• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.273-282
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• 2000

In order to investigate the extent and degree of arsenic and heavy metal contamination and the bioavailability of toxic elements around the abandoned mine in Korea, an environmental geochemical survey was undertaken in the Daduk mine. After appropriate preparation, tailings, soil, stream sediment, crop plant and fingernail samples were analysed for As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn by ICP-AES and ICP-MS. Elevated levels of 8,782 mg/kg As, 8.3 mg/kg Cd, 489 mg/kg Cu, 3,638 mg/kg Pb and 919 mg/kg Zn were found in tailings from the Daduk mine. These significant concentrations can impact on soils and sediments around the tailing ponds. Mean concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, Cu and Zn in soils are significantly higher than those in world average soil, especially for As and Pb. Element concentrations in sediments decrease with distance from the tailing ponds due to a dilution effect by the mixing of uncontaminated sediments. Arsenic and Cd are elevated in rice grains and stalks, and Cu and Zn concentrations in chinese cabbage, sesame and bean leaves are higher than the upper limit values for normal plant. Arsenic concentration in fingernails of farmers are higher than the normal level with a maximum value of 1.5 mg/kg. The post-ingestion bioavailability of toxic heavy metals in some paddy and farmland soils has been also investigated using the SBET (simple bioavailability extract test) method. The method utilises synthetic leaching fluids closelyanalogous to those of the human stomach. The quantities of As, Cd, Cu, Pb and Zn extracted from paddy soils after 1 hour indicated 15.9, 65.4, 46.2, 39.4 and 29.4% bioavailability, respectively and for farmland soils, 12.4, 26.0, 31.2, 29.3 and 19.4% bioavailability, respectively. The results of the SBET indicate that regular ingestion of soils by the local population could pose a potential health threat due to long-term toxic element exposure.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.117-122
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• 2008

Purpose: Surveys on poisoning usually involves intoxication rather than inhalation, skin contact, etc. Therefore, we examined the characteristics of patients who visited the emergency department in an industrial complex after acute industrial exposure to toxic materials. Methods: Medical records of patients exposed to toxic materials in the work places from April, 2006, to March, 2008, were analyzed retrospectively. Inhalation patients due to fire were excluded. Results: Subjects included 66 patients, with a mean age of $35.4{\pm}10.9$ years, mostly men (91%). Toxicity occurred in 51 patients (77%) by contact, 15 patients (23%) by inhalation, and none by oral ingestion. For toxic materials, 10 patients were exposed to hydrofluoric acid, 8 to hydrochloric acid, 7 to sodium hydroxide, 7 to metals, and others. The face and hands were the most frequent exposure site by contact. Most exposures were caused by accidents, with 29 cases (42%) exposed because of carelessness or not wearing protective equipment. Most complaints were pain on exposure site, but 7 of the inhalation patients complained of dyspnea. The majority of patients with contact exposure were discharged after wound care or observation. After inhalation exposure, 1 patient died and 5 patients were admitted to the intensive care unit. Conclusion: Major causes of workplace exposure were not wearing protective equipment or carelessness. Although contact exposures are usually benign, cautious observation and management are required in patients with inhalation exposure.

• 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.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.587-601
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• 1997

