• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제51권4호
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• pp.355-361
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• 2008

Pollen is very important causing factor for allergy such as allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis, and asthma, and pollen allergy has a remarkable clinical impact all over Korea. The main pollination period covers about half the year, from spring to autumn, and the distribution of airborne pollen taxa of allergological interest is related to pollen season dynamics. Korean academy of pediatric allergy and respiratory diseases (KAPARD) has evaluated the pollen characteristics and nationwide pollen count for over 10 years since 1997. Airborne particles carrying allergens were collected daily from nationwide 8 stations (Seoul, Guri, Cheongju, Daegu, Kwangju, Busan, Kangneung, and Jeju) by using 7 days-Burkard sampler (Burkard Manufacturing Co Ltd, Hertfordshire, UK) in South Korea (July 1, 1997-June 30, 2007). They were counted and recorded along with the meteorological factors daily. Tree pollen is a major airborne allergen in spring, grass is most common in summer, and weed pollen is major pollen in autumn in Korea. There has two peak seasons for pollen allergy, as summer and autumn. There is some evidence suggesting that the prevalence of allergic diseases in Korea has been on the increase in the past decade. However, recent findings of the phase I and II studies of the international Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) study showed the absence of increases or little changes in prevalence of asthma symptoms and diagnosis rates in Korea, whereas the prevalence of allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis were increased. We reported the evidence that sensitization rate to weed pollen has been increased yearly since 1997 in childhood. Climate change and air pollution must be the major causing factors for the increase of pollen counts and sensitization rate to pollen. Climate change makes the plants earlier pollination and persisting pollination longer. In conclusion, data on pollen count and structure in the last few years, the pathogenetic role of pollen and the interaction between pollen and air pollutants with climate change gave new insights into the mechanism of respiratory allergic diseases in Korea.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제46권6호
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• pp.735-749
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• 2020

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate airborne pollen counts, inhalant allergen sensitization rate, and allergic disease prevalence among elementary school children in Ulsan, South Korea during 2012-2018. Methods: Burkard samplers for pollen were installed on rooftops in suburban and urban areas in Ulsan. A 24-hour sampling of airborne allergens was conducted six days/week from January 1, 2013 to November 31, 2018. Skin prick tests were done with a total of 4,246 primary school students residing in urban and suburban areas in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018. This study examined sensitization to 20 major inhalant allergens. Results: The highest monthly counts of airborne pollen were observed in April and September each year. Among the pollen identified over the six years, pine showed the highest pollen counts (44.3%), followed by oak (22.3%), alder (6.3%) and Japanese hops (4.3%). Tree pollen predominated from March to June, and weed pollen predominated from August to October. Higher sensitization rates for inhalant allergens were observed in Dermatophagoides farinae (42.4%), Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus (43.6%), cat fur (12.1%), birch (9.9%), oak (9.6%), and alder (8.7%). The inhalant allergen sensitization rate was highest in the group with comorbidity (asthma and/or rhinitis and atopic dermatitis), and respiratory allergic disease (asthma and/or rhinitis) was higher than that of atopic dermatitis. Conclusion: Both the counts of tree pollen in the air and the sensitization rate for tree pollen were high in Ulsan. The temporal change in respiratory allergic diseases was similar to that for the sensitization rate of tree pollen, such as oak. In the future, it is considered that additional continuous research on various inhalant allergens and pollen should be conducted.

• 한국대기환경학회지
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• 제29권6호
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• pp.780-788
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• 2013

This study attempted to determine important meteorological parameters related to airborne pollen concentrations in urban areas. Hourly pollen measurement data were prepared from a regular sampling with a volumetric Burkard spore trap at a site in the Ulsan city, during the spring season (March~May) of 2011. Results showed that the daily mean and maximum concentrations for total pollen counts during the spring season were statistically significantly correlated with both air temperature and wind speed; daily mean pollen concentration was the most highly related to daily maximum temperature (r=0.567, p<0.001). It was also identified that pollen concentration has a stronger relationship with wind speed at the rural site than at the urban one, which confirms that strong wind conditions over the pollen sources area can be favorable for pollen dispersal, resulting in increases in airborne pollen concentrations downwind. From the results of an oak-pollen episode analysis, it was found that there was a significant relationship between hourly variation of oak pollen concentrations and dynamic meteorological factors, such as wind and mixing height (representing the boundary layer depth); especially, a strong southwestern wind and elevated mixing height was associated with high nocturnal concentrations of oak pollen. This study suggests that temperature, wind, and mixing height can be important considerations in explaining the pollen concentration variations. Additional examination of complex interactions of multiple meteorological parameters affecting pollen behavior should be carried out in order to better understand and predict the temporal and spatial pollen distribution in urban areas.

