• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.59-65
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• 2020

For monitoring the status of industrial accidents, many statistical indexes have been developed and applied such as fatal rate, frequency rate, and severity rate. These accident indexes are measured by frequency and loss time according to the accidents in the individual industry level. However, it is less considered to use the index of identifying the industrial concentration of accidents in the holistic view. Thus, this study aims to suggest the accident concentration level among domestic industries through index analysis. The concentration level of industrial accidents is calculated by the accident composition of sub-industries. This concentration level shows whether an industry is comprised of a few sub-industries generating more accidents or an industry consists of sub-industries having the similar number of accidents. To this end, the concentration rate (CR) and concentration index (CI) are proposed to take a look at the industry composition of accidents by embracing the concept of market concentration indexes such as Hirschman-Herfindahl Index. As for the case study, four industries of mining, manufacturing, transportation, and other business (usually service) are analyzed in terms of indexes of accident rate, death(fatality) rate, and CR and CI of accident and death. Finally, we illustrate the positioning map that the accident concentration level is compared with the traditional accident frequency level among industries.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.39-49
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• 2018

Background: A model to assess the activity concentration of agricultural products and the public ingestion dose as result of a nuclear accident is necessarily required to manage the contaminated agricultural systems by the accident, or to estimate the effects of chronic exposure due to food ingestion at a Level 3 PSA. Materials and Methods: A dynamic compartment model, which is composed of three sub-modules, namely, an agricultural plant contamination assessment model, an animal product contamination assessment model, and an ingestion dose assessment model has been developed based on Korean farming characteristics such as the growth characteristics of rice and stockbreeding. Results and Discussion: The application study showed that the present model can predict well the characteristics of the activity concentration for agricultural products and ingestion dose depending on the deposition date. Conclusion: The present model is very useful to predict the radioactivity concentration of agricultural foodstuffs and public ingestion dose as consequence of a nuclear accident. Consequently, it is expected to be used effectively as a module for the ingestion dose calculation of the Korean agricultural contamination management system as well as the Level 3 PSA code, which is currently being developed.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.133-140
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• 2016

Backgrounds: The accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), March 2011, caused serious radioactive contamination over wide area in east Japan. Therefore, it is important to know the effect of the accident and the status of NPP. Materials and Methods: This paper provides a review on the status of radiation dose and radioactive contamination caused by the accident on the basis of publicized information. Results and Discussion: Monitoring of radiation dose and exposure dose of residents has been conducted extensively by the governments and various organizations. The effective dose of general residents due to the accident proved to be less than a mSv both for external and internal dose. The equivalent committed dose of thyroid was evaluated to be a few mSv in mean value and less than 50 mSv even for children. Monitoring of radioactivity concentration has been carried out on food ingredients, milk and tap water, and actual meal. These studies indicated the percentage of foods above the regulation standard was over 10% in 2011 but decreasing steadily with time. The internal dose due to foods proved to be tens of ${\mu}Sv$ and much less than that due to natural $^{40}K$ even in the Fukushima area and decreasing steadily, although high level concentration is still observed in wild plants, wild mushrooms, animals and some kind of fishes. Conclusion: According to extensive studies, not only the effect of the accident but also the pathway and countermeasures against radioactive contamination have been revealed, and they are applied very effectively for restoration of environment and reconstruction of the area.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.43-50
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• 2023

Silicone tetrachloride (SiCl₄) leak accidents cause enormous human and environmental damage because it is highly toxic. Some handling facilities use water curtains to reduce the impact range of SiCl₄. Although the water curtain is known as one of the most efficient technologies for post-release mitigation, its effect on reducing SiCl₄ concentration needs to be investigated scientifically and quantitatively. In this study, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) was used to investigate the physical and chemical effects of water curtains as a release-mitigation system for SiCl₄. SiCl₄ is released and dispersed five seconds prior to the operation of the water curtain. Once the water curtain works, the SiCl₄ reacts chemically with the water and its concentration decreases rapidly; it reaches an emergency response planning guidelines level 2 (ERPG-2) of 5 parts per million (ppm) at about 570 m. We observed, however, that the physical effect of water curtains on reducing SiCl₄ concentration is insignificant when the chemical effect is eliminated. These results are crucial since they can be a scientific and quantitative basis for the 'technical guidelines for estimating the accident affected range'. In order to protect the public from chemical accidents, more toxic gas mitigation technologies need to be developed.

