• Title/Summary/Keyword: Environmental hazards

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Scenario-based Flood Disaster Simulation of the Rim Collapse of the Cheon-ji Caldera Lake, Mt. Baekdusan (시나리오에 따른 백두산 천지의 외륜산 붕괴에 의한 홍수재해 모의)

  • Lee, Khil-Ha;Kim, Sang-Hyun;Choi, Eun-Kyeong;Kim, Sung-Wook
    • The Journal of Engineering Geology
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    • v.24 no.4
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    • pp.501-510
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    • 2014
  • Volcanic eruptions alone may lead to serious natural disasters, but the associated release of water from a caldera lake may be equally damaging. There is both historical and geological evidence of the past eruptions of Mt. Baekdusan, and the volcano, which has not erupted for over 100 years, has recently shown signs of reawakening. Action is required if we are to limit the social, political, cultural, and economic damage of any future eruption. This study aims to identify the area that would be inundated following a volcanic flood from the Cheon-Ji caldera lake that lies within Mt. Baekdusan. A scenario-based numerical analysis was performed to generate a flood hydrograph, and the parameters required were selected following a consideration of historical records from other volcanoes. The amount of water at the outer rim as a function of time was used as an upper boundary condition for the downstream routing process for a period of 10 days. Data from the USGS were used to generate a DEM with a resolution of 100 m, and remotely sensed satellite data from the moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) were used to show land cover and use. The simulation was generated using the software FLO-2D and was superposed on the remotely sensed map. The results show that the inundation area would cover about 80% of the urban area near Erdaobaihezhen assuming a 10 m/hr collapse rate, and 98% of the area would be flooded assuming a 100 m/hr collapse rate.

Welding Fume and Metals Exposure Assessment among Construction Welders (건설현장 용접직종별 용접흄 및 금속류 노출 실태)

  • Park, Hyunhee;Park, Hae Dong;Jang, Jae-kil
    • Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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    • v.26 no.2
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    • pp.147-158
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    • 2016
  • Objectives: The objective of this study was to evaluate the assessment of exposure to welding fume and heavy metals among construction welders. Methods: Activity-specific personal air samplings(n=206) were carried out at construction sites of three apartment, two office buildings, and two plant buildings using PVC(poly vinyl chloride) filters with personal air samplers. The concentration of fumes and heavy metals were evaluated for five different types of construction welding jobs: general building pipefitter, chemical plant pipefitter, boiler maker, ironworker, metal finishing welder. Results: The concentration of welding fumes was highest among general building pipefitters($4.753mg/m^3$) followed by ironworkers($3.765mg/m^3$), boilermakers($1.384mg/m^3$), metal finishing welders($0.783mg/m^3$), chemical pipefitters($0.710mg/m^3$). Among the different types of welding methods, the concentration of welding fumes was highest with the $CO_2$ welding method($2.08mg/m^3$) followed by SMAW(shield metal arc welding, $1.54mg/m^3$) and TIG(tungsten inert gas, $0.70mg/m^3$). Among the different types of workplace, the concentration of welding fumes was highest in underground workplaces($1.97mg/m^3$) followed by outdoor($0.93mg/m^3$) and indoor(wall opening as $0.87mg/m^3$). Specifically comparing the workplaces of general building welders, the concentration of welding fumes was highest in underground workplaces($7.75mg/m^3$) followed by indoor(wall opening as $2.15mg/m^3$). Conclusions: It was found that construction welders experience a risk of expose to welding hazards at a level exceeding the exposure limits. In particular, for high-risk welding jobs such as general building pipefitters and ironworkers, underground welding work and $CO_2$ welding operations require special occupational health management regarding the use of air supply and exhaust equipment and special safety and health education and fume mask are necessary. In addition, there is a need to establish construction work monitoring systems, health planning and management practices.

