• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.124-130
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• 2008

This study investigated the age dependencies in ambient air pollution-associated asthma hospitalization from 2003 to 2005 in Seoul. For all ages and the age groups of 0-14, 15-64, and 65+years, the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) was used to estimate the relative risks of daily asthma hospitalization associated with changes in particulate matter and ozone. The time-trends, seasonal variances, day effects, temperature, humidity, and pressure at sea level were controlled in the models. Significant associations were observed between asthma hospitalization and the levels of $PM_{10}$ and $O_3$. The relative risks (RRs) of asthma hospitalization for every 10 unit increases in $PM_{10}({\mu}g/m^3)$ and $O_3$(ppb) were 1.008 (95% CI 1.005-1.012), and 1.012 (95% CI 1.003-1.020), respectively. Evaluated over $10\;{\mu}g/m^3$ increase in $PM_{10}$, we found the relative risks of asthma hospitalization to be 1.009 (95% CI 1.004-1.014) in 0-14 age group, and 1.015 (95% CI 1.008-1.022) in 65+ age group. Considering 10 ppb increase in $O_3$, those were 1.014 (95% CI 1.003-1.024) in 0-14 age group, and 1.025 (95% CI 1.009-1.041) in 65+ age group. It was concluded that current levels of ambient air pollution in Seoul make a significant contribution to the variation in daily asthma hospitalization. Further reduction in air pollution is necessary to protect the health of the community, especially that of the higher risky groups including children and elderly population.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.339-347
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• 2004

This paper asks the question: what choice of environmental policy instruments is efficient to reduce sulfur dioxide from stationary sources\ulcorner: In Korea, command and control has been a common way of controlling $SO_2-emissions.$ When compared to the non-incentive environmental policy instrument such as command and control, economic incentive environmental policy instrument has been the advantage of making polluter himself flexibly deals with in marginal abatement cost to develop environmental technology in the long view. Therefore, the application possibility of the incentive environmental policy instrument was studied in this research to realize the countermeasure for controlling of $SO_2-emissions.$ As a result, enforcement of the countermeasure such as flue gas desulfurizer by command and control would be suitable because power generation is performed by the public or for the public in source of air pollution and thus, economic principle is not applied to the polluter. In the source of industrial pollution, enforcement of fuel tax is found to be suitable for the countermeasure for the use of low sulfur oil in terms of the flexibility of demand for the price in the long tenn. For the permissible air pollution standards applicable to all air pollutant emitting facilities, enforcement of incentive environmental policy such as bubble, off-set, banking policy or tradeable emission penn its would be ideal in long terms according to the regional characteristics and the number and scale of air pollutant emitting facilities.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.933-942
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the degree of waterbody impairment according to the flow conditions and present to the appropriate water quality improvement alternatives using observed water quality and flow for Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) implementation at 39 unit watersheds the nakdong river basin. Observed water quality data for 7 years are divided into five cumulative flow frequency group and comparing the each observed water quality data and TMDL Target water quality (TWQ) the last evaluate the water quality is impaired group. We found that the cumulative flow frequency group-specific the average excess rate of V group was the highest (32.86%), followed by the IV group (26.04%), group III (23.36%), II group (22.67%), I group (20.70%), the degree of impaired waterbody tended to be inversely proportional to the flow rate. Resulted from cumulative flow frequency group of impaired water quality assessment, 13 unit watersheds are impaired from a group IV and group V affected by point sources. Therefore, improvement of sewage discharge and the initial composition of the riparian buffer zone are needed. Nakbon F, Namkang D and Namkang E within 13 unit watersheds are impaired from group II and III affected by non-point sources. Therefore, application of Best Management Practices (BMPs) is needed for these watersheds. Evaluation of impaired waterbody using Cumulative flow frequency group is able to determine the extent of the judgment to TWQ exceeded by the flow conditions and helps proper setting Standard flow and planning pollutant reduction for TMDL.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.63 no.1
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• pp.61-73
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• 2021

Recently, the deterioration of water quality in Wonju stream has been reported due to the increase in diverse pollution sources along with community development and urbanization. Various types of attempts with a huge budget were made for better water quality so far, but its effectiveness is still doubted. In order to establish site-oriented measures for water quality improvement, the topographic and hydrologic factors were evaluated based on site inspection and survey. As the major streams merged into the Wonju stream, the Hwa and Heungyang streams were found to have higher pollution loads and contributions compared to other streams due to the scattered livestock farms and industries, and vulnerable land use. Notably, the discharge water from the Wonju Public Sewage Treatment Plant had the highest level of pollution load, impacting on the water quality of Wonju Stream. According to the SWAT model as water quality measures, the improvement effect of water quality in this treatment plant can be reached to the reductions in BOD 11.06%, T-N 23.56%, T-P 10.60% when the proper managements applied, whereas the improvement of water quality would be 3.89%, 1.23%, and 3.32% for BOD, T-N, T-P, respectively, for the industries. The reduction of the livestock industry was generally very high as a pollution source, but it was not much higher at the end of Wonju Stream than other measures. These results recommended that the water q uality improvement measures should be designated for each upper-middle-lower section in Wonju stream.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.17-41
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• 2021

