• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.287-295
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• 2010

Dust samples have been collected from streets, schools, subway stations and households in Daegu metropolitan city. Samples were sieved through a 100 ${\mu}m$ mesh and the concentration of 14 elements have been determined using by ICP after acid extraction. Results showed that Ca, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na and V were influenced by natural sources while Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn were influenced by anthropogenic sources. The measured values were remarkably higher in components from natural sources than in components from anthropogenic sources. In particular, school dust had higher levels of Ca and Pb and subway station dust had higher levels of Cu and Zn. The percentage composition of chemicals from subway stations, households, and schools were remarkably higher in components from anthropogenic sources than that from streets. It is well recognized that anthropogenic sources were affected by indoor dust. Results of pollution index of hazardous heavy metals indicated that schools, households, and subway stations were more contaminated than streets and urban areas typically had higher pollution index than rural areas. The correlation analysis among trace elements seem to suggest that there were correlations between components of soil/road dust resuspension, and components of waste incineration and fuel combustion.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.122-128
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: Mine drainage from metal mining districts is a well-recognized source of environmental contamination. Oxidation of metal sulfides in mines, mine dumps and tailing impoundments produces acidic, metal-rich waters that can contaminate the local surface water and soil. METHODS AND RESULTS: This experiment was carried out to investigate the pollution assessment of heavy metal on the water quality of mine drainage, paddy soils and sediment in lower watershed affected by mine drainage of the Sambo mine. The average concentrations of dissolved Cd (0.018~0.035 mg/L) in mine drainage discharged from the main waste rock dumps(WRD) was higher than the water quality standards (0.01 mg/L) for agricultural water in Korea. Also, the average concentrations of dissolved Zn, Fe and Mn were higher than those of recommended maximum concentrations (Zn 2.0, Fe 5.0, Mn 0.2 mg/L) of trace metal in irrigation water proposed by FAO (1994). The average contents of Pb and Zn in paddy soils was higher than those of standard level for soil contamination(Pb 200, Zn 300 mg/kg) in agricultural soil by Soil Environmental Conservation Act in Korea. Also, the concentrations of Cd, Pb and Zn in sediment were higher than those of standard level for soil contamination (Cd 10, Pb 400, Zn 600 mg/L) in waterway soil by Soil Environmental Conservation Act in Korea. The enrichment factor (EFc) of heavy metals in stream sediments were in the order as Cd>Pb>Zn> As>Cu>Cr>Ni. Also, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) of heavy metals in stream sediments were in the order as Zn>Cd>Pb>Cu>As>Cr>Ni, specially, the geoaccumulation index (Igeo) of Zn (Igeo 3.1~6.2) were relatively higher than that of other metals in sediment. CONCLUSION(s): The results indicate that stream water and sediment were affected by mine drainage discharged from the Sambo mine at least to a distance of 1 km downstream (SN-1, SN-2) of the mine water discharge point.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.8
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• pp.1270-1276
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• 2013

Laver, a red algae belonging to the genus Porphyra tenera, is one of the most widely consumed edible seaweeds in Korea, China, and Japan. Lavers are usually consumed in dried, roasted, and seasoned forms to improve their palatability. We evaluated the composition of amino acids, minerals, and trace heavy metals in these three differently cooked forms of laver. The moisture and ash contents of three differently cooked lavers ranged from 1.49~9.69% and 6.07~10.31%, respectively. The crude protein and lipid content ranged from 17.24~36.88% and 0.52~42.42%, respectively. Dried laver was found to be a good source of amino acids such as taurine, alanine, and glutamic acid (871.10 mg, 833.53 mg, and 719.77 mg per 100 g dry weight, respectively). Laver was a good source of macro and micro minerals such as K, Ca, Mg, Na, P, I, and Fe, although laver more extensively cooked (roasted and seasoned) contained less minerals compared to the dried form. Mercury levels in the three differently cooked forms of laver were all less than 100 ng/g dry weight (the limit of detection with our methodology). The levels of arsenic were the most abundant elements in the differently cooked laver. There was a clear variation, depending on the cooking process, in terms of amino acid, mineral, and trace metal contents of laver.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.1
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• pp.64-77
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• 2021