Exploitation of the Dose/Time-Response Relationship for a New Measure of DNA Repari in the Single-Cell Gel Electrophoresis (Comet) Assay

  • Kim, Byung-Soo;Edler, Lutz;Park, Jin-Joo;Fournier, Dietrich Von;Haase, Wulf;Sautter-Bihl, Mare-Luise;Hagmuller, Egbert;Gotzes, Florian;Thielmann, Heinz Walter
    • Toxicological Research
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    • v.20 no.2
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    • pp.89-100
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    • 2004
  • The comet assay (also called the single-cell gel electrophoresis assay) has been widely used for detecting DNA damage and repair in individual cells. Since the conventional methods of evaluating comet assay data using frequency statistics are unsatisfactory we developed a new quantitative measure of DNA damage/repair that is based on all information residing in the dose/time-response curves of a comet experiment. Blood samples were taken from 25 breast cancer patients before undergoing radiotherapy. The comet assay was performed under alkaline conditions using isolated lymphocytes. Tail DNA, tail length, tail moment and tail inertia of the comet were measured for each patient at four doses of $\gamma$-rays (0, 2, 4 and 8 Gy) and at four time points after irradiation (0, 10, 20 and 30 min) using 100 cells each. The resulting three-dimensional dose-time response surface was modeled by multiple regression, and the second derivative, termed 2D, on dose and time was determined. A software module was programmed in SAS/AF to compute 2D values. We applied the new method successfully to data obtained from cancer patients to be assessed for their radiation sensitivity. We computed the 2D values for the four damage measures, i.e., tail moment, tail length, tail DNA and tail inertia, and examined the pairwise correlation coefficients of 2D both on the log scale and the unlogged scale. 2D values based on tail moment and tail DNA showed a high correlation and, therefore, these two damage measures can be used interchangeably as far as DNA repair is concerned. 2D values based on tail inertia have a correlation profile different from the other 2D values which may reflect different facets of DNA damage/repair. Using the dose-time response surface, other statistical models, e.g., the proportional hazards model, become applicable for data analysis. The 2D approach can be applied to all DNA repair measures, Le., tail moment, tail length, tail DNA and tail inertia, and appears to be superior to conventional evaluation methods as it integrates all data of the dose/time-response curves of a comet assay.

Harmfulness of Particulate Matter in Disease Progression (미세먼지의 질병에 미치는 유해성)

  • Choi, Jong Kyu;Choi, In Soon;Cho, Kwang Keun;Lee, Seung Ho
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.30 no.2
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    • pp.191-201
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    • 2020
  • As society develops rapidly, environmental pollution is becoming a greater risk factor threatening human health. One of the major causes of air pollution that affects human health is particulate matter (PM), which contains a heterogeneous mixture of different particle sizes and chemical compositions. PM is classified by size into general PM (PM10; diameter below 10 ㎛) and fine PM (PM2.5; diameter below 2.5 ㎛). PM2.5 can pass through the respiratory tract into the circulatory system and thence throughout the body. PM2.5 is known to stimulate oxidative stress and inflammatory responses to cells, promoting diseases such as asthma, chronic respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, and immunological disorders. Although detailed molecular mechanisms for how PM stimulates disease progression still need to be elucidated, together with national efforts to reduce PM production, significant research has been conducted that demonstrates the harmfulness of PM in disease progression through in vitro and in vivo experiments. This review focuses on the harmfulness of PM in disease progression; we also introduce a biological verification method for determining the hazards of PM.

An Ergonomic Analysis for Heavy Manual Material Handling Jobs by Fire Fighters (소방대원의 중량물작업에 대한 인간공학적 분석)