This study had three purposes: (1) to investigate the enrichment levels and dispersion patterns of potentially toxic elements in the rock-soil-plant system; (2) to evaluate the uptake ratios of heavy metals from soils into plants and (3) to assess the chemical speciation of heavy metals in soils. Rock, surface soil and plant samples were collected in the Boeun area underlain by black shales of the Okchon Zone. These samples were analyzed for multi-elements using INAA, ICP-AES and AAS. The maximum abundance of U in black shales is 16 mg/kg and radioactivity counts up to 300 cpm. In particular, Mo, V, Ba, Cd, Pb and U are enriched in black shales. Most of soils derived from black shales show high concentrations of U, As, Mo, Ba, Cu, Cd, Pb, Zn and mean concentrations of As and Mo in soils (20 mg/kg of As and 6.6 mg/kg of Mo) are higher than the permissible level suggested by Kloke (1979). Enrichment index values of soils are calculated and higher than 1.0 in the black shale area with the highest value of 6.4. Mean concentration of Cd in plants is higher than those of Cu, Pb and Zn. The concentration of Cd in plant species decreases in the order of Chinese cabbage > red pepper > soybean=sesame > rice stalk > com > rice grain. The biological absorption coefficients (BAC) in plants are in the order of Cd > Zn=Cu > Pb, which suggests that Cd is more bioavailable to plants than Cu, Pb and Zn. From the results of sequential extraction analysis of soils, relatively high proportion of Cu, Pb and Zn are present as residual fractions whereas that of Cd as non-residual fractions. Cadmuim occurs predominantly as exchangeable/water-acid soluble phase in soils, and Cd is more mobile and bioavailable than Cu, Pb and Zn.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.353-360
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• 2006

This study identified a particle size distribution (PSD) of fine particulate matter and emission characteristics of V and Ni by the comparison between anthropogenic sources of oil combustion (industrial boiler, oil power plant, etc.) and lab-scale combustion using a drop-tube furnace. In oil combustion source, the mass fraction of fine particles (less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) was higher than that of coarse particles (larger than 2.5 micrometers in diameter) in $PM_{10}$ (less than 10 micrometers in diameter) as like in lab-scale oil combustion. In addition to this, it was identified that ultra-fine particles (less than 0.1 micrometers in diameter) had a large distribution in fine particles. Toxic metals like V and Ni had large mass fractions in fine particles, and most of all was distributed in ultra-fine particles. Most of ultra-fine particles containing toxic metals have been emitted into ambient by combustion source because it is hard to control by the existing air pollution control device. Hence, we must be careful on these pollutants because it is obvious that these are associated with adverse health and environmental effect.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.17 no.7
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• pp.775-781
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• 2008

Effects of salinity and standard toxic metals on fertilization and embryo development rates were investigated in the sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus nudus. Spawning was induced by injecting 1ml of 0.5 M KCl into the coelomic cavity. The fertilization and embryo development rates were below 20% when salinity was 25 psu or lower, but were above 90% when salinity was between 30 and 35 psu. The fertilization and embryo development rates in the control condition (not including Cu and Cd) were greater than 90%, but decreased with a high negative correlation (r) of 0.89 and 0.91 with the increasing of Cu and Cd concentrations, respectively. These results suggest that salinity concentrations for successful fertilization and normal embryogenesis of S. nudus are between 30 and 35 psu, and the biological assays of fertilization and embryo development rates using S. nudus are useful methods for the ecological toxicity test of marine pollution elements.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.334-339
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• 2005

Although phosphogypsum can have profound effects on both the physical and chemical properties of certain soils with supplying the essential elements, no widespread use of by-product phosphogypsum will be made unless such uses pose no threat to the public health and soil contaminations. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of phosphogypsum on the growth of oriental melon and soil properties in plastic film house. Phosphogypsum was treated at the rate of $70kg\;CaO\;10a^{-1}$ and the effects were compared with the treatment of Ca-Mg carbonate. In the treatment of phosphogypsum, early growth of oriental melon was significantly increased comparing to the growth in the Ca-Mg carbonate treatment. Total fruit yield was not different between the treatments of phosphogypsum and Ca-Mg carbonate, but marketable fruit yield was higher in the phosphogypsum treatment. Although Ca and S contents in oriental melon were increased in the phosphogypsum treatment, contents of toxic heavy metals including As, Cd, Cr, Cu, and Pb were not different between the two treatments. Also, soil pH and contents of extractable toxic metals in the soil were not significantly different between the two treatments after the experiment. These results suggest that phosphogypsum can be a valuable substitute for lime materials in high pH soils of plastic film house.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.87-93
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• 2015

