• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.46 no.5
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• pp.626-637
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• 2013

We measured the grain size, ignition loss (IL), chemical oxygen demand (COD), acid volatile sulfide (AVS) and trace metals (Al, Fe, Cu, Pb, Zn, Cd, Cr, Mn, Hg, and As) of intertidal surface sediment collected from 11 islands (62 stations) in the southern region of Jeollanam Province. The objective of this research was to evaluate the organic matter and trace metals contaminations of sediments from coastal island tidal flats. Surface sediment texture was characterized as follows: mud, sandy silt, muddy sand, and slightly gravelly sand facies. The finer sediments are mainly dominated in the northern part of each island. The concentrations of IL, COD, AVS and some trace metals (Al, Fe, Zn, Cr, Cu, and Hg) were higher in the northwestern part of Wan Island and the area between Gogeum and Sinji Islands, and were associated with relatively finer sediment, as compared to other locations. The concentrations of Mn, Pb, Cd, and As were higher in the northwestern and southeastern parts of Geoguem and Pyungil Islands, but were not correlated with mean grain size. Based on sediment quality guidelines (SQGs), the concentrations of trace metals were lower than the values of effect range low (ERL), used in United States, and threshold effects level (TEL), used in Korea, with exception of As. Similarly, the intertidal sediments were moderately contaminated with As, based on the the enrichment factor (EF) and the geoaccumulation index ($I_{geo}$). The high concentration of As in intertidal sediments from this study region may be due to the input of naturally or artificially contaminated submarine groundwater, contaminated waste from seaweed aquaculture operations and/or land-based seaweed processing facilities. Further studies are needed to identify the sources of As in this study region, and to determine the effects of As contamination on coastal ecosystem.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.131-137
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• 2006

This study was investigated the contents of heavy metals in plants at Dalcheun mine area, in order to offer basic data for phytoremedation on soil contamination by heavy metals. As the results of this study, the contents of Ni, As, Cd in plants were the highest at the west area of Dalcheun mine area. But the content of Zn was similar in all of Dalcheun mine area. For the herbaceous plants, the contents of heavy metals were higher in plants which were included in Gramineae and Compositae than any other families. And then the contents of Ni, Zn, Cd in root were higher $1.4{\sim}1.8$ times than stem, especially the content of As was higher 4 times. For the trees, the contents of heavy metals were usually high in Zanthoxylum piperitum, Pine tree, Chestnut tree, Quercus acutissima and Lindera obtusiloba. The contents of heavy metals with parts of tree were almost same range. All experimental result, we paid attention on two conclusions. First, the contents of heavy metals in herbs was higher than in trees. And second, if there were some spices that the content of heavy metal in leave were higher than in root, they could accumulate that kind of heavy metal. Therefore, It is above 2 times which the content of heavy metal in the leave is higher than in the root about herbs, that kind of plants was regarded as a accumulation species. According as the heavy metals, accumulation species were selected. We think that the accumulation species are able to absorb the heavy metals from the soil, they will make use of phytoremedation on contaminated soil by heavy metals.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.153-170
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• 2013

This study examined awareness and information acquisition behavior regarding food hygiene and safety of university students to improve safe dietary practices and to get basic information to develop educational materials for food safety. It was conducted among 276 university students of Qingdao University and Liaocheng University in Shandong province, China through a self-administered questionnaire. Data were analyzed by SPSS Windows V.19.0. To describe characteristics of the respondents, frequency distributions were used. In addition, t test, one-way analysis of variance and Duncan's multiple range tests were conducted. The results were as follows: The respondents were generally interested in food hygiene and safety. However, the level of awareness regarding the food hygiene and safety system in China was not high. Almost forty-five percent of the respondents did not think that foods produced and distributed in China were safe. For the reasons for their distrust, most of the students replied that they did not trust the safety 'because of distrust for hygiene of the food process', followed by 'because of distrust for food distribution' and 'because of excess or illegal use of food additives on food process'. The respondents answered for the concern level toward food hygiene and safety foodborne disease threatened food safety the most, followed by heavy metal contamination and endocrine disruptors. The respondents acquired most information from electronic media including TV and radio. Most of the students wanted to participate in food hygiene and safety education. Finally, when they found hazardous or foreign materials in food the most frequent reaction was 'paying attention in the next purchase', followed by 'notifying others', and 'letting it go this time but never buying that product in the future'.

