• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.15-21
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• 2004

Objectives of this study were to monitor the distribution of heavy metals, to compare extractable heavy metal with total content and to investigate the relationships between soil physico-chemical properties and heavy metals in orchard soil. Sampling sites were 48 in Gyeonggi, 36 in Gangwon, 36 in Chungbuk, and 44 in Chungnam, Soils were collected farm form two depths, 0 to 20 and 20 to 40 cm (here after referred to as upper and lower layers) from March to May in 1998. Total contents of heavy metal in soils were analyzed by ICP-OES after acid digestion ($HNO_3$:HCl:$H_2O_2$) whereas extractable contents were measured after successive extraction of 0.1N-HCl, 0.05 M-EDTA, and 0.005 M-DTPA. Mercury was analysed by mercury atomizer. The average contents of Cd Cu, and Pb in the extractant with 0.1N-HCl at upper layer were 0.080, 4.23, and 3.42 mg/kg, respectively. As content in the extractant with 1N-HCl was 0.44 mg/kg, and total contents of Zn, Ni and Hg were 78.9, 16.1, and 0.052 mg/kg, respectively. The ratios of concentrations of heavy metals to threshold values (Cd 1.5, Cu 50, Pb 100, Zn 300, Ni 40, Hg 4 mg/ke in Soil Environmental Conservation Act in Korea (2001) were low in the range of $1/2.5{\sim}1/76.9$ in orchard soils. The ratios of extractable heavy metal to total content ranged $5.4{\sim}9.21%$ for Cd, $27.9{\sim}47.8%$ for Cu, $12.6{\sim}21.8$% for Pb, $15.8{\sim}20.3%$ for Zn, $5.3{\sim}6.3%$ for Ni, and $0.7{\sim}3.6%$ for Zn, respectively. Cu and Pb contents in 0.05 M-EDTA extractable solution were higher than those in the other extractable solution. Total contents of Cd, Ni and Ni in soils were negatively correlated with sand content but positively correlated with silt and clay contents. Ratios of extractable heavy metal to total content were negatively correlated with clay content but ai and Ni contents were positively correlated with soil pH, organic matter, and available phosphorous. Therefore, the orchard soil was safe because the heavy metal contents of orchard soil were very low as compared to its threshold value in the Soil Environmental Conservation Act. However, it need to consider the input of agricultural materials to the agricultural land for farming practices for assessment of heavy metals.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.89-95
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• 2009

Objectives : To assess the protective effects of wearing protective devices among the residents and volunteers who participated in the cleanup of the Hebei Spirit oil spill. Methods : A total of 288 residents and 724 volunteers were surveyed about symptoms, whether they were wearing protective devices and potential confounding variables. The questionnaires were administered from the second to the sixth week following the accident. Spot urine samples were collected and analyzed for metabolites of 4 volatile organic compounds(VOCs), 2 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons(PAHs), and 6 heavy metals. The association between the wearing of protective devices and various symptoms was assessed using a multiple logistic regression adjusted for confounding variables. A multiple generalized linear regression model adjusted for the covariates was used to test for a difference in least-square mean concentration of urinary biomarkers between residents who wore protective devices and those who did not. Results : Thirty nine to 98% of the residents and 62-98% of volunteers wore protective devices. Levels of fatigue and fever were higher among residents not wearing masks than among those who did wear masks(odds ratio 4.5; 95% confidence interval 1.23-19.86). Urinary mercury levels were found to be significantly higher among residents not wearing work clothes or boots(p<0.05). Conclusions : Because the survey was not performed during the initial high-exposure period, no significant difference was found in metabolite levels between people who wore protective devices and those who did not, except for mercury, whose biological half-life is more than 6 weeks.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.241-249
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• 2000