• Korean Journal of Culture and Social Issue
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.23-47
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• 2006

The purpose of this research is to study the relation between the change of driver's driving confidence level in the age categories and driving behavior. To survey the driving confidence level, we used the 'Driving Confidence Scale' questionnaire and surveyed the drive career, mileage, driving days, violation of traffic regulation (drunk driving, overspeed), traffic accident experience (assaulter, sufferer) together. The subjects of investigation were from 19-year-old to 80-year-old and 1,055 persons were participated in the research totally. To examinethe structure of driving confidence level, we executed the factor analysis. We compared the driving confidence level in the age categories (under 29-year-old, 30~39, 40~49, 50~64, over 65-year-old) and studied the relation between driving confidence level and driving behavior. Driving confidence level was composed of 4 factors such as 'insensibility to situation', 'unsafe driving', 'careless concentration' and 'self-efficacy of driving', and there was decreasing tendency for driving confidence level and overall driving behavior according to increasing age. Driving confidence level had the interrelation with age range, assaulting accident, suffered accident, driving period, drunk driving, overspeed, driving career and so on. We examined the difference of driving confidence level and driving behavior by dividing the participated drivers' groups into the traffic accident experienced group, drunk driving group and overspeed driving group, and there was a significant difference on driving confidence level and driving behavior between the group who had not experienced the violation of traffic regulation or traffic accident and another group who had experienced the violation of traffic regulation or traffic accident.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.16-25
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• 2020

Background: To investigate radiological effects on biota, it is necessary to assess radiation dose for flora and fauna living in a terrestrial ecosystem. This paper presents a dynamic model to assess radioactivity concentration and radiation dose of terrestrial flora and fauna after a nuclear accident. Materials and Methods: Litter, organic soil, mineral soil, trees, wild crops, herbivores, omnivores, and carnivores are considered the major components of a terrestrial ecosystem. The model considers the physicochemical and biological processes of interception, weathering, decomposition of litter, percolation, root uptake, leaching, radioactive decay, and biological loss of animals. The predictive capability of the model was investigated by comparison of its predictions with field data for biota measured in the Fukushima forest area after the Fukushima nuclear accident. Results and Discussion: The predicted radioactive cesium inventories for trees agreed well with those for evergreens and deciduous trees sampled in the Fukushima area. The predicted temporal radioactivity concentrations for animals were within the range of the measured radioactivity concentrations of deer, wild boars, and black bears. The radiation dose for the animals were, for the whole simulation time, estimated to be much smaller than the lower limit (0.1 mGy·d^-1) of the derived consideration reference level given by the International Commission on Radiological Protection for terrestrial flora and fauna. This suggested that the radiation effect of the accident on the biota in the Fukushima forest would be insignificant. Conclusion: The present dynamic model can be used effectively to investigate the radiological risk to terrestrial ecosystems following a nuclear accident.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.196-203
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• 2018

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess environmental risk on the emerging contaminants of concern, such as ivermetin, parziquantel, tamiflu and triclosan. Furthermore, we tried to provide a more efficient management practice and a basis for future studies of risk assessment on those substances. Methods: Predicted no effect concentration (PNEC) and predicted environmental concentration (PEC) were determined through modeling and literature reviews. Environmental risk assessment was evaluated by calculating HQ (hazard quotient) by a comparison of PEC (or measured environmental concentration (MEC)) and PNEC. Results: HQ value of tamiflu calculated from MEC was 1.9E-03. For ivermectin and triclosan, the HQ values were not available because these were not detected in the aquatic environment. The toxicity of ivermectin and triclosan showed a very low value, indicating a high level of HQ. However, praziquantel can be categorized into the material that do not require management since they have less than HQ 1. Conclusion: Based on the results of the initial risk assessment, it is assumed that the ivermectin and triclosan have potential to cause direct adverse effects on the aquatic environment. To conduct an accurate environmental risk assessment, the further study on PEC estimation of such contaminants should be actively carried out.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.144-156
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• 2018