• Food Science and Industry
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• v.50 no.1
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• pp.67-73
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• 2017

Control of food pathogens is critical in food safety field. Norovirus is one of the major causes of gastroenteritis and food poisoning worldwide, however, currently, there is not a vaccine or a specific drug available for its treatment. There are several methods to inactivate norovirus during food processing by chemical and physical treatments, however, the use of natural substance has been suggested as an optional strategy due to their safety and consumer preference. In this study supported by Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in Korea, we identified novel plant-derived substances with significant anti-norovirus activities. The aim of this project was to determine the antiviral activity of a wide range of natural substances, including plant-derived extracts and essential oils, using a norovirus surrogate system, human norovirus replicon-bearing cells, and mouse in vivo experiments. During the activity screening test, we identified novel anti-norovirus substances or oils using plaque assay with MNV-1. Six selected substances were formulated into an optimum mixture and used as an ingredient for salad sauce of which anti-novovirus activity was confirmed(pending for patent and paper submission). The potential application of selected natural substances as a metal surface sanitizer was also tested. Interestingly, the mixture of selected natural compounds showed a significant inhibitory effect against norovirus. These results suggest that these substances may be used as food ingredient with anti-norovirus antivity or components for surface sanitizers to prevent norovirus contamination.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.227-234
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• 2006

There has been increasing concern in recent years about the occurrence, fate and toxicity of pharmaceutical products in aquatic environment. Although these compounds have been detected in a wide variety of environmental samples including sewage effluent, surface waters, ground water and drinking water, their concentrations generally range from the low ppt to ppb levels. It is therefore often thought to be unlikely that pharmaceuticals will have a detrimental effect on the environment. This study was conducted to determine the endocrine disruption effects of the several pharmaceutical residues in water using adult Japanese medaka (Oryzias latipes). The common antibiotics were used sulfa durgs (sulfamethoxazole and sulfamethazine) and tetracycline drugs (oxytetracycline and tetracycline). Positive control that was induced Vtg (vitellogenin) in male fish was used $17\beta$-estradiol. Vtg was qualified and quantified through Western blotting and ELISA. After SDS gel electrophoresis, the dominant protein band was identified to molecular weight approximately 205 kDa in whole body samples of vitellogenic female. In female medaka exposed to $17\beta$estradiol, there was no significant difference in total protein induction. In contrast, three to five day exposure of male fish to $17\beta$-estradiol resulted in more than 60.0% increase of total protein compared to that of control males (p<0.01). In case of antibiotics, female fish didn't show significant difference, but male fish was showed significant difference. In addition, Vtg induction in male fish was observed with all the test chemicals. On concentrations greater than 0.1 ppm of sulfamethoxazole, 1 ppm of sulfamethazine, 1 ppm of oxytetracycline and 20 ppm of tetracycline, Vtg induction was increased in a dose response manner. This study is one of the early reports suggesting potential endocrine disruption mechanism of antibiotic pharmaceutical products in aquatic ecosystem. Although the effect concentrations obtained from this study were high as unrealistically as in environments, it is endocrine disruption that we should be considered as one of the important consequences of pharmaceutical contamination at water environment, and warrants due attention in future researches.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 1996.11a
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• pp.39-49
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• 1996