In this study, UV-catalyzed $H_2O_2$ oxidation and $H_2O_2$ oxidation to remove contaminants from photo processing chemicals were investigated at various conditions. Photo processing chemicals contains high concentrations of organic compounds and has very low biodegradability. Hydrogen peroxide is subjected to gradual decomposition as metastable substance. In the process, short-lived and highly reactive hydroxyl radicals are formed. The decomposition can be significantly accelerated by use of appropriate catalyst, such as ultraviolet radiation. The experiments were conducted in a UV-free reflecting reactor in batch and a high-pressure mercury lamp was used as UV source. Mixing, cooling and ventilation of the reactor were operated during experiments. In $UV/H_2O_2$ oxidation and $H_2O_2$ oxidation, the removal efficiencies of $COD_{Cr}$, TOC and chromaticity increased with the increase of $H_2O_2$ dosage and were higher in the controlled pH condition of 3 than in original pH condition of 8. In $UV/H_2O_2$ oxidation under the optimum condition of pH 8 and 1.3 stoichiometric $H_2O_2$ dosage, the removal efficiencies of $COD_{Cr}$, TOC and chromaticity were 47.5%, 75.0% and 91.5% respectively and $BOD/COD_{Cr}$ ratio was significantly increased from 0.04 to 0.21.

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2005.04a
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• pp.327-333
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• 2005

Dihydroxy-acid dehydratase (DHAD, 2,3-dihydroxy-acid hydrolyase, EC 4.2.1.9) is one of the key enzymes involved in the biosynthetic pathway of the branched chain amino acid isoleucine and valine. Although the enzyme have been purified and characterized in various mesophiles including bacteria and eukarya, the biochemical properties of DHAD has bee not yet reported from hyperthermophilic archaea. In this study, we cloned, expressed, and purified a DHAD homologue from the thermoacidophilic archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus P2, which grows optimally at $80\;^{\circ}C$ and pH 3, in E. coli. Characterization of the recombinant S. solfataricus DHAD (rSso_DHAD) revealed that it is the dimeric protein with a subunit molecular weight of 64,000 Da in native structure. rDHAD showed the highest activity toward 2,3-dihydroxyisovaleric acid among 17 aldonic acid substrates Interestingly, this enzyme also displayed 50 % activities toward some pentonic acids and hexonic acids when compared with the activity of this enzyme to the natural substrate. Moreover, rSso_DHAD indicated relatively higher activity toward D-gluconate than any other hexonic acids tested in substrates. $K_m$ and $V_{max}$ values of rSso_DHAD were calculated as $0.54\;{\pm}\;0.04\;mM$ toward 2,3dihydroxyisovalerate and $2.42\;{\pm}\;0.19\;mM$ toward D-gluconate, and as $21.6\;{\pm}\;0.4\;U/mg$ toward 2,3-dihydroxyisovalerate and $13.8\;{\pm}\;0.4\;U/mg$ toward D-gluconate, respectively. In the study for biochemical properties, the enzyme shows maximal activity between $70^{\circ}C$ and $80^{\circ}C$, and the pH range of pH 7.5 to 8.5. The half life time at $80^{\circ}C$ was 30 min. A divalent metal ion, $Mn^{2+}$, was only powerful activators, whereas other metal ions made the enzyme activity reduced. $Hg^{2+}$, organic mercury, and EDTA also strongly inhibited enzyme activities. Particularly, the rSso_DHAD activity was very stable under aerobic condition although the counterparts reported from mesophiles had been deactivated by oxygen.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.144-152
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• 2005

To evaluate the effect of lead biomarkers including bone lead on neurobehavioral test in lead workers, 652 lead workers without any occupational exposure to organic solvent, mercury and arsenic were agreed to participate this study. For the control subjects 102 non-occupationally lead exposed blue collar workers in general manufacturing industries were also joined this study. All study subjects joined this study with written informed consent. The study variables of lead exposure were blood and patella lead. For the general characteristics of study subjects, standardized questionnaire regarding age, sex, past disease history, job duration, body mass index (BMI), drinking and smoking habit were provided. For the past history of neurotoxicity related diseases, all study subjects were interviewed by qualified occupational health physician. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Compared with controls without occupational lead exposure, lead exposed subjects had worse performance on all tests(p<0.05). 2. After adjustment for covariates (age, sex, job duration, education level, BMI, smoking and drinking status), the signs of the regression coefficients for blood lead were negative for 13 of the 14 tests. Blood lead was a significant predictor of poorer scores on 8 tests (simple reaction time(ms & root MSD), Trail-Making Test B, Digit Symbol Substitution, Purdue Pegboard assembly, Digit Span Test, Benton Visual Retention, and Purdue pegboard both hand). 3. After adjustment for covariates (age, sex, job duration, education level, BMI, smoking and drinking status), the signs of the regression coefficients for patella lead were negative for 12 of the 14 tests. Patella lead was a significant predictor of poorer scores on 8 tests (simple reaction time(ms). Purdue Pegboard assembly, Digit Span Test, Benton Visual Retention. Pursuit Aiming rest (no. of correct & no. of incorrect), Purdue pegboard non-dominant hand and both hand). With above results, blood lead and patella lead were associated with poorer performance of neurobehavioral tests. In addition, patella lead was confirmed to be better predictor of manual dexterity test in neurobehavioral test battery in lead workers