Objective: Biological monitoring of trace elements in human blood samples has become an important indicator of the health environment. The purpose of this study was to detect and evaluate multiple metal items in blood samples based on ICP-MS, to perform comparative evaluation with the existing analysis method, and to develop and verify a new method. Methods: 100 μL of whole blood from 80 healthy subjects was used to analyze ten metals (Sb, tAs, Cd, Pb, Mn, Hg, Mo, Ni, Se, Tl) using ICP-MS. Verification of the analysis method included calculation of linearity, accuracy, precision and detection limits. In addition, a comparative test with the conventional graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS) method was performed. In the case of Pb, Cd, and Hg in whole blood, cross-analysis between Pb, Cd, and Hg analysis methods was performed to confirm the difference between the existing method and the new method (ICP-MS). Results: The coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.999 or higher in seven items and 0.995 or higher in three items. The Pb result showed that Pearson's correlation coefficient was very high at 0.983, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.966. The Cd result showed that Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.917 between the existing method and the new analysis concentration value. Its intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.960, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. Hg had a low correlation at 0.687, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.761, which was lower than that of Pb and Cd. The intra-day and inter-day accuracy of Pd and Cd were satisfactory, but Hg did not meet the criteria for both accuracy and precision when compared with the conventional analysis method. Conclusion: This study can be meaningful in that it proposes a more efficient and feasible analysis method by verifying a blood heavy metal concentration experiment using multiple simultaneous analyses. All samples were processed and analyzed using the new ICP-MS. It was confirmed that the agreement between the two methods was very high, with the agreement between the current and new methods being 0.769 to 0.998. This study proposes an efficient simultaneous methodology capable of analyzing multiple elements with small samples. In the future, studies of various applications and the reliability of ICP-MS analysis methods are required, and research on the verification of accurate, precise, and continuous analysis methods is required.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.141-149
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• 1980

Contents of heavy metals in various bran layers of rice collected from Kyeong Nam province in 1978, were determined. The components of crude prote in, crude fat, crude cellulose, and ash in all the rice samples were found to be most concentrated in the rice of each layer of brown, 70% polished, and 90% polished, but the contents of crude protein (9.22%), crude fat (1.16%), crude cellulose (1.01%), and ash (0.38%) in polished rice decreased rapidly. On the other hand, the amounts of nitrogenfree extract in the rice were showed increasingly toward the inner layer and those of polished rice were 75.54%. The contents of lead, zinc, nickel, cadmium, and arsenic in bran layer of rice decreased in order of that of 90% polished, 70% polished, brown, and polished rice. Their amounts in polished rice were lead, $0.054{\sim}0.610ppm$; zinc, $9.830{\sim}19.093ppm$; nickel, trace-1.776ppm; cadmium, trace-0.039ppm; arsenic, ND-0.170ppm. It was shown that copper was more concentrated in the layer of 90% polished rice $(0.581{\sim}1.476ppm)$, and iron more in brown rice $(27.971{\sim}66.569ppm)$ than in any other portion, whereas mercury $(0.006{\sim}0.072ppm)$, chromium $(1.538{\sim}7.822ppm)$, and manganese $(57.371{\sim}179.252ppm)$ were much contained in the layer of 70% polished rice. Their amounts in polished rice were copper, $0.218{\sim}0.858ppm$; iron, $1.480{\sim}9.573ppm$; mercury, $0.006{\sim}0.027ppm$; chromium, ND-1.520ppm; and manganese, $6.730{\sim}11.562ppm$.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.229-238
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• 2023

Bentonite is a type of rock that has been used as a traditional mineral medicine. It has a variety of pharmacological activities, and is used in traditional Korean medicine to treat jaundice, diarrhea, and hemostasis. In modern medicine, it is used as a raw material and additive for medicines such as antacids, gastrointestinal protective agents, and laxatives. Bentonite produced in Korea was produced through diagenesis or hydrothermal alteration of tertiary volcanic debris distributed in the Pohang and Gyeongju areas. It is mainly used for industrial purposes such as papermaking, paint, civil engineering, casting, and animal feed. Recently, technology is being developed to use it in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. In this study, the geochemical characteristics of bentonite were identified by analyzing the main components and trace elements of 40 and 21 types of bentonite produced in the Gampo Gyeongju and Yeonil Pohang area. Also it were classifed by formation envrionment of bentonite deposits in the Gampo and Yeonil. As a result of the study, bentonite from the reserch area may be cased by argillic alteraton that alkali elements are removed form basaltic rocks by hydrothermal fluids and AI-CCPI alteration indices wrere also indentified argillic alteraton. It was found that there is a correlation between the behavior characteristics of heavy metal elements (P b, Cr, As) and the hydrothermal alteration of bentonite in the reserch area.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.114-125
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• 2016