  • Im, Su-Jung;Park, Jong-Tae;Choi, Seo-Yeon;Park, Dong-Hyun
    • Fire Science and Engineering
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    • v.27 no.3
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    • pp.85-93
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    • 2013
  • Modern fire fighting jobs have been expanded to include areas of rescue, emergency medical service as well as conventional fire suppression, so that load for fire fighting jobs has been increased. Specifically, musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) such as low back injury have been considered as one of major industrial hazards in heavy manual material handling during fire fighting jobs. This study tried to evaluate risk levels and to prepare background for reducing risk levels associated with heavy manual material handling during fire fighting jobs. This study applied two major tools in evaluating heavy manual material handling jobs which were NLE (NIOSH Lifting Equation) and 3DSSPP (3D Static Strength Prediction Program). A risk index in terms of heavy manual material handling during fire fighting jobs was identified. This index consisted of seven risk levels ranged from nine points (the first level) to three points (the seventh level). There was no job associated with the first level (the highest risk level) of index. There was only one job (life saving job) belonging to the second level (the second highest risk level) of index. The third level had jobs such as usage of destruction equipment and lifting patient. A total of basic eighteen jobs was categorized into six different levels (2nd-7th levels) of index. The outcome of the study could provide a good basis for conducting job intervention, preparing good equipment and developing good education program in order to prevent and reduce MSDs including low back injury of fire fighting jobs.

Landslide Characteristics induced by Heavy Rainfall in Samcheok Area (집중호우시 발생된 삼척지역의 산사태 특성)

  • Song Young-Suk;Jang Yoon-Ho;Kim Jin-Seok
    • The Journal of Engineering Geology
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    • v.15 no.4 s.42
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    • pp.435-445
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    • 2005
  • Landslides induced by heavy rainfall from typhoon 'Rusa' in 2002 and typhoon 'Meami' in 2003 were investigated at Samcheok area, and the relationship between landslides and rainfall on that area was analyzed. The average annual rainfall at Samcheok area is generally $1,200mm\~1,300mm$. However, the average annual rainfall at samcheok for 2003 and ton was increased more than 2,000mm because of typhoon 'Rusa' and typhoon 'Meami'. The number of landslides and the landslides area are largely occurred in a area of the relatively high maximum hourly rainfall and 2days cumulative rainfall. Therefore, it confirmed that landslides are directly depended on the hourly rainfall and the cumulative rainfall. The landslides at Samcheok area induced by heavy rainfall due to typhoon are more influenced by the maximum hourly rainfall at the landslide occurrence day. In order to predict a rational landslide size, a new method included the maximum hourly rainfall and the landslide area in a traditional way was proposed. As the result of applying the new proposed method, the landslide size at Samcheok area is involved in the large scale landslide.

Soil Characteristics according to the Geological Condition of Natural Slopes in Busan Area (부산지역 자연사면의 지질조건에 따른 토질특성)

  • Kim, Kyeong-Su
    • The Journal of Engineering Geology
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    • v.17 no.3
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    • pp.471-481
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    • 2007
  • The Landslide in natural slope is occurred mostly by a heavy rain of the summer. This landslide is influenced in soil property of the surface than the rock mass. Soils in natural slope are created by weathering phenomena of the bedrock. These soils differed to the geological conditions such as sedimentary rock, metamorphic rock and volcanic rock. Therefore, estimation of landslide in natural slope is the most important analysis of the bedrock distributions and soil characteristics. This study analyzed the soil property to the natural slopes of Busan area where is distributed to volcanic rock, granite and sedimentary rock. Soil sample conducted various soil tests for estimate the soil physical property and soil engineering characteristics, and analysis of the correlation of geological conditions. In the experiment result, soils were mainly classified by a clayey sand. It is also established that $1.07{\sim}1.99kg/cm^3$ for wet density, $28.2{\sim}39.6^{\circ}$ for angle of shearing resistance, and $8.10{\times}10^{-5}{\sim}8.38{\times}10^{-2}cm/sec$ for coefficient of permeability. From the physical parameter, the soils are estimated to the permeable ground with good shear strength, and soil properties are showed a differential tendency for each geological condition.

