• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
• /
• v.32 no.12
• /
• pp.4258-4264
• /
• 2011

The total mercury concentration ($Hg_T$) of surface snow samples collected along a ~1500 km transect in east Queen Maud Land was determined using inductively coupled plasma sector field mass spectrometry to address the behavior of Hg on the Antarctic Plateau. Due to the volatile nature of mercury, measures were taken against Hg loss from standard solutions by choosing appropriate container material and stabilizing agents. Glass bottles with Teflon-lined caps were superior to Teflon and polyethylene containers in protecting against Hg loss, but addition of gold chloride ($AuCl_3$) or bromine chloride (BrCl) was necessary to ensure preservation of Hg. As Hg loss was also observed in snowmelt samples, our analysis may underestimate the actual amount of HgT in the snow. Even so, the measured HgT was still very low (< 0.4-10.8 pg $g^{-1}$, n = 44) without a signal of depositional enhancement accompanying photo-oxidation of atmospheric elemental mercury in austral midsummer. Moreover, the dynamic variation along the traverse implies spatial and temporal heterogeneity in its source processes.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.179-189
• /
• 2003

The concentration of gaseous elemental mercury (Hg) was measured concurrently with relevant environmental parameters from Yang-Jae monitoring station in Seoul during Sept. 1997 to June 2002. Although data collection was disrupted for certain periods, the grand mean concentration of Hg for this five year period was found at 5.32 $\pm$ 3.53 ng m$^{-3}$ (N = 27,170). Because of short resolution of data acquisition, we were able to examine the temporal variability of Hg at varying time scale. The diurnal variability of Hg, when investigated for each of those five years, indicated consistently the dominance of nighttime over daytime. If examined at seasonal scale, Hg level was systematically higher during winter/spring than summer/fall period. The results of this short-term variability were best explained by the combined effects of such factors as meteorological conditions (formation of inversion layer and seasonal changes) and anthropogenic source processes. However, examination of long-term variation Pattern was much more complicated to explain. Thus, extension of our study is needed to diagnose the future direction in long-term trend of Hg behavior.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.12 no.2
• /
• pp.189-198
• /
• 1996

Mercury (Hg) is ubiquitous throughout the earth's atmosphere. The uniqueness of its atmospheric geochemistry is well-known with the high environmental mobility and relatively long atmospheric residence time (c.a., 1 year) associated with its high chemical stability. Despite a growing recognition of the environmental significance of its global cycling, the prexisting Korean database for atmospheric Hg is extremely rare and confined to a number of concentration measurements conducted under relatively polluted urban atmospheric environments. To help activate the research on this suvject, an in-depth analysis on the current development in the measurements of atmospheric mercury and the associated fluxes has been made using the most using the most updated data ests reported worldwide. As a first step toward this purpose, the most reliable techniques commonly employed in the measurements of its concentration in the background atmosphere are introduced in combination with the flux measurement techniques over soil surface such as: dynamic enclosure (or field flux chamber) method and field micrometeorological method. Then the results derived using these measurement techniques are discussed and interpreted with an emphasis on its mobilization across the terrestrial biosphere and atmosphere interface. A unmber of factors including air/soil temperature, soil chemical composition, soil water content, and barometric pressure are found out to be influential to the rate and amount of such exchange processes. Although absolute magnitude of such exchange processes is insignificant relative to that of the major component like the oceanic environment, this exchange process is thought to be the the predominant natural pathway for both the mobilization and redistribution of atmospheric Hg on a local or regional scale.

• Journal of Korea Society of Digital Industry and Information Management
• /
• v.5 no.4
• /
• pp.11-17
• /
• 2009

Polarography is a subclass of voltammetry where the working electrode is a dropping mercury electrode. More, I developed the experiment for raising up mercury electrode. In Voltammetry, information about an analyte is obtained by measuring the current as the potential is varied at oxidation-reduction reaction. A plot of current vs. potential in a polarography experiment shows the current oscillations correspoding to the drops of Hg falling from the capillary. The drops growth causes capacitive and faradic current. These changing current effects combined with experiments where the potential is continuously changed can result in noisy traces. The raising up type improved upon the method of dropping in hardware. In reduction of the noise, moving average smoothing method have been used. But the other procedure is introduced based on Fourier transformation. So FFT and IFFT engine was implemented and installed in my experiment. However, after experimentation, peak height as the measuring parameter gave a good linear relationship to concentration. The resolution of potential peaks of various kinds, using Zn and Cu as the example, was improved using the smoothing method.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
• /
• v.12 no.1
• /
• pp.43-53
• /
• 1999