• 대기
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• 제29권1호
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• pp.1-12
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• 2019

For the allergy patient who needs to know the situation about the extent of pollen risk, the National Institute of Meteorological Sciences developed a pollen forecasting system based on the Community Multiscale Air Quality Modeling (CMAQ). In the old system, pollen emission from the oak was estimated just based on the airborne concentration and meteorology factors, resulted in high uncertainty. For improving the quality of current pollen forecasting system, therefore the estimation of pollen emission is now corrected based on the observation of pollen emission at the oak forest to better reflect the real emission pattern. In this study, the performance of the previous (NIMS2014) and current (NIMS2016) model system was compared using observed oak pollen concentration. Daily pollen concentrations and emissions were simulated in pollen season 2016 and accuracy of onset and end of pollen season were evaluated. In the NIMS2014 model, pollen season was longer than actual pollen season; The simulated pollen season started 6 days earlier and finished 13.25 days later than the actual pollen season. The NIMS2016 model, however, the simulated pollen season started only 1.83 days later, and finished 0.25 days later than the actual pollen season, showing the improvement to predict the temporal range of pollen events. Also, the NIMS2016 model shows better performance for the prediction of pollen concentration, while there is a still large uncertainty to capture the maximum pollen concentration at the target site. Continuous efforts to correct these problems will be required in the future.

• 한국작물학회지
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• 제54권2호
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• pp.210-217
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• 2009

본 연구에서 실행한 LM 벼의 화분비산 연구는 non-LM벼와 잡초성 벼의 의도치 않은 교잡은 경작지의 생태계에 문제를 야기할 기능성이 커지고 있다. 본 연구는 이를 예방하기 위한 벼의 이격거리 설정을 위하여 수행하였다. 1. 벼의 개화기간의 개화시간$(10:00{\sim}14:00)$의 주풍은 남풍이었으며, 시간대별 풍속은 $0.94{\sim}1.77$ m/s이었다. 2. 개화기는 LM벼와 Wild벼가 일치하는 기간은 8일이였으며, LM벼와 Wild벼의 최성기는 4일의 차이가 있다. 3. LM벼의 화분이 non-LM벼보다 유의하게 작게 조사되었다. 4. 화분채집량은 위가 노출된 슬라이드 글라스가 위가 덮인 슬라이드 글래스 보다 많았으며 LM벼가 Wild벼보다 비산량이 많았다. 5. 벼 화분의 비산은 오전 10시부터 오후 2시까지 대부분 이루어졌다. 6. 거리에 따른 화분비산량은 1 m까지는 급격히 감소하였으며 2 m이상에서는 서서히 감소하는 전형적인 지수함수를 나타냈으며, 3 m이상에서는 거의 발견되지 않았다.

• 한국대기환경학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국대기환경학회 2006년도 춘계학술대회 논문집
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• pp.283-284
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• 2006

• 한국농림기상학회지
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• 제10권4호
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• pp.167-176
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• 2008

