• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제24권4호
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• pp.654-661
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• 2019

This study assessed the stabilization of fluorine (F)-contaminated soil using calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)₂) and the consequent changes in human health risk. The bioavailable F decreased to 3.5%, (i.e., 57.9 ± 1.27 mg/kg in 6% Ca(OH)₂-treated soil sample) from 43.0%, (i.e., 711 ± 23.4 mg/kg in control soil sample). This resulted from the conversion of water-soluble F to stable calcium fluoride, which was confirmed by XRD spectrometry. Soil ingestion, inhalation of fugitive dust from soil, and water ingestion were selected as exposure pathways for human health risk assessment. Non-carcinogenic risks of F in soils reduced to less than 1.0 after stabilization, ranging from 4.2 to 0.34 for child and from 3.0 to 0.25 for adult. Contaminated water ingestion owing to the leaching of F from soil to groundwater was considered as a major exposure pathway. The risks through soil ingestion and inhalation of fugitive dust from soil were insignificant both before and after stabilization, although F concentration exceeded the Korean soil regulatory level before stabilization. Our data suggested that substantial risk to human health owing to various potential exposure pathways could be addressed by managing F present in soil.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• 제18권4호
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• pp.221-227
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• 2013

A risk assessment of environmental media was performed for the inhabitants in the area of the abandoned Nokdong metal mine. Soil, groundwater, and crop samples were collected from September to October 2008 around the mine. After pretreatment of these samples, metal concentrations were measured, and a risk assessment was performed using the Korean soil-contamination risk assessment guidelines. Lead (Pb) and arsenic (As) intake rates were the highest for inhalation of soil dust. The cancer risks from ingestion of As-contaminated groundwater, inhalation of As-, Cd-, and Pb-contaminated soils, and contact of As-contaminated soils exceeded the acceptable risk. The sum of all carcinogenic risks was $9.29{\times}10^{-3}$. The non-carcinogenic risk was highest for ingestion of As-contaminated water (11.0), followed, in descending order, by inhalation of Hg-contaminated soil and ingestion of Pb-contaminated water. Most of the risks were associated with As, Cd, Pb, and Hg contamination, and therefore, these metals were considered to be potential toxic carcinogens and non-carcinogens for humans in this area. In this study, the non-carcinogenic risks of ingestion of contaminated water or crops, as well as those associated with the inhalation of soil dust were observed.

• 방사성폐기물학회지
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• 제2권3호
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• pp.181-188
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• 2004

방사성물질의 대기 누출 사고시 환경에서 핵종 거동을 모사하는 동적 섭식경로모델 DYNACON을 개선하여, 가축 (육우)의 공기 흡입과 토양 섭취가 육류 (쇠고기)의 방사능 오염에 미치는 영향을 고찰하였다. 이들 두 오염경로는 누출이 육우의 비방목 기간에 일어나는 경우에 육류의 오염에 있어서 결코 무시될 수 없는 경로라는 사실을 확인하였다. 특히 누출 후 대부분 기간에 걸쳐 토양 섭취에 의한 육류의 오염 영향이 공기 흡입에 의한 영향에 비해 우세하였다. 누출 기간동안 강우는 토양 섭취에 의한 육류의 오염에 중요한 요소로 작용하였으며, 이러한 현상은 단반감기 핵종인 $^{131}I$ 보다 장반감기 핵종인 $^{137}Cs$의 경우에 보다 뚜렷하였다. 이전에 수행된 우유에 대한 분석 결과와 비교하여 공기 흡입과 토양 섭취는 육류에 대해 보다 중요한 오염경로로 나타났는데, 이는 상대적으로 육류에서 핵종의 긴 생물학적 반감기 때문이다. 방목기간에 방사성물질이 대기로 누출되는 경우 누출 기간동안 강우의 유무에 관계없이 목초 섭취에 의한 오염 영향이 지배적이었으며, 결과적으로 토양 섭취와 공기 흡입에 의한 오염 영향은 우유의 경우와 마찬가지로 무시할 수 있는 수준이었다.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.8-14
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• 2019