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.87-96
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• 2017

In this study, 4 gases containing typical chlorinated volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were treated by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The typical chlorinated VOCs are dichloromethane (DCM), trichloromethane (TCM), carbon tetrachloride (CTC) and trichloroethylene (TCE). The removal efficiency (RE) and the products of chlorinated VOCs by UV irradiation are investigated. At this time, 2 types of background gas (air and nitrogen) were used to figure out the RE by photooxidation and photolysis. The specification of UV-lamp used in this study was low-pressure mercury lamp emitting wavelength of 185~254 nm. The experimental conditions were set as initial VOC concentration of $180{\pm}10ppm$, empty bed retention time (EBRT) of 53 s, temperature of $23{\pm}2^{\circ}C$ and relative humidity of $65{\pm}5%$. In the photolysis condition with nitrogen ($N_2$) as background gas, the averaged RE of the 4 types of chlorinated VOCs was about 24% higher than that with photooxidation; and the REs of VOCs except CTC were confirmed as >99%. The composition of off-gases after UV photooxidation in air was investigated and several intermediates from DCM, TCM and TCE were detected by GC/MS. Among them, phosgene which is a toxics was detected as an intermediate of TCM. In addition, the concentration of carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) in the off-gases was measured to calculate the mineralization rate (MR). With the photooxidation, TCE showed the highest RE (>99%) while MR was the lowest (17%); and the MR of DCM was the highest (86%). In addition, particulate matters (PM) in the off-gases was also detected and high concentrated $PM_{10}$ ($21,580{\mu}g{\cdot}m^{-3}$) and $PM_{2.5}$ ($6,346{\mu}g{\cdot}m^{-3}$) were detected in TCE off-gas. More than 99% of the chlorinated VOCs could be removed using UV254-185 nm lamp, while it is necessary to conduct further studies on the production and treatment of secondary pollutants.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.900-906
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• 2005

The responses of two luminescence-based biosensors were studied on various heavy metals in aqueous solutions. One was recombinant E. coli ($DH5{\alpha}$/pSB311), genetically modified luminescence-based bacteria, and the other was Vibrio fisheri used for the LumisTox system. The recombinant E. coli was marked with the lux CDABE gene from multicopy plasmid, pACYC184, originally isolated from Photorhabdus luminescens. The $DH5{\alpha}$/pSB311 had a characteristic of no organic substrate for its luminescence reaction. Among the tested heavy metals Zinc and cadmium were less toxic than copper and mercury. The recombinant E. coli was more sensitive to toxicity of heavy metals than the LumisTox. The order of toxicity of the heavy metals to the recombinant E. coli was $Hg^{2+}>Cu^{2+}>Zn^{2+}>Cd^{2+}$. In case of the LumisTox, the order of the toxicity of heavy metals was $Hg^{2+}>Cu^{2+}>Cd^{2+}>Zn^{2+}$. The genetically modified luminescence-based biosensor offers a range of sensitive, rapid, and easy to use methods for assessing the potential toxicity of heavy metals in aqueous samples.

