• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.44 no.3
• /
• pp.227-237
• /
• 2018

Objectives: This study was investigated the characteristics of small-scale water works (SWW) in Gyeongnam area and conduct a health risk assessment of water-quality inspection items unfitted for water-quality standards (WQS). Methods: The characteristics of SWW in Gyeongnam province were analyzed using the data of SWW in the last three years (2014~2016) published in National Waterworks Information System. In addition, the health risk assessment for inspection items unfitted for WQS was carried out in four steps: hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Results: The total number of SWW in Gyeongnam area was gradually decreased from 2014 to 2016. In addition, drinking water sources of SWW were in the order of ground water, valley water, spring water, surface water, and river-bed water. The number of points unfitted for WQS in SWW by year was 22, 45, and 18 in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively, and a total of 112 points were found to unfit for WQS in SWW during 2014~2016. The hazard quotient (HQ) for fluoride, nitrate nitrogen, boron in the unfitted points for WQS was more than 1.0, and the mean values for turbidity and color in points unfitted for WQS were 2.38 nephelometric turbidity unit and 16.25 color unit, respectively. Conclusions: The HQ for fluorine, nitrate nitrogen and boron was more than 1.0 in points unfitted for WQS among SWW in Gyeongnam area, and the turbidity and the color degree exceeded WQS, which mean that there is a possibility of harmful impacts on the human health.

• Korean Journal of Health Education and Promotion
• /
• v.28 no.2
• /
• pp.125-137
• /
• 2011

Objectives: This paper estimates willingness to quit smoking(WQS) cigarette price among Korean adults and examines the factors related to WQS price. Methods: Data on 799 participants in a random dial telephone survey with questions designed based on Contingent Valuation Method were analyzed by conducting t-test, ${\chi}^2$ test, and OLS. Results: The median and the mean of the distribution of WQS prices were 3,000 won and 3,862 won, respectively. Age, household income, the amount of smoking, and the length of smoking period were related to WQS prices. Conclusions: The results show that increase in cigarette price could be an effective policy tool to make smokers quit smoking when the increase in cigarette prices is substantial enough to be over WQS prices. This implies that with its effect on low-income smokers to consider quitting smoking or reducing the amount of smoking, increase in cigarette price can be income-progressive in the long run by reducing the amount of expenditure spent on cigarette purchase.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
• /
• v.12 no.4
• /
• pp.259-270
• /
• 2003

To investigate the water quality and the pollution state of lower Yeongsan river system, 38 water samples were taken from the main stream of the Yeongsan river, Gomakwon and Hampyeong streams of the system in dry and flood seasons, May and August, 2001. The Yeongsan river is typically natural in accordance with pH-& diagram. But the chemistry based on Piper's diagram indicates that the river is influenced by seawater. BOD increases as the sampling sites are approaching the downstream in Gomakwon and Hampyeong streams overwhelming WQS V grade of 12.40mg/l. T-N and T-P of the river are mainly loaded not in above branch streams but in the main stream of the river, which are caused by manure for farming, domestic animal discharges and life-sewage, in possible. Meanwhile, heavy metal contents are below WQS or not detect in whole water samples. So, it shows that the above river waters be polluted by not industrial but life/agricultural foul waters.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
• /
• v.24 no.5
• /
• pp.592-597
• /
• 2008

Current water quality standard (WQS) in Korea is based on the protection of human health, not considering the protection of aquatic organisms. Most of chemicals can be toxic to ecological biota as well as human. Health of aquatic biota is closely related to the human health via food chain, therefore ecological risk based-WQS needs to be developed to protect the aquatic ecosystem. In this study, we selected the 31 chemicals in the Project entitled 'Development of integrated methodology for evaluation of water environment'. The methodology for calculating water quality criteria was derived from the Australian and New Zealand processes for deriving guideline trigger value for aquatic ecosystem. The available ecotoxicity data were collected from US EPA's ECOTOXicology Database (ECOTOX), TOX-2000 Database, European Chemicals Bureau (ECB)'s International Uniform Chemical Information Database (IUCLID) and Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)'s report 'Ambient Water Quality Criteria (AWQC)'. The aquatic toxicity data for the Korean species were selected for risk assessment to reflect the Korean water environment. The monitoring values were calculated from the water quality monitoring data four main Korean rivers. We suggested the order of priorities of chemicals based on ecological risk assessment. We expect that these results can be useful information for establishing the WQS for the protection of aquatic ecosystem.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.1
• /
• pp.34-42
• /
• 2008