Airborne pollen is known as one of the major causal agents to respiratory allergic reactions. Daily number of pollen grains was monitored using Burkard volumetric spore traps at seven locations including Seoul and Jeju during 1997-2007. Pollen grains were observed throughout the year especially from February to November. They showed similar distribution patterns of species among locations except in Jeju, where Japanese cedar vegetation is uniquely found. Peak seasons for pollen grains from trees and weeds were March to May and August to October, respectively. Tree pollens were mainly composed of pine, oak, alder, and birch. Weed pollens were mainly from Japanese hop, Worm wood, and ragweed. Diameter of pollen grains, which has a typical range of $20{\sim}60{\mu}m$, has close relationship with allergenicity. Allergenicity of tree and weed pollens is higher than that of grass pollens in general. In the case of trees and shrubs, pine trees account for about 70% of all tree pollens. However, pine pollens are weak allergens. The remaining 30% of tree pollens, including alder trees, white birches, and oaks, are moderate to strong allergens despite the smaller numbers. Grass and weeds are also highly likely to cause allergies. Especially, the pollens of Wormwood and Japanese hop are highly likely to cause allergies. Daily fluctuations in the number of pollens have to do with a variety of meteorological factors, such as temperature and rainfall.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제47권2호
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• pp.124-128
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• 2014

Objectives: To evaluate the monthly variation in the airborne $(1{\rightarrow}3)-{\beta}$-D-glucan level throughout one year and its relationship with climatic factors (temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, hours of daylight, cloud cover, and pollen counts). Methods: A total of 106 samples were collected using a two-stage cyclone sampler at five outdoor sampling locations (on top of 5 university buildings). The kinetic limulus amebocyte lysate assay was used to obtain $(1{\rightarrow}3)-{\beta}$-D-glucan levels. Results: Airborne $(1{\rightarrow}3)-{\beta}$-D-glucan levels were significantly higher in the spring, particularly in April, and temperature was significantly related to $(1{\rightarrow}3)-{\beta}$-D-glucan levels (r=0.339, p<0.05). Conclusions: $(1{\rightarrow}3)-{\beta}$-D-glucan levels may be highest in the spring, and outdoor temperature may influence $(1{\rightarrow}3)-{\beta}$-D-glucan levels.

• The Korean Journal of Ecology
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• 제13권1호
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• pp.67-73
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• 1990

The airborne pollens were investigated by 11 pollen traps in Seoul from September to November, 1986 and from March to May, 1987. There were 25 families and 36 genera of which pollens were observed, the amount of airborne pollens was most in May, and least in November. Distribution patterns of ariborne pollens were that of herbs, such as Ambrosia, Artemisia, Humulus, and persicaria in fall, and that of trees, such as Alnus, Salix, Corylus, Pinus, Platanus Betula, and Quercus in spring. From the viewpoint of regional distribution, pollens were much observed at a residential section and an industrial area in fall, and at a park region in spring.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• 제55권9호
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• pp.322-329
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• 2012

Purpose: Aeroallergens are important causative factors of allergic diseases. Previous studies on aeroallergen sensitization rates investigated patients groups that had visited pediatric allergy clinics. In contrast, we investigated sensitization rates in a general population group of elementary school to teenage students in Incheon, Jeju, and Ulsan. Methods: After obtaining parental consent, skin-prick tests were performed on 5,094 students between March and June 2010. Elementary school students were tested for 18 common aeroallergens, whereas middle and high school students were tested for 25 allergens. The 25 allergens included Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Dermatophagoides farinae, pollen (birch, alder, oak, Japanese cedar, pine, willow, elm, maple, Bermuda grass, timothy grass, rye grass, orchard grass, meadow grass, vernal grass, mugwort, Japanese hop, fat hen, ragweed, and plantain), and mold (Penicillatum, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, and Alternaria). Results: The sensitization rates in descending order were 25.79% (D. pteronyssinus ), 18.66% (D. farinae ), 6.20% (mugwort), and 4.07% (willow) in Incheon; 33.35% (D. pteronyssinus ), 24.78% (D. farinae), 15.36% (Japanese cedar), and 7.33% (Alternaria) in Jeju; and 32.79% (D. pteronyssinus), 30.27% (D. farinae), 10.13% (alder), and 8.68% (birch) in Ulsan. The dust mite allergen showed the highest sensitization rate among the 3 regions. The sensitization rate of tree pollen was the highest in Ulsan, whereas that of Alternaria was the highest in Jeju. The ragweed sensitization rates were 0.99% in Incheon, 1.07% in Jeju, and 0.81% in Ulsan. Conclusion: The differences in sensitization rates were because of different regional environmental conditions and distinct surrounding biological species. Hence, subsequent nationwide studies are required.