• Journal of the Korean Society of Urban Environment
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.547-555
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• 2018

In addition to North America and Europe, Korea is also responding to the toxic damage caused by the production and distribution of chemicals. Methods for assessing bio-toxicity of harmful substances have been widely introduced, but it is required of quantitative and speedy information for modeling. For 6 heavy metals, as zinc, copper, chrome, cadmium, mercury and lead, bio-toxicity assessment and kinetics model were constructed using Vibrio fischeri which is widely used luminous bacteria. The degree of luminescence activity and the toxicity of heavy metals were relative limunescence unit, RLU measured as by using a photomultiplier embedded device. The toxicity was assessed by the concentration levels giving under 20% lethality and lethal concentration, $EC_{50}$. In the results, the toxicity order were followed from mercury, lead, copper, chrome, zinc and cadmium. $EC_{{50},{\infty}}$ obtained by trends of $EC_{50}$ by time follows had highly linear agreement with main parameters of bio-toxicity modelling. The average error rates of the reproduced lethality obtained from DAM and TDM model on the basis of body residue, were 10.2% for mercury, lead, copper, chrome and 20.0 for the all 6 methals.

• Journal of Microbiology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.77-82
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• 2006

The tea looper caterpillar, Ectropis obliqua, is one of the major pests of tea bushes. E. obliqua single-nucleocapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (EcobSNPV) has been used as a commercial pesticide for biocontrol of this insect. However only limited genetic analysis for this important virus has been done up to now. EcobSNPV was characterized in this study. Electron microscopy analysis of the occlusion body showed polyhedra of 0.7 to $1.7\;{\mu}m$ in diameter containing a single nucleocapsid per envelope of the virion. A 15.5 kb genomic fragment containing EcoRI-L, EcoRI-N and HindIII-F fragments, was sequenced. Analysis of the sequence revealed that the fragment contained eleven potential open reading frames (ORFs): lef-1, egt, 38.7k, rrl, polyhedrin, orfl629, pk-1, hoar and homologues to Spodoptera exigua multicapsid NPV (SeMNPV) ORFs 15, 28, and 29. Gene arrangement and phylogeny analysis suggest that EcobSNPV is closely related to the previously described Group II NPV. Bioassays on lethal concentration $(LC_{50}\;and\;LC_{90})$ and lethal time $(LT_{50}\;and\;LT({90})$ were conducted to test the susceptibility of E. obliqua larvae to the virus.

• Journal of Marine Life Science
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.129-138
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• 2022

Crucian carp, Carassius carassius (Weight 42.4 ± 9.0 g, Length 15.0 ± 1.0 cm) were exposed to waterborne zinc at 0, 5, 10, 20, 40 and 80 mg Zn²⁺/l for 96 hours. The lethal concentration 50 (LC₅₀) at 96 hours of crucian carp, C. carassius exposed to waterborne zinc was 51.58 mg Zn²⁺/l. In hematological parameters, the RBC count was significantly decreased in the concentration of 40 mg Zn²⁺/l at 48 hours, whereas the hematocrit was significantly increased by zinc exposure. The MCV (mean corpuscular volume) (µl) and MCH (mean corpuscular hemoglobin) (pg) were significantly increased in the concentration of 40 mg Zn²⁺/l at 48 hours. The plasma components such as calcium, magnesium, glucose, cholesterol, total protein and ALT (Alanine aminotransminase) were significantly changed by zinc exposure. The results of this study suggest that the zinc exposure to C. carassius induced the significant physiological changes in the hematological parameters and plasma components as toxicity.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.30
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• pp.3.1-3.6
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• 2015

Objectives This study aims to evaluate the size-dependent toxicity of spherical silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) to an endemic benthic organism, Glyptotendipes tokunagai. Methods Ag nanoparticles of three nominal sizes (50, 100, and 150 nm) capped with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP-Ag NPs) were used. Their physicochemical properties, acute toxicity (48 hours), and bioaccumulation were measured using third instar larvae of G. tokunagai. Results The aggregation and dissolution of PVP-Ag NPs increased with exposure time and concentration, respectively, particularly for 50 nm PVP-Ag NPs. However, the dissolved concentration of Ag ions was not significant compared with the median lethal concentration value for $AgNO_3$ (3.51 mg/L). The acute toxicity of PVP-Ag NPs was highest for the smallest particles (50 nm), whereas bioaccumulation was greatest for the largest particles (150 nm). However, larger PVP-Ag NPs were absorbed and excreted rapidly, resulting in shorter stays in G. tokunagai than the smaller ones. Conclusions The size of PVP-Ag NPs significantly affects their acute toxicity to G. tokunagai. In particular, smaller PVP-Ag NPs have a higher solubility and stay longer in the body of G. tokunagai, resulting in higher toxicity than larger PVP-Ag NPs.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.694-700
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• 2018