In this study, 165 wastewater discharge facilities in 10 business types were investigated with regard to 24 specific hazardous substances that included heavy metals, VOCs, CN, and phenol in the Gwangju city. Cu in the range from from 0.008 to 35.420 mg/L was detected in all business types and the detection rate was 46.8 %. Other heavy metals, such as Cd, As, Hg, Pb, and Cr⁺⁶ were detected as well. However, their detection rates ranged between 0.6 and 1.8 %. CN and phenol were detected in one and five facilities, respectively. 12 species of VOCs were detected: chloroform 80.6 % (0.42 to 81.60 μg/L), benzene 16.4 % (1.49 to 3.31 μg/L), trichloroethylene 11.5 % (1.78 to 6.02 μg/L), 1,1-dichloroethylene 10.3 % (1.23 to 5.89 μg/L), and dichloromethane 8.5 % (0.28 to 968.86 μg/L) in the detection rate order. The concentration of VOCs was detected in trace amounts, except for dichloromethane that exceeded the effluent quality standard in three business types, namely, metal manufacturing, food industry, and car washing facility. Chloroform was detected in all business types, where 24.88 μg/L were detected in the laundry business and 53.41 μg/L in the water supply business; the mean concentration of chloroform in these two business types was higher than elsewhere. Therefore, for the disposal of non-degradable specific hazardous substances in industrial wastewater, it is necessary to introduce physical and chemical processes, such as activated carbon adsorption, fenton oxidation, ozone treatment, as well as photocatalyst and the UV radiation.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.207-213
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• 2010

This study investigated the potential of using bottom ash to be used as an adsorbent for the removal of lead (Pb) from aqueous solutions. The physical and chemical characteristics of bottom ash were determined, with a series of leaching and adsorption experiments performed to evaluate the suitability of bottom ash as an adsorbent material. Trace elements were present, such as silicon and aluminum, indicating that the material had a good adsorption capacity. All heavy metals leached during the Korea standard leaching test (KSLT) passed the regulatory limits for safe disposal, while batch adsorption experiments showed that bottom ash was capable of adsorbing Pb (experimental $q_e$ = 0.05 mg/g), wherein the adsorption rate increased with decreasing particle size. The adsorption data were then fitted to kinetic models, including Lagergren first-order and Pseudo-second order, as well as the Elovich equation, and isotherm models, including the Langmuir, Freundlich and Dubinin-Radushkevich isotherms. The results showed that pseudo-second order kinetics was the most suitable model for describing the kinetic adsorption, while the Freundlich isotherm best represented the equilibrium sorption onto bottom ash. The maximum sorption capacity and energy of adsorption of bottom ash were 0.315 mg/g and 7.01 KJ/mol, respectively.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.215-233
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• 2000

The national geochemical baseline mapping project has been conducted since 1996 to establish a quantitative assessment system for geochemical hazards in natural environments. The geochemical image maps have been edited for thirty-six elements(i.e., 10 major oxides and 26 trace elements) in light sediments, finer fraction than 150 $\mu$m, collected from first- to second-order streams(totally 11,000) over five provinces in the western half(ca. 45,000 km$^2$) of Korea. Natural background values of the elements were given for different geological environments. Based on the statistics, geochemical baselines were newly obtained for a quantitative hazard assessment on toxicity of heavy metals and deficiency of essential nutrients. Some chosen examples of geochemical hazards are presented based on new geochemical image maps and related baseline data.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.345-355
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• 2020

This study has been carried out to evaluate the leaching behavior of Tunisian phosphogypsum (PG) tailings in Skhira city (southern Tunisia). Two PG samples, including old and freshly deposited samples, were characterized in terms of physical, geotechnical, mechanical, chemical and mineralogical properties. Special attention was paid to their leaching behavior when subjected to standard leaching tests. Our results indicated that both samples are mainly composed of more than 31.85% CaO and 31.4% SO3, indicating the predominance of gypsum. This was further confirmed by XRD patterns that revealed the presence of characteristic reflections of gypsum, brushite, quartz and Maladrite. Compressive strength after 90 d exceeded 769 kPa, but still lower than that of natural sand (1,800 kPa). Leaching test was proposed as an appropriate method to determine the released contaminants from PG. The obtained results showed that Fluorine and Phosphorus are the most released elements from PG with 40 and 30%, respectively. The released Se, Cd, and Zn were the only trace elements that exceeded the threshold limits. It seemed that leached element concentrations were independent aging or particle size of the PG. Based on the assessment of leaching behavior, an integrated management approach of the PG deposits was proposed.