• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.11-19
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• 2012

Air-borne pollen, biogenically created aerosol particle, influences Earth's radiative balance, visibility impairment, and human health. The importance of pollens has resulted in numerous experimental studies aimed at characterizing their dispersion and transport, as well as health effects. There is, however, limited scientific information concerning the optical properties of airborne pollen particles contributing to total ambient aerosols. In this study, for the first time, optical characteristics of pollen such as aerosol backscattering coefficient, aerosol extinction coefficient, and depolarization ratio at 532 nm and their effect to the atmospheric aerosol were studied by lidar remotes sensing technique. Dual-Lidar observations were carried out at the Gwangju Institute of Science & Technology (GIST) located in Gwagnju, Korea ($35.15^{\circ}E$, $126.53^{\circ}N$) for a spring pollen event from 5 to 7 May 2009. The pollen concentration was measured at the rooftop of Gwangju Bohoon hospital where the building is located 1.0 km apart from lidar site by using Burkard trap sampler. During intensive observation period, high pollen concentration was detected as 1360, 2696, and $1952m^{-3}$ in 5, 6, and 7 May, and increased lidar return signal below 1.5km altitude. Pollen optical depth retrieved from depolarization ratio was 0.036, 0.021, and 0.019 in 5, 6, and 7 May, respectively. Pollen particles mainly detected in daytime resulting increased aerosol optical depth and decrease of Angstrom exponent.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.245-252
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• 2002

Airborne pollutants in the subway facilities can be potentially harmful to the health of passengers. This study was designed to examine whether the suspended particulates have mutagenic or carcinogenic effect on the plant cell systems. Total suspended particulates were collected with a high volume air sampler, in the entrance, the waiting room, and the platform of each subway station. The biological end -points in this experiment were the pink mutations in stamen hairs and micronuclei in the pollen mother cells of Tradescantia. The exudates were collected by shaking the filter papers from the sampler in distilled water for 24 hours. All the plant cuttings exposed to the exudates resulted in positive responses. The micronucleus assay proved more reliable and sensitive to the test than the stamen hair assay. The results indicate that the air particulates can give an adverse effect on the health of subway passengers.