• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.577-582
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• 2019

Objectives: The purpose of this survey was to assess the concentrations of heavy metals in the atmosphere of Pocheon City by measuring heavy metals in the industrial complex area and at the city air measuring station, and also to assess the degree of impact that the industrial area has on urban air quality. Methods: Sampling was carried out between February 2018 and November 2018 at two sites in the industrial complex and in the city air monitoring stations. Results: At the industrial complex in Pocheon City, air pollutant emitting businesses were emitting concentrations of fine dust (PM₁₀) between 45 and 60 ㎍/㎥ higher than in the city air. The daily maximum concentrations of lead (Pb), manganese (Mn), and cadmium (Cd) in the industrial complex are below the WHO recommendation standard (annual average), and the impact on the urban atmosphere is judged to be insignificant. Three to five percent of fine dust (PM₁₀) consists of metallic materials, and as the fine dust increased, metals were detected proportionally. Although cadmium (Cd) and beryllium (Be) were not detected in the city air in Pocheon and chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), and arsenic (As) were found to be 50 percent or less, it is deemed that copper (Cu) was detected at unusually high levels due to unknown air pollutants, which requires regular heavy metal measurement and cause verification. Conclusions: An analysis of the heavy metals in the industrial zone and the urban atmosphere in Pocheon City in this study showed that the linear relationship of heavy metals in the industrial zone, or the direct impact relationship, on the heavy metals in the urban atmosphere could not be estimated. The sampling device for equivalent assessment of particulate matter installed at air pollution monitoring stations is highly likely to be used for analysis of fine dust and heavy metals.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.662-669
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• 2017

This study evaluated the ecotoxicological properties of livestock waste water treated by a LID (Low Impact Development) system, using a mixture of bio-reeds and bio-ceramics as suitable bed media for a subsequent treatment process of a livestock wastewater treatment plant. The relationship between the pollutant reduction rate and the ecotoxicity was analyzed with the effluents from the inlet pilot plant, with vegetated swale and wetlands and the batch type of an infiltration trench. Each pilot plant consisted of a bio process using bio-reeds and bio-ceramics as bed media, as well as a general process using general reeds and a bed as a control group. The results indicated that, after applying the HRT 24 hour LID method, the ecotoxicity was considerably lowered and the batch type pilot plant was shown to be effective for toxicity reduction. The LID method is expected to be effective for water quality management, considering ecotoxicity by not only as a nonpoint source pollution abatement facility but also, as a subsequent treatment process linked with a livestock manure purification facility. It is necessary to take the LID technic optimization study further to apply it as a subsequent process for livestock wastewater treatment.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.38 no.5_3
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• pp.811-818
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• 2022

Recently, the number of natural and environmental disasters is rapidly increasing due to extreme weather caused by climate change, and the scale of economic losses and damage to human life is increasing accordingly. In addition, with urbanization and industrialization, the characteristics and scale of extreme weather appearance are becoming more complex and large in different ways from the past, and need for remote sensing and artificial intelligence technology for responding and managing global environmental disasters. This special issue investigates environmental disaster observation and management research using remote sensing and artificial intelligence technology, and introduces the results of disaster-related studies such as drought, flood, air pollution, and marine pollution, etc. in South Korea performed by the i-SEED (School of Integrated Science for Sustainable Earth and Environmental Disaster at Pukyong National University). In this special issue, we expect that the results can contribute to the development of monitoring and management technologies that may prevent environmental disasters and reduce damage in advance.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.31
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• pp.27-56
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• 2006