Background: Management of an agricultural food product system following a nuclear accident is indispensable for reducing radiation exposure due to ingestion of contaminated food. The present study analyzes the effect of agricultural countermeasures on ingestion dose following a nuclear accident. Materials and Methods: Agricultural countermeasures suitable for domestic farming environments were selected by referring to the countermeasures applied after the Fukushima accident in Japan. The avertable ingestion doses that could be obtained by implementing the selected countermeasures were calculated using the Korean Agricultural Countermeasure Analysis Program (K-ACAP) to investigate the efficiency of each countermeasure. Results and Discussion: Of the selected countermeasures, the management of crops was effective when radionuclide deposition occurred during the growing season of plants. Treatment by soil additive and topsoil removal was effective when deposition occurred during the nongrowing season of plants. The disposal of milk was not effective owing to the small contribution of milk to the overall ingestion dose. Clean feeding of livestock was effective when deposition occurred during the growing season of fodder plants such as pasture and rice-straw. Finally, the effect of food restriction increased with the soil deposition density of radionuclide. The practical effect of countermeasures was very small when the avertable ingestion dose was absolutely low. Conclusion: The agricultural countermeasures selected to reduce the radionuclide ingestion dose after a nuclear accident must be made appropriate by considering the accident situation, such as the soil deposition density of the radionuclide and the deposition date in relation to farming cycles.

• 한국토양비료학회지
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• 제44권1호
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• pp.38-47
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• 2011

This study focused on health risk assessment via multi-routes of As exposure to establish a target cleanup level (TCL) in abandoned mines. Soil, ground water, and rice samples were collected near ten abandoned mines in November 2009. The As contaminations measured in all samples were used for determining the probabilistic health risk by Monte-Carlo simulation techniques. The human exposure to As compound was attributed to ground water ingestion. Cancer risk probability (R) via ground water and rice intake exceeded the acceptable risk range of $10^{-6}{\sim}10^{-4}$ in all selected mines. In particular, the MB mine showed the higher R value than other mines. The non-carcinogenic effects, estimated by comparing the average As exposure with corresponding reference dose were determined by hazard quotient (HQ) values, which were less than 1.0 via ground water and rice intake in SD, NS, and MB mines. This implied that the non-carcinogenic toxic effects, due to this exposure pathway had a greater possibility to occur than those in other mines. Besides, hazard index (HI) values, representing overall toxic effects by summed the HQ values were also greater than 1.0 in SD, NS, JA, and IA mines. This revealed that non-carcinogenic toxic effects were generally occurred. The As contaminants in all selected mines exceeded the TCL values for target cancer risk ($10^{-6}$) through ground water ingestion and rice intake. However, the As level in soil was greater than TCL value for target cancer risk via inadvertent soil ingestion pathway, except for KK mine. In TCL values for target hazard quotient (THQ), the As contaminants in soil did not exceed such TCL value. On the contrary, the As levels in ground water and polished rice in SD, NS, IA, and MB mines were also beyond the TCL values via ground water and rice intake. This study concluded that the health risks through ground water and rice intake were greater than those though soil inadvertent ingestion and dermal contact. In addition, it suggests that the abandoned mines to exceed the risk-based TCL values are carefully necessary to monitor for soil remediation.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제28권4호
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• pp.299-309
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• 2003

동적 섭식경로모델 DYNACON을 개선하여 원자력시설의 사고시 환경으로 누출된 방사성물질에 의한 가축의 공기 흡입과 토양 섭취에 따른 축산물의 오염 영향을 고찰하였다. 이들 두 오염경로에 대한 수학적 모델은 고려되는 모든 축산물에 대해 수립되었지만 결과에 대한 상세 고찰은 우유에 국한하였다. 젖소의 공기 흡입과 토양 섭취는 방사성물질의 환경 누출이 목초가 성장하지 않는 비방목 기간에 일어나는 경우에 우유의 중요한 오염경로가 될 수 있다는 사실을 알 수 있었다. 비방목 기간동안 방사성물질이 환경으로 누출되는_경우 초기에는 공기 흡입이 토양 섭취에 의한 영향보다 높으나, 시간이 경과할수록 토양 섭취가 우유의 오염에 있어서 지배적 영향을 미쳤다. 이러한 현상은 전반적으로 지상으로 상대적으로 많은 침적을 일어나게 하는 누출기간 중 강우가 있는 경우에 보다 뚜렷하였다. $^{137}Cs$과 $^{90}Sr$의 경우와 달리 $^{131}I$은 누출기간 중 강우에 거의 영향을 받지 않았다. 방목기간에 방사성물질이 환경으로 누출되는 경우 누출기간 중 강우의 유무에 관계없이 공기 흡입에 의한 우유의 오염 영향은 무시 가능한 수준이었다.