Level 3 Probabilistic Safety Assessment (PSA) is performed for the risk assessment that calculates radioactive material dispersion to the environment. This risk assessment is performed with a tool of MELCOR Accident Consequence Code System (MACCS2 or WinMACCS). For the off-site consequence analysis of multi-unit nuclear power plant (NPP) accident, the single location (Center Of Mass, COM) method has been usually adopted with the assumption that all the NPPs in the nuclear site are located at the same COM point. It was well known that this COM calculation can lead to underestimated or overestimated radionuclide concentration. In order to overcome this underestimation or overestimation of radionuclide concentrations in the COM method, Multiple Location (ML) method was developed in this study. The radionuclide concentrations for the individual NPPs are separately calculated, and they are summed at every location in the nuclear site by the post-processing of radionuclide concentrations that is based on two-dimensional Gaussian Plume equations. In order to demonstrate the efficiency of the ML method, radionuclide concentrations were calculated for the six-unit NPP site, radionuclide concentrations of the ML method were compared with those by COM method. This comparison was performed for conditions of constant weather, yearly weather in Korea, and four seasons, and the results were discussed. This new ML method (1) improves accuracy of radionuclide concentrations when multi-unit NPP accident occurs, (2) calculates realistic atmospheric dispersion of radionuclides under various weather conditions, and finally (3) supports off-site emergency plan optimization. It is recommended that this new method be applied to the risk assessment of multi-unit NPP accident. This new method drastically improves the accuracy of radionuclide concentrations at the locations adjacent to or very close to NPPs. This ML method has a great strength over the COM method when people live near nuclear site, since it provides accurate radionuclide concentrations or radiation doses.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.60-71
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• 2023

The purpose of this study is to propose a quantitative toxicity endpoint distance suitable for the initial response of firefighters by comparing and analyzing the commonly applied toxic level of concern (T-LOC), specifically emergency response planning guidelines (ERPG), acute exposure guideline levels (AEGL), and immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH). This is to protect the fire brigade, which responds to toxic chemical accidents first during the golden time. Using areal locations of hazardous atmospheres, a damage prediction program, the amount of leakage for both acidic and basic substances, along with the endpoint distance, were analyzed for alternative accident and worst-case accident scenarios. The results showed that the toxicity endpoint distance, serving as a compromise between Level-3 and Level-2 of T-LOC, was longer than ERPG-3 and shorter than ERPG-2 with IDLH, while its values were analyzed in the order of ERPG-2, AEGL-2, IDLH, AEGL-3, and ERPG-3. It is suggested that the application of IDLH in an emergency (red card) and ERPG-2 endpoint distance in a non-emergency (non-red card) can be utilized for the initial response of the fire brigade.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.881-892
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• 2016

Following the Fukushima accident and its extended station blackout, attention was brought to the importance of the spent fuel pools' (SFPs) behavior in case of a prolonged loss of the cooling system. Since then, many analytical works have been performed to estimate the timing of hypothetical fuel uncovery for various SFP types. Experimentally, however, little was done to investigate issues related to the formation of a flammable gas mixture, distribution, and stratification in the SFP building itself and to some extent assess the capability for the code to correctly predict it. This paper presents the main outcomes of the Experiments on Spent Fuel Pool (ESFP) project carried out under the auspices of Swissnuclear (Framework 2012-2013) in the PANDA facility at the Paul Scherrer Institut in Switzerland. It consists of an experimental investigation focused on hydrogen concentration build-up into a SFP building during a predefined scaled scenario for different venting positions. Tests follow a two-phase scenario. Initially steam is released to mimic the boiling of the pool followed by a helium/steam mixture release to simulate the deterioration of the oxidizing spent fuel. Results shows that while the SFP building would mainly be inerted by the presence of a high concentration of steam, the volume located below the level of the pool in adjacent rooms would maintain a high air content. The interface of the two-gas mixture presents the highest risk of flammability. Additionally, it was observed that the gas mixture could become stagnant leading locally to high hydrogen concentration while steam condenses. Overall, the experiments provide relevant information for the potentially hazardous gas distribution formed in the SFP building and hints on accident management and on eventual retrofitting measures to be implemented in the SFP building.