Today's financial institutions usually take environmental issues seriously into consideration as they could not evade lender liability in an increasing number of cases. On the international scene, a brand-new concept of the "Equator Principles" in the New Millenium has driven more and more international banks to adopt these Principles in project financing. Sustainable development has been a key word in understanding new trends of the governments, financial institutions, corporations and civic groups in the 21st century. The Equator Principles are a set of voluntary environmental and social guidelines for sustainable finance. These Principles commit bank officers to avoid financial support to projects that fail to meet these guidelines. The Principles were conceived in 2002 on an initiative of the International Finance Corporation(IFC), and launched in June 2003. Since then, dozens of major banks, accounting for up to 80 percent of project loan market, have adopted the Principles. Accordingly, the Principles have become the de facto standard for all banks and investors on how to deal with potential social and environmental issues of projects to be financed. Compliance with the Equator Principles facilitates for endorsing banks to participate in the syndicated loan and help them to manage the risks associated with large-scale projects. The Equator Principles call for financial institutions to provide loans to projects under the following circumstances: - The risk of the project is categorized in accordance with internal guidelines based upon the environmental and social screening criteria of the IFC. - For Category A and B projects, borrowers or sponsors are required to conduct a Social and Environmental Assessment, the preparation of which must meet certain requirements and satisfactorily address key social and environmental issues. - The Social and Environmental Assessment report should address baseline social and environmental conditions, requirements under host country laws and regulations, sustainable development, and, as appropriate, IFC's Environmental, Health and Safety Guidelines, etc. - Based on the Social and Environmental Assessment, Equator banks then make agreements with borrowers on how they mitigate, monitor and manage the risks through a Social and Environmental Management System. Compliance with the plan is included in the covenant clause of loan agreements. If the borrower doesn't comply with the agreed terms, the bank will take corrective actions. The Equator Principles are not a mere declaration of cautious banks but a full commitment of lenders. A violation of the Principles in the process of project financing, which led to an unexpected damage to the affected community, would not give rise to any specific legal remedies other than ordinary lawsuits. So it is more effective for banks to ensure consistent implementation of the Principles and to have them take responsible measures to solve social and environmental issues. Public interests have recently mounted up with respect to environmental issues on the occasion of the Supreme Court's decision (2006Du330) on the fiercely debated reclamation project at Saemangeum. The majority Justices said that the expected environmental damages like probable pollution of water and soil were not believed so serious and that the Administration should continue to implement the project seeking ways to make it more environment friendly. In this case, though the Category A Saemangeum Project was carried out by a government agency, the Supreme Court behaved itself as a signal giver to approve or stop the environment-related project like an Equator bank in project financing. At present, there is no Equator bank in Korea in contrast to three big banks in Japan. Also Korean contractors, which are aggressively bidding for Category A-type projects in South East Asia and Mideast, might find themselves in a disadvantageous position because they are generally ignorant of the environmental assessment associated with project financing. In this regard, Korean banks and overseas project contractors should care for the revised Equator Principles and the latest developments in project financing more seriously. It's because its scope has expanded to the capital cost of US$10 million or more across all industry sectors regardless of developing countries or not. It should be noted that, for a Korean bank, being an Equator bank is more or less burdensome in a short-term period, but it must be conducive to minimizing risks and building up good reputation in the long run.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.4
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• pp.518-527
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to define the toxic effects of diuron and irgarol, which are new-antifouling agents, on the fertilization rate and normal embryogenesis rate in the sea urchin, Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus. In addition, the study was intended to confirm the hindrance of development in sea urchins. The fertilization rate of H. pulcherrimus was not decreased by the tested concentrations. However, the normal embryogenesis rate was decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. The 50% effective concentrations (EC₅₀) of normal embryogenesis rate were 7.12 mg L^-1 and 2.31 mg L^-1, respectively. As the embryos developed into pluteus larvae, after 18 h of exposure to diuron and irgarol at EC₅₀, development of the early gastrula stage was delayed, and significant developmental delays were observed after 24 h. After this, continuous developmental delays were observed in the process leading to the early gastrular, gastrular, early pluteus, and pluteus stages. Therefore, the toxic effects of diuron and irgarol on sea urchins were attributed to the delay in the developmental processes in the early life stages. Diuron and irgarol are highly persistent in the environment and have known-well toxic effects on various marine organisms including invertebrates, as shown in this study. Therefore, it is urgent to establish an environmental protection strategy to prevent the pollution of and preserve the marine environment.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.141-160
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• 2022

The harbor construction projects can lead to various marine environmental problems including habitat degradation and loss, marine water pollution, change of flow patterns, erosion, scour, sedimentation, and so on. The EIA is a measure to prevent various environmental problems in advance from examining and minimizing the environmental impacts before the proposed developments are implemented. In addition, institutions reviewing EIA reports have made efforts to conduct scientific and standardized EIA by applying EIA guidelines for each project. This study aims to create a EIA guideline focusing on the harbor construction projects. Based on the review comments of the harbor construction EIA reports for the past 13 years (2009-2021) and the EIA guidelines of different types of projects, we identified the marine environmental problems and provided the appropriate guideline. This guideline summarizes and presents the contents which must be reviewed in the baseline condition survey, impact assessment, mitigation, and post-environmental impact investigation in the fields of marine fauna and flora, marine physics, and marine water and sediment quality. In the case of a baseline condition survey of marine fauna and flora, a method for selecting survey points considering the characteristics of sea area and project was presented. When estimating the impact of marine fauna and flora, we presented methods for predicting the impact on them due to the spread of suspended sediments and the damage to benthic habitats due to dredging and reclamation. In consideration of the characteristics of the sea area, we divided the survey items of the marine physics into essential items and supplementary items. In predicting the impact of marine physics, various methods for major issues such as seawater circulation, suspended sediment and bottom sediment transport, water temperature and salinity diffusion, seawater exchange, wave transformation, harbor tranquility, and shoreline change were presented. The research results will contribute to protect the marine environment by inducing more systematic and scientific surveys, impact assessments, and mitigation in the EIA process.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.171-181
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• 2013