In this study, the inhibitory effect of toxic metals was investigated on the activated sludge of the municipal sewage treatment plant. The allowable concentration of toxic metals was also estimated for the stable operation of the biological treatment process. The single and mixture toxicity of $Cu^{2+}$, $Al^{3+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ were evaluated for the activated sludge microorganisms. As a result, nitrifying microorganisms were more susceptible than heterotrophic microorganisms. $IC_{10}$ (Inhibition Concentration of 10%) of $Cu^{2+}$, $Al^{3+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ for the nitrifying microorganisms was 3 mg/L, 7 mg/L and 25 mg/L, respectively. The mixture toxicity showed three times more sensitive than the single toxicity. The concentrations of $Cu^{2+}$, $Al^{3+}$ and $Zn^{2+}$ to minimize the inhibitory effect on organic matter removal and nitrification in batch experiments were found to be 1.3 mg/L, 2.5 mg/L and 6.3 mg/L.

• Journal of Animal Science and Technology
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.67-78
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• 2007

This study was carried out to monitor feed-nutritional components, toxic heavy metals (Cd, Pb and As) and pesticide residues through three cultivation stages (1st initial culture stage, 2nd mycelial growth stage, and 3rd fruit body-harvested stage) of king oyster mushroom (Pleurotus eryngii) produced by bottle type cultivation and oyster mushroom (Pleurotus osteratus) produced by vinyl bag type cultivation. For both cultivation types, compared with the initial culture, the weight reduction rate in spent mushroom substrates (SMS) after fruit body harvest was 29% for total wet mass, 21～25% for dry and organic matters and 19 ～22% for neutral detergent fiber. Two thirds to 3/4 of organic matter degraded and utilized by mycelia and fruit bodies was originated from fiber, of which the primary source (50～70%) was hemicellulose. The effect of mycelial growth stage on chemical compositional change in culture was little (P>0.05) for bottle type cultivation of king oyster mushroom but considerable (P<0.05) for vinyl type cultivation of oyster mushroom. Culture nutrients uptake by fruit bodies was very active for the bottle type cultivation. Compared with SMS, harvested fruit bodies (mushrooms) contained higher (P<0.05) crude protein, non-fibrous carbohydrate, and crude ash and lower (P<0.05) neutral detergent fiber. Regardless of stages, no culture samples were contaminated with toxic heavy metals and pesticide residues. In conclusion, the increase of fiber (neutral and acid detergent fibers) and indigestible protein contents and the decrease of true protein content in SMS indicated that the feed-nutritional value of SMS was significantly reduced compared with that of the initial culture and they were safe from toxic heavy metals and pesticide residues.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.25-36
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• 2016

Heavy metals in the stream sediments around Shihwa Lake were studied not only to investigate the characteristics of spacio-temporal distribution but also to assess the pollution degree and ecological risk using various pollution indices. Among metals, Zn had the highest values (1,311 mg/kg) and Hg showed the lowest value (0.261 mg/kg). The order of mean concentrations (mg/kg) of metals was Zn>Cu>Pb>Cr>Ni>Co>As>Cd>Hg in stream sediments around Shihwa Lake. Metal concentrations showed different pollution pattern with industrial region, indicating that these metals originated from different sources and industrial region had higher metal concentration than rural/urban regions. The results of geoaccumulation index (Igeo) showed that the stream sediments were significantly polluted with Cd, Cu, Zn and Pb, indicating moderately to highly polluted by these metals. According to PLI consideration, industrial region was more seriously polluted by metals whereas an rural/urban region was not polluted. About 85% of sampling site for Cr, Ni, Cu, Zn and Pb from industrial regions were exceeded the PEL values. The mPELQ and SQI values derived from PEL of industrial region were classified as 'highly toxic' and 'very poor' and metal pollution level tend to be worse in wet season. This indicates that the industrial activities and stromwater runoff represents an important sources of heavy metals around Shihwa Lake.