To investigate the effect of heavy metals (Cu, Cd, Hg, Pb, Zn) on mosquito Culex pipiens, 50% lethal concentration ($LC_{50}$) concentration, total lipid content, lipid content composition, and total protein content were measured. The results showed that the Hg $LC_{50}$ was $0.45mg\;kg^{-1}$ and the Hg toxicity was higher than the other metals. The results also showed that cadmium (Cd) significantly retarded the growth of mosquito larvae among the tested heavy metals. Six types of lipid bands were isolated from mosquito samples exposed to heavy metals, and five of them were identified (phospholipid, cholesterol, fatty acid, triglyceride, and cholesterol ester). The total lipid content of all treatments decreased compared to the control. In addition, the protein content of the control group ($0.51mg\;ind.^{-1}$) was higher than that of the treated group, and the protein content of the larvae treated with Hg and Cd was very low. In conclusion, heavy metals not only lower the survival rate of mosquitoes, but also affect the protein content and lipids in the mosquito's body, thereby causing growth inhibition. These results indicate that heavy metal contamination will affect the size of mosquito population by inhibiting the survival and growth of mosquitoes, and it is expected that it can be used to measure the degree of contamination using mosquito through subsequent studies.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.392-396
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• 2007

Aquatic ecotoxicity of bisphenol A, a well-known endocrine disrupter in mammals, was studied using laboratory-reared Daphnia magna as a test organism. The static acute 48 h $EC_{50}$ of bisphenol A for daphnid neonates(<24 hold) was 12.9 mg/l and 110 h $LC_{50}$ values of bisphenol A for daphnid embryos of different ages after deposition into the brood chamber increase with ages in the range of 1.55 mg/l-8.91 mg/l. Also, 48 h $EC_{50}s$ generally increase with daphnid's ages in the range of 12.9 mg/l-19.8 mg/l. In the acute toxicity tests using mature daphnids, the lethal response and immobility all showed good concentration-response relationship with exposure concentration and exposure time, showing little difference between lethality and immobility. These results clarify that acute toxicity tests, using daphnid and its embryo, could also be useful tools easily available for the assessment of ecotoxicity of various harmful chemicals.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.181-189
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• 2016

The aim of this study was to identify the effects of dithiopyr (DTP), a herbicide, on behavior in zebrafish. The toxicity of DTP has rarely been investigated in fish. In the present study, zebrafish were exposed to different concentrations of DTP in the range of 10-20 μM for 48 h in a test container, in order to measure the value of median lethal concentrations (LC₅₀). Behavioral experiments were performed, including the novel tank test (NTT) and the open field test (OFT), to assess stress responses or locomotion. After exposure to the DTP solution at a sublethal concentration of 2.5–10 μM for 6 min, the behavior of the zebrafish was observed for 6 min. In the acute toxicity test, the LC₅₀ value of DTP showed as 14.49 μM in the zebrafish. The NTT showed that the duration of immobility and the velocity were significantly increased by exposure at a concentration of 5 μM of DTP, compared with a control group (p<0.05). However, compared with the control group, DTP significantly decreased the distance moved and the frequency at the top of the tank, and significantly increased the turn angle and duration at the bottom, in a concentration-dependent manner (p<0.05). In addition, in the OFT, exposure to DTP significantly decreased the distance moved and velocity compared with the control group (p<0.05). Exposure to DTP also significantly increased the duration of immobility, the turn angle, and the meandering movement, in a concentration-dependent manner (p<0.05). Further, exposure to DTP at a low concentration elevated whole-body cortisol levels in the zebrafish. The results of this study thus suggest that DTP induces a toxic response and negative effects on behavior and the endocrine system in zebrafish.

