• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.471-482
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• 2008

This study was carried out to investigate the contamination characteristics of surface water, soil water and groundwater around and in antimony waste landfill site in Wonsung-ri, Yeonki-kun, Chungnam. The waste disposed in the study was excavated and transported to the other site in several years ago. For this study, we collected 35 water samples including groundwater, soil water and surface in the study site and also collected 2 groundwater samples from a comparison site. The data of chemical analysis of soil water samples show the antimony concentration of $48.75{\sim}74.81\;ppb$, which is much higher than groundwater in a comparison site and is highly excess than regulation level for a drinking water of some advanced countries. A relatively high antimony concentration was detected in three stream water samples nearby landfill site and two groundwater samples. Fe and Mn contents in soil water and stream water were measured as maxium 6.5 mg/L and 7.3 mg/L, respectively. Although other heavy metals of water samples in the study site are higher concentration than water sample of comparison site, their absolute levels are lower than regulation level for a drinking water. The chemical data of water samples are plotted widely from Ca - $HCO_3$ type to Ca - ($Cl +SO_4+NO_3$) type. Some groundwater show high contents of potassium and nitrate, which would come from fertilizer and sewage. Conclusively, some heavy metals including antimony have been still remained under the soil surface of the landfill site in the past. These metals have leaked out into nearby stream and groundwater system, and threaten the ecology, crops and the health of residents in this site. Therefore, the government have to prepare the strategy to prevent the diffusion of heavy metals into aquatic environment and have to process the reclamation work for contaminated site. It is also necessary to make a regulation level of the antimony concentration for a drinking water and soil environment in Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.22 no.3 s.27
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• pp.368-379
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• 1989

The relationship between mercury level of hair and mental retardation was investigated. The 297 subjects with mental retardation were drawn from two schools providing special educational services, one, consisted of children living in an orphan home, another, children with parents. The 117 centre] subjects were drawn from whom had got average or above average academic achivement in a regular elementary school. Hair sample were taken from the nape of the neck and the mercury analysis was carried out on an atomic absorption spectrophotometer(IL 551). There was no relationship between mercury contents and age, and there was a statistically significant difference in mercury contents between male and female in the mentally retarded children living with parents. Children in the retarded group had significantly higher mercury contents compared with control group except the female group with parents. Also, the mercury levels in the retarded group living in an orphan home were significantly higher than that of the retarded group with parents. The concomitant diseases were Down's syndrome, epilepsy, cerebral palsy and autism. There were statistically significant differences in hair mercury levels in the cases of accompanying Down's syndrome and cerebral palsy in male and Down's syndrome and autism in female compared with the control group of the same sex. The most accompanying handicap was speech disturbance(40.7%) and the others were crippled, emotional disturbance etc. The percentages of double handicap were 66.7% among 6 persons exceeding 6ppm of their hair mercury contents. 10.4% among $3{\sim}6$ ppm and 15.7% among the group of 3ppm or less. The findings of this study suggest that the more opportunities of exposure to mercury in mentally retarded children may have occurred, so it can not be excluded the possibility of mercury as a contributing factor to mental retardation. Therefore, the causal relationship between mercury levels and mental retardation should be established through the examinations about their living environments, dietary pattern, eating habit etc.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.141-153
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• 2012

Samples collected from six tomato farms(A, B, C : soil culture, D, E, F : Nutriculture) located in Gyeongsangnam-do were tested for the analyses of biological(sanitary indications, major foodborne pathogens, fungi), chemical(heavy metals, pesticides) and physical hazards. The highest levels of total bacteria(7.5 log CFU/g) and coliforms(5.0 log CFU/g) in soil culture farms were higher than those of nutriculture farms(total bacteria: 2.5 log CFU/mL, coliforms: 0.6 log CFU/mL). In crops and personal hygiene soil culture farms showed a slightly higher contamination levels. From all farms, the levels of fungi in soil farms were higher than those of nutrient solution. In case of major pathogens, Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus were detected in all sample with the exception of nutrient solution. Meantime, Escherichia coli, Listeria monocytogenes, E.coli O157 and Salmonella spp. were not detected. For airborne bacteria, soilculture farms showed less contamination than nutriculture farms. A piece of glass and can was confirmed asphysical hazards. Heavy metal(Cd, Pb, Cu, Cr, Hg, Zn, Ni and As) and pesticide residues as chemical hazards were detected, but their levels were lower than the regulation limit. These results demonstrate that potential hazards on harvesting stage of tomato fam were exposed. Therefore, proper management is needed to prevent biological hazards due to cross-contamination, while physical and chemical hazards were in appropriate levels based on GAP criteria.

• Journal of agriculture & life science
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• v.44 no.6
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• pp.121-132
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• 2010

Soybean farms in Changnyeong were selected for hazard analysis to establish the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) model of soybean, and physical, chemical(heavy metal) and biological(sanitary indications, foodborne pathogens) hazard analysis for cultivation environment (soil, water) was carried out. First, bow which is able to be mixed in soil and water was confirmed as physical hazard. Levels (Cd:0.01~0.103, Cu:0.001~6.036, As:0.006~3.045, Hg:ND~0.041, Pb:0.003~3.952, $Cr^{+6}$:0.007~0.496, Zn:0.001~66.500, Ni:0.003~18.010) of heavy metals in soil and water were appropriate for GAP criteria. In biological hazard, APC and coliform in soil were detected at the levels of $6.0{\pm}0.3$ and $3.6{\pm}1.6$ log CFU/g, and levels of water were $3.5{\pm}0.7$ and $1.9{\pm}0.7$ log CFU/mL, while E. coli wasn't detected in all sample. However, coliform in water wasn't appropriate for criteria, and E. coli O157 was detected about 22% in some farms, so it needs ways to prevent contamination by human and animals excrements. In conclusion, it needs proper management to prevent cross-contamination of hazards although physical and chemical hazard level were appropriate for GAP criteria while biological hazard wasn't.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.427-437
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• 2020