The medical mineral menas a single mineral or a complex of minerals. It is natural material. using the medical action of he major or the minor elements, and traditional medicine stuff which has been used since long time ago. Jusa, cinnabar as the mineral name, is the product of the hydrothermal process. It is used to relax the body and cure high blood pressure, apoplexy and cardiopathy. Jusais the major component of "An shin hwan" and "Woo hwang chung shim hwan" nowadays because it has such an excellent calm effect. In addition, it is used to cure cancers such as esophageal cancer and gastric cancer. Jusa composed of mercuric sulfide causes mercury poisoning such as Minamata disease. It is dealt with mineralogical property and chemical composition medical stuff in Korea and China, as well asmercury poisoning and medical action of Jusa in this study. In order to predct accumulation of the interior of the body of the major and minor elements in Jusa, leaching experiment of Jusa by artificial gastric juice was done as well as thermodynamic reaction modelling to know concentration of each species of body fluid. The minor elements of 24 species such as As, Pb, Cd, a and Fe by leaching reaction of Jusa and artificial gastric juice were leached. We can know the fact that as is less than 1 ppm, Hg is less than 25 ppm and Cd and m are not detected. In addition, mercury exists as species of Hg2+, HgCl+, HgCl2, HgCl3-, HgCl42-, HgClOH, HgS(H2S)2, Hg(HS)3-, HgS22-, HgOH and Hg(OH)2 by reaction modelling between Jusa and artificial gastric juice. The concentration of sulfide complexes is 24.2 ppm and that of others is less than 10 ppm. According to increasing pH, the concentration of HgS(H2S)2, Hg(HS)3+, HgS22- and Hg(OH)2 increases, whereas the concentration of HgCl+, HgCl2, HgCl3- and HgCl42- decreases. Therefore, Jusa is very useful for the development of new medicine because it is possible to predict formation of the body species and species accumulation on mercury known as a toxic element and concentration changes of toxicity and efficiency.city and efficiency.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
• /
• v.29 no.3 s.54
• /
• pp.495-505
• /
• 1996

Effect or mercury chloride on the synthesis or $NO_2^-$ and ATP were observed in EMT-6 cells which were cultured with cytokines$(IL-1\alpha\;and\;IFN-\gamma)$ and various concentrations of mercury chloride from 0.05 to $0.8{\mu}M$. Viability of EMT-6 cells were observed above 90% in almost groups. There were not significant differences in the viability between mercury supplemented groups and control group. It suggests viability of EMT-6 cells were not influenced by these concentrations of mercury chloride. Results of the synthesis of nitrite showed significant time and group effect. There is a significant interaction effect between concentration of mercury chloride and culture time. The effect of various concentration of mercury chloride is not the same for all levels of culture time. There were significant differences in the synthesis of nitrite between mercury chloride supplemented groups and control group, and the synthesis of nitrite in EMT-6 cell by the supplement of mercury chloride was significantly decreased in a dose-dependent manner. Results of the synthesis of ATP showed a significant group effect, and the time main effect and the $Group{\times}Time$ interaction were also significant. There were significant differences in the synthesis of ATP between mercury chloride supplemented groups and control group, and the synthesis of ATP in EMT-6 cell by the supplement of mercury chloride was significantly decreased in a dose - dependent manner. These results suggest that the disorder of cell mediated immunity by mercury chloride could be related to the inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis which will be caused by the decreased synthesis of ATP.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.42 no.6
• /
• pp.450-464
• /
• 2016