Water quality standards (WQS) are mandatory to guarantee the human health and protection of aquatic ecosystems, and maintain the condition of suitable water quality. The present WQS for the protection of human health in Korea contain nine substances (As, Cd, $Cr^{6+}$, CN, Pb, Hg, ABS, organophosphorus compounds and PCBs), but it is insufficient to preserve the human and aquatic ecosystem from a variety of chemicals. Therefore, it is necessary to expand the substance of WQS for the protection of human health. In this study, we chose the 20 chemicals from 43 chemicals of the project entitled 'Development of Integrated Methodology for Evaluation of Water Environment'. The methodology for calculating water quality criteria was amended from the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)'s equation for deriving ambient water quality criteria for the protection of human health. The factors including fish intake, drinking water intake, and human body weight used in the equation reflected Korean situations. The monitoring values were derived from the water quality monitoring data in Korean four main rivers. The orders of priorities of chemicals were evaluated by human health risk assessment, and the proposed WQS was derived by technical and economic analyses. These results were reflected to expand the WQS for the protection of human health.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• /
• v.35
• /
• pp.23.1-23.14
• /
• 2023

Background: Exposure to heavy metals is a public health concern worldwide. Previous studies on the association between heavy metal exposure and neurobehavioral functions in children have focused on single exposures and clinical manifestations. However, the present study evaluated the effects of heavy metal complex exposure on subclinical neurobehavioral function using a Korean Computerized Neurobehavior Test (KCNT). Methods: Urinary mercury, lead, cadmium analyses as well as symbol digit substitution (SDS) and choice reaction time (CRT) tests of the KCNT were conducted in children aged between 10 and 12 years. Reaction time and urinary heavy metal levels were analyzed using partial correlation, linear regression, Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR), the weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression and quantile G-computation analysis. Results: Participants of 203 SDS tests and 198 CRT tests were analyzed, excluding poor cooperation and inappropriate urine sample. Partial correlation analysis revealed no association between neurobehavioral function and exposure to individual heavy metals. The result of multiple linear regression shows significant positive association between urinary lead, mercury, and CRT. BMKR, WQS regression and quantile G-computation analysis showed a statistically significant positive association between complex urinary heavy metal concentrations, especially lead and mercury, and reaction time. Conclusions: Assuming complex exposures, urinary heavy metal concentrations showed a statistically significant positive association with CRT. These results suggest that heavy metal complex exposure during childhood should be evaluated and managed strictly.

• Parasites, Hosts and Diseases
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.6-10
• /
• 1983

A study of infestation patterns for larval trematodes from fresh-water fish and brackish-water fish was carried out during the period from June to October in 1982. They were collected by netting, asking with rod and lino, and using the a bait of crushed oil cake in a transparent plastic bowls at the three localities, Daebon-dong, Kugil-dong, and Hoam-dong in the river Taechong, Kyungpook Province, Korea. Five species of fresh-water fish, the crussian carp, Carassius carassius Linnaeus, the bullhead, Coreobagrus brfvicorpus Mori, the fat minnow, Morose oxycephalus (Bleeker) , the flat bitterling, Paracheilognathus rhombea (Temminck et Schlegel) , and the catfish, Parasilurus asotus (Linnaeus), and two kinds of brackish-water fish, the grey mullet, Mugil cephalus(Linnaeus) and the sweet-fish, Plecoglossus aztivelis (Temminck et Schlegel) were examined. Four species of the metacercariae, Exorchis eviformis, Metacercaria hasegawai, Metorchis orientalis and undetermined larvae were found. Of these, the encysted larvae of the human intestinal fluke, Metagonimus yokegawai, were found from three kinds of fresh-water fish, the crussian carp, the bullhead and the fat minnow and one species of brackish-water fish, the sweets;sh and the infestation rates for the larvae varied appreciably from fish to fish. The intensity of infestation with the Metagonimus larvae in the three species of fresh-water fish was low, and the average number of the larvae per gram of flesh varied from 0.5 to 0.2. By comparison, the brackish-water fish wqs more heavily infested and the mean number of cysts per gram of flesh in Plecoglossus altivelis was 109.2. It was foung that infection with Metagonimus yokogawai os caused by consuming raw fresh-sater fish and brackish-water fish caught in the river Taechong, Kyungpook Province, Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.196-205
• /
• 2004

Water qualities (WQ) were measured biweekly from April 2nd to October 29th, 2003 in Sillicheon flowing into the entrance of Jumunjin Harbour and daily water quantities (river discharges) were estimated by the TANK model which has been widely used to compute the runoff discharges in the ungauged watersheds. The spatial and temporal change patterns of the measured WQs were analysed in detail and the correlation between rainfall - WQ and river discharge - WQ were also analysed. From this results, it is found that the correlation coefficient between BOD concentration and rainfall is 0.75 and between the SS concentration and 2-days river discharge is 0.36. The correlation between the COD, TN, TP in the station of Silli Lower Bridge and rainfall runoff quantity was analysed as un-correlated items. As a consequence, the estimated BOD and SS pollutants loads are reliable and show good change patterns even though the accuracy of SS pollutants load is slightly low. The estimated COD, TN and TP pollutants loads, however, can be used only as the reference or averaged values. In order to analyse more accurately the temporal change patterns of these items, more-detailed researches considering the artificial effects and landuse patterns are highly required.