Manganese nodules, which are evaluated as potential metal resources, have been found in the Arctic Ocean as well as in the abyssal plains of the Pacific and Indian Oceans. Manganese nodules exhibit strong variations in the morphology, internal texture, chemical composition and mineralogy as they grow. The relationship between the texture and chemical elemental composition during the growth process is well documented, but the mineral composition variation during the growth process is not. Because the manganese oxide minerals in nodules are fine-grained and poorly crystalline, quantitative analysis for the mineral composition is challenging for the bulk nodule sample. This study investigated the internal texture and Mn-oxide mineral composition of manganese nodules obtained from the East Siberian Sea. Semi-quantitative analysis was attempted for three main Mn-oxide minerals constituting the manganese nodules (i.e., todorokite, buserite and birnessite) using the peak area ratio of X-ray diffraction analysis graphs. In the East Siberian Sea manganese nodules, birnessite is more abundant than buserite or todorokite, and no correlation is found between the mineral composition and the internal texture. Instead a correlation is found between the relative content of todorokite and the lamellae depth. The todorokite content tends to increase from the surface to the core of the nodules, which can be attributed to a recrystallization process or difference in the growth rate within the nodule. This study shows that semi-quantitative analysis of manganese oxide minerals using the peak area ratio is useful in the mineralogical study of manganese nodules.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.504-513
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• 2009

In this study, the safety of commercial herbal medicines was evaluated by determining concentration of hazardous heavy metals. 3,152 samples (244 types) purchased by individual packing unit from market in Seoul, were analyzed using ICP-MS and mercury analyzer. As a result, the content (mg $kg^{-1}$) of Pb was higher in the above-ground part (0.92) than underground part (0.43). But in case of As and Cd contents, there is slightly higher in the underground-parts (0.26, 0.13) than the above-ground parts (0.18, 0.08). There were many herbal medicines exceeding regulatory limits of Cd comparing with other metals. The levels of Hg seemed to be different between above-ground part(0.009) and underground part (0.008) but there was no sample exceeding tolerance limits. In the comparison of imported samples with domestic herbal medicines, it was shown that Pb, As, and Hg were measured highly in the imported ones, Cd was not significantly different (t-test, p<0.05). The significant correlation was observed between Pb and As (r=0.386, p<0.01) but there was no difference in other parts. The heavy metal contamination of herbal medicines measured in total amount of respective heavy metals (mg $kg^{-1}$) was high in Flos (6.241) and Caulis (2.238), and decreased in the order of Cortex (1.634), Herba (1.154), Perithecium (0.861), Rhizoma (0.828), Radix (0.825), Fructus (0.475), and was low in Semen (0.422) (ANOVA-test, p<0.05).

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.267-280
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• 2023

This study investigated the contents of Pb, Cd, As, and Hg for 4333 samples with 2 09 types of herbal medicines distributed in Seoul area from 2019 to 2021, and evaluated risk assessment according to medicinal part used and origin. The contents of heavy metals were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and mercury analyzer. The average contents (mg/kg) of heavy metals by medicinal parts were 0.123 to 1.290 for Pb, 0.018 to 0.131 for Cd, 0.034 to 0.290 for As, and 0.003 to 0.015 for Hg. The contents of Pb were higher in Leaves and Whole Herbs (above-ground part) than underground part (Radix & Rhizoma) (ANOVA-test, p < 0.05). The contents of Cd were high in Leaves, Radix & Rhizoma, and Stems & Woods (ANOVA-test, p <0 .05), and exceeded regulatory limits in various types. Levels of Pb, Cd concentrations exceeding regulatory limits were observed in 8, 22 samples (8, 14 types). No sample exceeded regulatory limits of As and Hg. In the comparison between countries of origin, the contents of Cd, As, and Hg were high in imported herbal medicines (t-test, p < 0.05). As a result of the risk assessment, except for Thujae Orientalis Folium and Spirodelae Herba, the MOE values of Pb were all 1 or more, and most samples were safe. The Hazard Index (HI) for Cd, As, and Hg were evaluated to be less than 100 % even if the risk (%) of each heavy metal was added, and the risk from taking herbal medicines was evaluated to be safe.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.250-259
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• 2024

In this study, we investigated in pesticide residues and heavy metals in fermented liquor products (wine, beer, makgeolli). Targeted analysis of 400 pesticide residues in the sample was performed using the quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe (QuEChERS) extraction method, followed by gas chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) and LC-MS/MS. The contents of heavy metals (Pb, Cd) were determined by ICP-MS using the microwave method. The mercury was measured using a mercury analyzer. From the analysis of 150 cases, 102 (68.0%) cases of fermented liquor were detected, and 35 pesticide residues (including metalaxyl, mandipropamid, azoxystrobin, and fenhexamid) were detected among the 400 pesticide residues tested. Pb, Cd, and Hg were tested in 150 samples. Lead was detected in 73 samples (48.7%), cadmium in 9 samples (6.0%), and mercury in 36 samples (24.0%). Exposure assessment was conducted to determine the safety of the detected pesticide residues and heavy metals. According to this assessment, the pesticide residues and heavy metals showed very low %ADI values (less than 1%).