Shear-Rate Dependent Ring-Shear Characteristics of the Waste Materials of the Imgi Mine in Busan (부산 임기광산 광미의 전단속도에 따른 링 전단특성 연구)

  • Jeong, Sueng-Won;Ji, Sang-Woo;Yim, Gil-Jae
    • Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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    • v.30 no.7
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    • pp.5-15
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    • 2014
  • Abandoned mine deposits are exposed to various physico-chemical geo-environmental hazards and disasters, such as acid mine drainage, water contamination, erosion, and landslides. This paper presents the ring shear characteristics of waste materials. The ring shear box with a rotatable O-ring was used in this study. Three tests were performed: (i) Shear stress-time relationship for given normal stress and shear speed, (ii) shear stress as a function of shear speed, and (iii) shear stress as a function of normal stress. For a given normal stress (50 kPa) and speed (0.1 mm/sec), the materials tested exhibit a strain softening behavior, regardless of drainage condition. The peak and residual shear stresses were determined for each normal stress and shear speed. The shear stress was measured when shear speed is equal to 0.01, 0.1, 1, 10, 50, 100 mm/sec or when normal stress is equal to 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 150 kPa. From the test results, we found that the shear stress increases with increasing shear speed. The shear stress also increases with increasing normal stress. However, different types of shearing mode were observed in drained and undrained conditions. Under drained condition, particle crushing was observed from the shearing zone to the bottom of lower ring. Under undrained condition, particle crushing was observed only at the shearing zone, which has approximately 1 cm thick. It means that a significant high shear speed under undrained condition can result in increased landslide hazard.

Feed System Modeling of Railroad using Fuel Cell Power Generation System (연료전지 발전시스템을 이용한 철도급전계통 모델링)

  • Yoon, Yongho
    • The Journal of the Institute of Internet, Broadcasting and Communication
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    • v.20 no.4
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    • pp.195-200
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    • 2020
  • With the growing interest in fossil fuel depletion and environmental pollution, railroad cars operating in Korea are in progress as the conversion from diesel to electric vehicles expands. The photovoltaic system, which is applied as an example of the conversion of electric vehicles, is infinite and pollution-free, and can produce energy without generating hazards such as air pollution, noise, heat, and vibration, and maintain fuel transportation and power generation facilities. There is an advantage that is rarely needed. However, the amount of electricity produced depends on the amount of solar radiation by region, and the energy density is low due to the power generation of about 25㎡/ kWp, so a large installation area is required and the installation place has limited problems. In view of these problems, many studies have been applied to fuel cells in the railway field. In particular, the plan to link the fuel cell power generation system railroad power supply system must be linked to the power supply system that supplies power to the railroad, unlike solar and wind power. Therefore, it has a close relationship with railroad cars and the linkage method can vary greatly depending on the system topology. Therefore, in this paper, we study the validity through simulation modeling related to linkage analysis according to system topology.

Preliminary Study on the Paleoenvironment Reconstruction using a Bivalve from Sangmori Shell Mound (상모리패총에서 산출되는 이매패류 패각을 이용한 고환경 복원 예비연구)

  • Kim, Jeong-Suk;Woo, Kyung-Sik;Hong, Wan;Kang, Chang-Hwa
    • The Korean Journal of Quaternary Research
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    • v.24 no.2
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    • pp.35-48
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    • 2010
  • The purpose of this study is to investigate paleoenvironmental conditions of the shallow sea around Jeju Island during the Late Holocene using geochemical contents of the bivalve (Glycymeris albolineata) collected from the Sangmori Shell Mound. The bivalve shell used shows the archaeological age of 2,300 yr BP. Stable carbon and oxygen isotope compositions show that growth rates decreased with aging. Coeval trends of both isotope compositions can be observed: heavier values during winters and lighter values summers except for their young and old growth stages. The seasonality of bivalve shell appear to reflect seasonal variations of paleotemperature as well as paleosalinity. Especially China Coastal Water with low salinity was transported into the southern Jeju Strait from Changjiang River during summer periods. Heavier carbon isotope values during winter indicate higher productivity, and this is supported by high density of phytoplanktons and higher chlorophyll contents during winter time. For accurate interpretation, monitoring of present-day conditions of shallow marine water as well as additional geochemical analysis of the same Recent bivalve may be necessary.

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