• Journal of Aquaculture
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.177-182
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• 1992

Experiments were conducted with goldfish exposed to various levels of mercuric chloride(control group) and mercuric chloride with chitosan (experimental group). Dilutions of these two solutions were made in the concentration ranges 0.6 to 1.0 $mg/{\ell}$ and 1.2 to 2.0 $mg/{\ell}$, respectively. Fifty percent lethal concentration of mercuric chloride($LC_{50}$) for 48 hours with the species was between 0.6 and 0.7 $mg/{\ell}$. Exposure of goldfish to mercury produced a marked, dose-dependent mortality with elevation of concentration (P<0.05). However, at each concentration of mercuric chloride treated with chitosan, mortality decreased significantly compared to control group (P<0.05).

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.11
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• pp.318-327
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• 2017

Background: A typical sewage treatment plant is designed for organic and nutrient removal from municipal sewage water and not targeted to eliminate micropollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and nano-sized metals which become a big concern for sustainable human and ecological system and are mainly discharged from sewage treatment plant. Therefore, despite contaminant removal by wastewater treatment processes, there are still remaining environmental risks by untreated pollutants in STP (sewage treatment plant) effluents. This study performed aquatic toxicity tests of raw wastewater and treated effluents in two sewage treatment plants to evaluate toxicity reduction by wastewater treatment process and analyze concentration of contaminants to reveal potential toxic factors in STP effluents. Methods: Water samples were collected from each treatment steps of two STPs, and acute and chronic toxicity tests were conducted following USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) and OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) guidelines. Endpoints were immobility for mortality and reproduction effect for estrogenicity. Results: Acute $EC_{50}s$ (median effective concentration) of influents for Seungki (SK) and Jungnang (JN) STPs are $54.13{\pm}32.64%$ and $30.38{\pm}24.96%$, respectively, and reduced to $96.49{\pm}7.84%$ and 100%. Acute toxicity reduction was clearly correlated with SS (suspended solids) concentration because of filter feeding characteristics of test organisms. Chronic toxicity tests revealed that lethal effect was reduced and low concentration of influents showed higher number of neonates. However, toxicity reduction was not related to nutrient removal. Fecundity effect positively increased in treated wastewater compared to that in raw wastewater, and no significant differences were observed compared to the control group in JN final effluent implying potential effects of estrogenic compounds in the STP effluents. Conclusions: Conventional wastewater treatment process reduced some organics and nutritional compounds from wastewater, and it results in toxicity reduction in lethal effect and positive reproductive effect but not showing correlation. Unknown estrogenic compounds could be a reason causing the increase of brood size. This study suggests that pharmaceutical residues and nanoparticles in STP effluents are one of the major micropollutants and underline as one of estrogenic effect factors.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.20 no.11
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• pp.1383-1394
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• 2011

Environmental impacts of suspended solids (SS) released in coastal area by dredging, reclamation and construction can cause serious damages to coastal habitats and benthic organisms. Acute toxicity tests (4-7 days) were conducted to identify the relationship between SS concentration and mortality of three marine benthic species; benthic copepod (Tigriopus japonicus) adult, Pacific abalone (Haliotis discus hannai) spat, and olive flounder (Paralichthys olivaceus) fry. Benthic copepod was the most sensitive to SS followed by olive flounder fry and Pacific abalone spat, with an $LC_{50}$ (lethal concentration of 50% mortality) value of 61.0 mg/L and LOEC (lowest observed effective concentration) value of 31.3 mg/L for benthic copepod. LOEC and 7 day-$LC_{50}$ for Pacific abalone spat were 500.0 mg/L and 1887.7 mg/L, and those for olive flounder fry were 125.0 mg/L and 156.9 mg/L, respectively. The tolerance limits of the test species to SS revealed the various concentration ranges of SS, which reflects the physiology and ecology of the test species. These results are very valuable for the determination of SS concentration of effluents released into the coastal area by dredging, reclamation and construction etc. Also, sharp increase of SS can cause long-term damages to the benthic and sessile fauna by blanketing of benthic substratum. These experimental procedures for marine bioassay and acute toxicity results can be a useful guideline for practical management planning of SS discharge into coastal area.