• Water for future
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.49-60
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• 1991

As a second part of the study entitled "Field Measurement and Analysis of Fluvial Sediment in the Cheongmi-Strea", this study concerns mineralogical and contaminative characteristics of sediment particles collected at Wonbu-Gyo and Hanpyeong-Gyo in the Cheongmi-Stream. The mineralogical analysis of the bed sediment collected reveals that, in general , quarz is the most abundant mineral found in sands with feldspars and rock fragments in the next, which confirms what is known in the literature. The shape factor of sand particles is about 0.7, which also agrees to what is known in the foreign literature. The analysis also reveals that the clay particles collected are composed mainly of illite, kaolinate, and chlorite. The analysis of contamination reveals that there is no substantial difference between the contents of organic material and heavy metals in the surface water and those in the pore water beneath the river bed. It is because the sampling for this analysis was conducted right after the September flood during which the fresh top soil from the upstream watershed replaced the old bed sediment and pore water that would probably be more contaminated. The contents of geavy metals in the bed sediment of sand particles do not exceed those in the soils adjacent to the river. For fine sediment such as clays, however, the contents of heavy metals, especially of mercury and zinc, far exceed those in the soils adjacent to the river. These fine sediments are transported downstream in the form of wash load and deposited in part on flood plains, which could be a new source of contaminants.taminants.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.25 no.12
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• pp.626-636
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• 2022

Shellfish are exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates that consume various organic and inorganic substances floating in seawater through filter feeding. Heavy metals are known as absorbed and accumulated in seawater. Some of the toxic heavy metals are highly accumulated in seawater, and exposure to them can cause a variety of risks to the human body. Since Koreans like to eat seafood, they are more likely to be exposed to contaminated seafood with heavy metals. In this study, nine types of heavy metals were analyzed on ten different shellfish species in the coastal area of South Korea. The risk assessment was also done on shellfish in which heavy metals were detected. Zinc (Zn) and copper (Cu) were identified at an average of 56.7 mg/kg (6.70 to 466 mg/kg) and 13.2 mg/kg (0.064 to 143 mg/kg), respectively. Lead (Pb) average of 0.208 mg/kg (0.000750 to 1.02 mg/kg), cadmium (Cd) average of 0.454 mg/kg (0.0388 to 1.56 mg/kg) and mercury (Hg) average of 0.0266 mg/kg (0.00548 to 0.174 mg/kg) were identified. Additionally, arsenic (As), chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), and silver (Ag) were also identified as average concentrations of 4.02 (0.460 to 15.0 mg/kg), 0.167 (< limit of quantification [LOQ] to 0.820 mg/kg), 0.281 (< LOQ to 1.46 mg/kg), and 0.158 mg/kg (< LOQ to 1.15 mg/kg). The result indicates that the monitoring results of heavy metals in most shellfish satisfied the Korean standard. However, Pb and Cd have exceeded some foreign standards, such as the United States and the EU. The permissible human exposure calculated using the heavy metal intake and detection amount was lower than the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives human safety standard, and the risk of heavy metals from shellfish consumption was at an acceptable level.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.31-39
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• 2002

Pollutants from industry, mining, agriculture, and other sources have contaminated sediments in many surface water bodies. Sediment contamination poses a severe threat to human health and environment because many toxic contaminants that are barely detectable in the water column can accumulate in sediments at much higher levels. The purpose of this study was to make optimal treatment and disposal plan o( sediment for water quality improvement in small-scale resevoir based on an evaluation of degree of contamination. The degree of contamination were investigated for 23 samples of 9 site at different depth of sediment in small-scale J river. Results for analysis of contaminated sediments were observed that copper concentration of 4 samples were higher than the regulation of hazardous waste (3 mg/L) and that of all samples were exceeded soil pollution warning levels for agricultural areas. Lead and mercury concentration of all samples were detected below both regulations. Necessary of sediment dredge was evaluated for organic matter and nutrient through standard levels of Paldang lake and the lower Han river in Korea and Tokyo bay and Yokohama bay in Japan. The degree of contamination for organic matter and nutrient was not serious. Compared standard levels of Japan, America, and Canada for heavy metal, contaminated sediment was concluded as lowest effect level or limit of tolerance level because standard levels of America and Canada was established worst effect of benthic organisms. The optimal treatment method of sediment contained heavy metal was cement-based solidification/stabilization to prevent heavy metal leaching.