In this study, we report the water quality characteristics of pollutants for 4 major tributaries in the Yeongsan and Sumjin river basins using statistical analysis, such as regression equation and factor analysis. The flow rate and water qualtiy data collected from 4 sampling sites(Hwangryoung A, Jiseok A, Chooryeong A, Osu A) in the Yeonsan and Sumjin river basin during the past 3 years were analyzed for 11 parameters(flow rate, dissolved oxgen, pH, water temperature, electric conductivity, biochemical oxygen demand, chemical oxygen deman, total organic carbon, total nitorgen, total phosphorus, suspended solid). The results showed that the concentrations of BOD, COD, TOC, T-N, T-P in Hwangryoung A(HW) and Jiseok A(JS) of the Yeongsan river basin were decreased as the flow rate was increased. This means that rather than nonpoint soources, point sources affect water quality. In the cases of Chooryeong A(CR) and Osu A(OS) in the Sumjin river basin, howerever, nonpoint sources than point sources are an important factor that affects the water quality. Also, the factor analysis technique was employed to analyze principal component influencing on water quality. The results revealed that the first principal component in HW was correlated with EC, DO, T-N, water temperature. This "nitrogen influx according to seasonal pattern" factor may be interpreted. In JS, the first principal component was correlated with BOD, COD, TOC and is likely to represent "organic matter" processes. In CR and OS, BOD, COD, TOC, SS and T-P were significantly correlated and is considered as representing "Organic matter and adsorption of phosphorus on sediments influx". This study is expected to contribute to the effective pollution control/management of the surfac waters in the study sites.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.21-33
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• 2012

The dominant land use at the Seonakdong river watershed is paddy and forest areas and the Seonakdong river stands still. Thus, the water pollution in the Seonakdong river is becoming more serious for the non-point source. In this study, SWAT(Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model was evaluated for simulation of flow and water quality behaviors in Seonakdong river. To perform the calibration and verification of the SWAT model, the measurements of discharge and water quality were performed for the period from 2006 to 2007 at 5 gauging stations in Seonakdong river. The $R^2$ value for discharge and water quality were 0.86 and 0.70 respectively for calibration after the sensitive analysis. The $R^2$ value for discharge and water quality were 0.81 and 0.51 respectively for verification. The simulation results show that BOD value in the river tends to decrease after the opening of gates and the patterns of TN and TP concentrations are similar as that of BOD. The gate operators need to determine how to supply water in drought season for effective water quality improvement. This study shows that the SWAT model, which is capable of simulating hydrologic and water quality behaviors temporarily and spatially at watershed scale, could be used to get the gate operation rule for the water quality management in Seonakdong river.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.131-139
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• 2001

There is personal difference in the concentrations of trace elements in human hair according to human life or history suck as occupation, race, sex, age, food habit, social condition and so on. It is also found that the individual's deviation of elemental concentrations is reflecting the degree of environmental pollutants exposure to human body, intakes of food and metabolism. To compare the degree of accumulation in the hair tissue, human hair samples were collected from five positions of head and analyzed by non-destructive neutron activation analysis with and without washing according to IAEA's recommended method. Analytical quality control is performed using the certified reference material. The relative error of Cu, Cr, Na, Co, Mg, As, Se, Zn and those of Mn, Ca, Fe, Sr are within ${\pm}5%$ and ${\pm}10%$, respectively and the relative standard deviation of elements are within ${\pm}10%$. The deviations between the individuals and hair sampling positions were estimated. The deviation of individual was seven times more than that of positions. Under the defined condition, the difference and the correlation of elemental concentrations were compared with two different groups, office and factory workers. The result can be used as a fundamental data for human health and environment assessment.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.369-379
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• 2015

Objectives: The lack of reliable information on environmental pollution and health impacts related to asbestos contamination from abandoned mines has drawn attention to the need for a community health study. This study was performed to evaluate asbestos-related health symptoms among residents near abandoned asbestos mines located in the Chungcheong Provinces. In addition, exposure assessment for asbestos is needed although the exposure to asbestos was in the past. Methods: Past exposure to asbestos among inhabitants near abandoned asbestos mines was estimated by using surface sampling of deposited dust in indoor and outdoor residences. A total of 54 participants were divided into two groups with (34 cases) and without (20 controls) diseases related to asbestos. Surface sampling of deposited dust was carried out in indoor and outdoor residences by collecting 105 samples. Deposited dust for sampling was analyzed by polarization microscope (PLM) and scanning electron microscope?energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX) to detect asbestos. Subsequently, the elements of the deposited dust with asbestos were analyzed by SEM-EDX to assess the contribution of sources such as abandoned mines, slate and soil. Results: Among the 105 samples, asbestos was detected by PLM in 29 (27.6%) sampling points, and detected by SEM in 56 (48.6%) sampling points. Asbestos in indoor residences was detected by PLM in four sampling points, and by SEM in 12 sampling points. Asbestos detection in indoor residences may be due to ventilation between indoors and outdoors, and indicates long-term exposure. The asbestos detection rate for outdoor residences in the case group was higher than that in the control group. This can be explained as the case group having had higher exposure to asbestos, and there has been continuous exposure to asbestos in the control group as well as the case group. Conclusion: Past residential asbestos exposure may be associated with asbestosis among local residents near abandoned asbestos mines. Odds ratios were calculated for asbestos detection in outdoor residence by logistic regression analysis. Odds ratio between asbestos detection and asbestosis pulmonum was 3.36 (95% CI 0.90-12.53) (p=0.072), adjusting for age, sex, smoking status and work history with multi-variable logistic regression by PLM analysis method.