Objectives: This study developed and validated reference materials (RMs) to analyze metal compounds in blood. Methods: We referred to KoNEHS (Korea National Environmental Health Survey) to estimate concentrations of blood metals (cadmium, Cd; lead, Pb; mercury, Hg) and applied analytical methods (inductively coupled plasma - mass spectroscopy, ICP-MS, for Cd and Pb; graphite furnace - atomic absorption spectrometry, GF-AAS, for Cd and Pb; and direct mercury analyzer, DMA, for Hg). Homogeneity and stability tests were carried out. In addition, certified values and uncertainties of RMs were calculated through internal and external experiments. All RMs were developed and assessed in various forms according to element, analytical method, and two types of concentration levels high concentration for occupational exposure and low concentration for environmental exposure. Results: All samples showed acceptable homogeneity, except for low concentration of Cd in the GF-AAS method. Short- and long-term stabilities were satisfied by ANOVA testing. In the inter-laboratory comparison, robust medians were lower than the certified values of all RMs (robust median/reference value; $1.301/1.327{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, ICP-MS, low concentration; $3.152/3.388{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, ICP-MS, high concentration; $1.219/1.301{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, GF-AAS, low concentration; $3.074/3.321{\mu}g/L$ for Cd, GF-AAS, high concentration; $14.473/14.516{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, ICP-MS, low concentration; $50.069/50.114{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, ICP-MS, high concentration; $12.881/14.147{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, GF-AAS, low concentration; $47.015/47.591{\mu}g/L$ for Pb, GF-AAS, high concentration; $4.059/4.218{\mu}g/L$ for Hg, DMA, low concentration; $11.474/11.181{\mu}g/L$ for Hg, DMA, high concentration). Conclusion: This study demonstrates procedures for developing and validating RMs for biomonitoring in the field of the environmental health.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.21 no.3 s.54
• /
• pp.229-238
• /
• 2006

Although, mercury (Hg) is not a naturally abundant element in the environment, residues frequently occur in many environmental compartments because of widespread contamination from industrial and agricultural practices. This research evaluated Hg-B concentrations of general population who was not occupationally exposed. And also evaluates the association between life factor and health effect with Hg-B concentration of general adult through interrelationship estimation and index about kidney function and oxidative damage that appeared by questionnaire survey and medical examination. Average concentration of Hg-B was 3.19 $\mu$g/L (ND$\sim$8.64 $\mu$g/L), and persons who exceed mercury exposure level (5 $\mu$g/L) presented in WHO (1990) appeared by 16 (7.0%). High-risk group (smoking and meat main intake group) had significantly higher Hg-B concentration than low-risk group (non-smoking and vegetable diet main intake group) (p < 0.05, low-risk group: 3.30 $\mu$g/L (ND$\sim$8.64 $\mu$g/L), high-risk group: 4.27 $\mu$g/L (ND$\sim$7.84 $\mu$g/L).

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.15 no.5
• /
• pp.479-484
• /
• 2006

Removal of elemental mercury $(Hg^0)$ with the reactive species produced from dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) was studied. We investigated the effect of operating parameters such as the applied voltage, residence time, initial concentration and co-existence of other pollutants. The removal of $(Hg^0)$ was significantly promoted by an increase in the applied voltage of the DBD reactor system. It is important to note that at the same input power, the removal efficiency of $(Hg^0)$ was much higher than that of NO gas. These results imply that if the DBD system is used as a NOx treatment facility, it is capable of removing $(Hg^0)$ simultaneously with NOx.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.27 no.12
• /
• pp.1291-1298
• /
• 2018

Marine ecosystems are frequently exposed to a variety of chronic and acute pollutants derived from anthropogenic production and consumption activities. Mussels are sessile (can provide location-specific information), medium-sized (have enough tissue matrix for chemical analysis) filter-feeders (show accumulation of pollutant chemicals from seawater). These biological and ecological characteristics make mussels virtually ideal for pollution monitoring. In this study, Korean mussels (Mytilus coruscus) were collected from nine different sites situated along the coasts of the western sea to the eastern sea of Korea in 2017. Total mercury concentration was highest (mean ${\pm}$ standard error, $92.7{\pm}3.5ng/g\;dry$) on Baengnyeongdo Island in the western sea, and the sites in the southern sea showed the lowest mean concentrations (42.3 - 44.5 ng/g dry). These results were discussed in terms of possible pollution sources.