• 한국지하수토양환경학회지:지하수토양환경
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• 제16권2호
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• pp.12-29
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• 2011

Risk-based screening levels (RBSLs) of some pollutants for residential adults were derived with risk assessment tools developed by United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM), and Korea Ministry of Environment (KMOE) and compared each other. To make the comparison simple, ingestion of soil, dermal contact with soil, outdoor inhalation of vapors, indoor inhalation of vapors, and inhalation of soil particulates were chosen as exposure pathways. The results showed that the derived RBSLs varied for every exposure pathway. For direct exposure pathways (i.e., ingestion of soil and dermal contact with soil), the derived RBSLs varied mainly due to the different default values for exposure factors and toxicity data. When identical default values for the parameters were used, the same RBSLs could be derived regardless of the assessment tools used. For inhalation of vapors and inhalation of soil particulates, however, different analysis methods for cross-media transfer rates were used and different assumptions were established for each tool, identical RBSLs could not be obtained even if the same default values for exposure factors were used. Especially for inhalation of soil particulates pathway, screening level derived using KMOE approach (most conservative) was approximately 5000~10000 times lower than the screening level derived using ASTM approach (least conservative). Our results suggest that, when deriving RBSL using a specific tool, it is a prerequisite to technically review the analysis methods for cross-media transfer rates as well as to understand how the assessment tool derives the default values for exposure factors.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• 제17권2호
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• pp.15-23
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• 1992

논-쌀-사람 경로에서 동적모델을 이용하여 Cs-137과 Sr-90의 거동을 분석하고 쌀 섭취에 의한 내부피폭 선량을 계산하였다. 토양 흡착력이 큰 Cs-137이 더 오랫동안 논 토양에 잔류하였다. 벼 성장기간 중에 침적이 있을 때는 엽면침적경로에 의한 오염이 지배적이었다.

• 한국원자력학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국원자력학회 2003년도 추계학술발표대회 요약집
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• pp.444.2-444.2
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• 2003

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• 제55권4호
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• pp.1460-1467
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• 2023

A robust approach was conducted to determining the absolute oral bioavailable (f_ab) fractions of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th in rats exposed to contaminated soil along with their hematotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The soil sample is the International Atomic Energy Agency-312 (IAEA-312) certified reference material, whereas blood, bones, and kidneys of in vivo female Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats estimate ²³⁸U- and ²³²Th-f_ab fractions post-exposure. We predict the bioavailable concentration (C_ab) and f_ab values of ²³⁸U and ²³²Th after acute soil ingestion. The blood ²³⁸U (0.750%) and ²³²Th (0.028%) reach their maximum f_ab values after 48 h. The ²³⁸U (f_ab: 0.169-0.652%) accumulates mostly in the kidney, whereas the ²³²Th (f_ab: 0.004-0.021%) accumulates primarily in the bone. Additionally, ²³⁸U is more bioavailable than ²³²Th. Post 48 h acute ingestion demonstrates noticeable histopathological and hematological alterations, implying that intake of ²³⁸U in co-contaminated soil can lead to erythrocytes and proximal tubules damage, whereas, ²³²Th intake can harm erythrocytes. Our study provides new directions for future research into the health implications of acute oral exposures to ²³⁸U and ²³²Th in co-contaminated soils. The findings offer significant insight into the utilization of in vivo SD rat testing to estimate ²³⁸U and ²³²Th bioavailability and toxicity in exposure assessment.