustaceans $(15.3{\%})$, cephalopods $(8.8{\%})$ and gastropods $(0.6{\%})$. Daily dietary intake of $PAH_{TEQ}$ expressed as a TEQ value was estimated to be 0.13 pg TEQ/kg body weight/day, which did not exceed a tolerable daily intake (TDI) proposed by the KFDA and the WHO as well as the UK toxicity committee. Lifetime cancer risk due to ingestion of marine species by the Korean adult was evaluated using the equation estimating exposure of food ingestion. Although approximately $23{\%}$ of cumulative frequency of the sampled marine species exceeded the cancer risk guideline, lifetime cancer risk associated with marine organism consumption was negligible. Results indicate that dietary intake of PAHs through the consumption of the Korean marine organisms seems to be safe for human ingestion with negligible cancer risk.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.103-108
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• 1999

This study focused on risk assessment for inhalation of airborne volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Ulsan industrial complex area. For non-carcinogenic risk, even the highest hazard index of toluene was estimated to be $4.8\times10^{-2}$, which was much lower than 1. The total hazard index of VOCs was estimated to be $5.8\times10^{-2}$. However, lifetime average cancer risk from the inhalation of airborne VOCs was estimated to be about $1.1\times10^{-3}/$, which was much higher than a risk standard of $10^{-5}$. The risk of $4.4\times10^{-5}$. came from benzene, the only human carcinogen among VOCs, while that of $1.05\times10^{-3}$ from probable human carcinogens including 1,3-butadiene and 1,2-dichloroethane. About 70% and 20% of total VOC cancer risk was due to the inhalation of 1,3-butadiene and 1,2-dichloroethane, respectively. Therefore, proper risk management of these 3 VOCs was required for the protection of health from cancer burden in Ulsan industrial complex area.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.10 no.1_2
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• pp.37-46
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• 1995

The purpose of this research is to estimate a safe environmental level of human exposure to thresholding-acting toxicants in drinking water and recommend the acceptable levels and management plans for maintaining good quality of drinking water' and protecting health hazard. This research has been funded as a national project for three years from 1992 to 1995. This study(the second year, 1993-1994) was conducted to monitor 39 species of noncarcinogenic chemicals such as volatile organic compounds(VOCs), polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbens(PAHs), pesticides and heavy metals of drinking water at some area in six cities of Korea, and evaluate health risk due to these chemicals through four main steps (hazard identification, exposure assessment, dose-response assessment and risk characterization) of risk assessment in drinking water. In hazard identification, 39 species of non-carcinogenic chemicals were identified by the US EPA classification system. In the step of exposure assessment, sampling of tap water from the public water supply system had been conducted from 1993 to 1994, and 39 chemicals were analyzed. Inclose-response assessment for non-carcinogens, reference doses(RfD) and lifetime health advisories(HAs) of lifetime acceptable levels were calculated. In risk characterization of detected chemicals, the hazard quotients of noncarcinogens were less than one except those of manganese and iron in D city.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.271-275
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• 1996

Carcinogenic potential of HPV-16 DNA and NNK in a human keratinocyte cell line was assessed to study effects of viral-chemical interaction. Human cells were transfected with HPV-16 DNA and 6 clonal cell lines were subsequently obtained. Clonal line-3 and 6 at passage 7 showed characteristics of tumor cells such as increases of saturation density, soft-agar colony formation, cell aggregation and foci appearance. Among cells treated with 1$\mu M$, 10$\mu M$, 100$\mu M$ or 1 mM of NNK for 4 weeks, 100$\mu M$ treatment showed most tumorigenic characteristics at passage 7. These results indicate that either HPV-16 or NNK alone is tumorigenic in this in human in vitro model. When cells transfected with HPV-16 were subsequently exposed by 100 uM NNK for 4 weeks, all the clonal cells except clone-1 showed higher levels of tumor cell characteristics than HPV-16 DNA or NNK exposure alone. Clonal line-6, the most tumorigenic cells, showed higher transcriptional level of fibronectin and lower level of TGF-$\beta_1$, as compared to control cells, suggesting that alteration of growth factor or extracellular matrix may play a role in carcinogenesis process induced by HPV-16 and NNK. Taken together, the present study indicates that viral-chemical interactions between HPV-16 DNA and NNK enhance carcinogenic potentials of human cells and implies that smoking among people infected with human papillomavirus may pose an additional risk of causing cancer.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.17
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• pp.219-225
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• 2001

The basic structure for assessment of potential health risks from environmental chemicals is widely agreed upon, but many of the details of risk assessment procedures differ among practitioners. Government regulatory agencies typically have guidelines or standard procedures for their risk assessments, established to ensure consistency and comparability, to set standards for adequacy, and to embody underlying tenets. In setting and updating such guidelines, each agency takes into account not only the prevailing thinking about appropriate procedures, but also its own goals and responsibilities and the precedents it has set for itself in past analyses. This results in variations in methods, and consequently in characterization of risks, among regulatory assessments, even when they are based on the same data. As a result, adopting existing assessments from a variety of regulatory bodies needs to be done with caution. This paper examines some of the variants in risk assessment approaches among American federal regulatory agencies and relates them to the variations in regulatory responsibilities of those groups. Comparisons to international practices are also drawn. The impact on development of world-wide risk standards is discussed.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.30 no.sup
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• pp.5.1-5.5
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• 2015

Objectives To protect public health from risk, the Minister of Environment in Korea legislated an act concerning the registration and evaluation of chemical substances. In this study, we estimated the value of a statistical life (VSL) of carcinogenic chemicals to evaluate the socioeconomic analysis in Korea. Methods The estimation of the health benefit can be calculated through an individual's VSL and willingness to pay (WTP). To estimate the VSL and WTP, we used a contingent valuation method through a web-based survey. Results The survey is conducted with 1434 people living in Seoul and six large cities. An analysis of the survey is essential to review the distribution of the characteristics of the target population. The statistically significant variables affecting the WTP are location, age, household income, quality of life. Through the review of data, we secured statistical validity. The WTP was estimated as 41205 Korean won (KRW)/person, and the estimated VSL appeared as 796 million KRW/person. Conclusions There is a case in which the amount of statistical life value is estimated in connection with domestic environmental policy, fine dust, etc. However, there are no cases of evaluation for chemical. The utilization of this result is possible for conducting other study with chemicals.