Kazakhstan's cities experience high concentrations levels of atmospheric particulate matter (PM), which is well-known for its highly detrimental effect on the human health. A further increase in PM concentrations in the future could lead to a higher air pollution-caused morbidity and mortality, causing an increase in healthcare expenditures by the government. However, to prevent elevated PM concentrations in the future, more stringent standards could be implemented by lowering current maximum allowable PM concentration limit to Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)'s limits. Therefore, this study aims to find out what impact this change in environmental policy towards PM has on state economy in the long run. Future PM10 and PM2.5 concentrations were estimated using multiple linear regression based on gross regional product (GRP) and population growth parameters. Dose-response model was based on World Health Organization's approach for the identification of mortality, morbidity and healthcare costs due to air pollution. Analysis of concentrations revealed that only 6 out of 21 cities of Kazakhstan did not exceed the EU limit on PM10 concentration. Changing environmental standards resulted in the 71.7% decrease in mortality and 77% decrease in morbidity cases in all cities compared to the case without changes in environmental policy. Moreover, the cost of morbidity and mortality associated with air pollution decreased by $669 million in 2030 and $2183 million in 2050 in case of implementation of OECD standards. Thus, changing environmental regulations will be beneficial in terms of both of mortality reduction and state budget saving.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.626-634
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• 2005

The objectives of this study was to assess pollution level and contamination status on tailings and soil in the vicinity of four disused metal mines in Kangwon province. As the result of total metal concentrations analysis, the pollution degree of tailings and soil decreased in the order of Wondong > Second Yeonhwa > Sinyemi ${\fallingdotseq}$ Sangdong mines. Total metal concentrations of mine tailings in this study were $1.2{\sim}78.2$ and $1.1{\sim}80.6$ times higher than those in the background soil and the tolerable levels suggested by Kloke, respectively. From these results, we found that tailings served as contamination source of nearby soil. According to sequential extraction of metals, large proportion of heavy metals in all mine tailings existed in the form of a residual fraction, and heavy metals in non-residual form was mainly associated with Fe-Mn oxide fraction and sulfidic-organic fraction. Fe-Mn oxide fraction and sulfidic-organic fraction of heavy metals may be released into and contaminated the nearby environment under the oxidation or reduction condition in long-term. In particular, the proportions of the exchangeable and carbonate fraction of Cd in mine tailings from Second Yeonhwa mine were relatively high. This suggests that Cd may be easily released into and contaminated the nearby environment in the near time. Concentrations of heavy metals in mine tailings and the nearby soil exceeded the standard (agricultural area) of Soil Environment Conservation Law. So it was thought that remediation for mine tailings and the nearby soil is needed. The pollution indices of the samples in this study were for higher than 1.0 and the pollution degree was very serious. Priority remediation site for these mines was Wondong. As Results of danger indices, it was showed that exchangeable form in Wondong and Fe-Mn oxide form in the rest mines should be removed preferentially.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.44 no.11
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• pp.863-873
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• 2011

It has been known that soil erosion caused by water has been a serious problem worldwide. Thus various modeling techniques for conservationists, farmers, and other land users have been developed and utilized to estimate effects of numerous site-specific Best Management Practices on soil erosion reduction. The physical process-based WEPP model would provide both temporal and spatial estimates of soil loss within small watersheds and for hillslope profiles within small watersheds. Thus, the WEPP watershed version was applied to study watershed, located at Jawoon-ri, Gangwon to simulate diversion ditch and vegetated swale with detailed input data set. The sediment yield and runoff reduction rates reduced by 5.8% and 29.6% with diversion ditch and 9.8% and 14.5% with vegetated swale. With vegetated diversion ditch, runoff and sediment yield could be reduced by 11.8% and 40.4%, respectively. Based on the results obtained in this study, the WEPP model would be an useful tool to measure runoff and sediment yield reduction and establish site-specific sediment reduction best management plan.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.208-211
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• 2011

The lowest amount of heavy metals was found outside the city (25 km away), the highest amount was found near the thermoelectric power plant, and the average amount was discovered in the central part of the city. The presence of heavy metals in soil samples resulted in reduction of several important soil characteristics (pH, humus content, soil "breathing"). Use of simple and quick methods to examine soil with high heavy metals pollution resulted in the discovery of a pedobiota group, consisting of nematodes, fungi (genus Fusarium) and Protozoa which indicated the toxicity of the Almaty city soils.

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2002.11a
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• pp.261-262
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• 2002

산업용 보일러나 발전설비와 같은 대규모 고정원에서 다량 배출되는 NOx의 제거를 위한 여러 기술 중에서 현재 암모니아를 환원제로 사용하는 선택적 촉매 환원법(Selective Catalytic Reduction : SCR)이 가장 유망하며, 많은 연구와 더불어 선진국가에서 상업화되어 조업되고 있다. SCR 공정은 시설투자와 운전비가 비교적 저렴하고 높은 NOx 전환율(90%이상)과 폐수처리 등의 후처리 공정이 필요하지 않은 장점이 있다. (중략)

• Proceedings of the Korea Air Pollution Research Association Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.316-317
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• 2008