Hundreds of contaminated sites have been generated due to the past mismagement of toxic substances, the lack of adequate environmental controls and ignorance of the potential environmental impacts of general activities in Canada. The general public, industry and governments have been addressing the contaminated sites with a number of cleanup responses. Environmental protection and remediation have become top priorities for the public and private sectors alike in Canada. Between the late 1980s and the early 1990s, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act and Canada's Green Plan were followed by provincial and territorial laws and policies to regulate contaminated sites. The National Contaminated Site Remediation Program(NCSRP) was initiated in 1989. It has been administered through bilateral agreements between the federal and participating provincial/territorial governments. They have committed a total of $250 million toward orphan site cleanup and technology development/demonstration over a five year period. The federal government has committed an additional $25 million to assess contaminated sites on federal crown land. Over 40 orphan high-risk contaminated sites, over 230 federal sites and over 35 technology development/demonstration projects have been addressed. The Canadian Council of Ministers of the Environment has developed a series of guidance documents to ensure a consistent and successful implementation of the Program. The management/regulation scheme of contaminated sites generally consists of： 1) identifying and investigating sites, 2) determining site contamination, 3) recognizing responsibility and liability, 4) assessing priority for remediation, 5) activation, evaluation and implementing remediation options, and 6) documenting remediation completion. The NCSRP supported the successful development/demonstration of a wide range of innovative remedial technologies. They are related to stabilization/solidification, thermal washing/flushing, advanced oxidation, sonics, and groundwater contaminated with hydrocarbons, PAHS, PCBs, heavy metals, and other hazardous pollutants in a variety of site environments.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.84-88
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• 2017

Background: Workers in slaughterhouses are exposed to a wide range of biological contaminants, such as bacteria and fungi, due to their working environment. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of respiratory disorders among workers in slaughterhouses. Methods: This study was conducted on 81 workers in slaughterhouses and 81 healthy office workers as a reference group. The American Thoracic Society standard respiratory symptoms questionnaire was used to determine the prevalence of respiratory disorders. Besides, lung function tests were conducted using a calibrated spirometer at the beginning (preshift) and at the end (postshift) of the $1^{st}$ working day. Single-stage Anderson sampler was used to measure the concentration of bioaerosols in different parts of slaughterhouses. Results: The prevalence of respiratory disorders, such as cough, productive cough, breathlessness, phlegm, and wheezing, was 3.17, 4.02, 3.07, 4.66, and 3.94 times, respectively, higher among workers in slaughterhouses compared with the reference group. Conclusion: The prevalence of respiratory disorders was significantly higher among workers in slaughterhouses. Thus, the significant reduction in the percentage predicted lung function among workers in slaughterhouses might be associated with exposure to bioaerosols in their work environment.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.373-382
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• 2015

Fura-2 analogs are ratiometric fluoroprobes that are widely used for the quantitative measurement of [$Ca^{2+}$]. However, the dye usage is intrinsically limited, as the dyes require ultraviolet (UV) excitation, which can also generate great interference, mainly from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) autofluorescence. Specifically, this limitation causes serious problems for the quantitative measurement of mitochondrial [$Ca^{2+}$], as no available ratiometric dyes are excited in the visible range. Thus, NADH interference cannot be avoided during quantitative measurement of [$Ca^{2+}$] because the majority of NADH is located in the mitochondria. The emission intensity ratio of two different excitation wavelengths must be constant when the fluorescent dye concentration is the same. In accordance with this principle, we developed a novel online method that corrected NADH and Fura-2-FF interference. We simultaneously measured multiple parameters, including NADH, [$Ca^{2+}$], and pH/mitochondrial membrane potential; Fura-2-FF for mitochondrial [$Ca^{2+}$] and TMRE for ${\Psi}_m$ or carboxy-SNARF-1 for pH were used. With this novel method, we found that the resting mitochondrial [$Ca^{2+}$] concentration was $1.03{\mu}M$. This $1{\mu}M$ cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ could theoretically increase to more than 100 mM in mitochondria. However, the mitochondrial [$Ca^{2+}$] increase was limited to ${\sim}30{\mu}M$ in the presence of $1{\mu}M$ cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$. Our method solved the problem of NADH signal contamination during the use of Fura-2 analogs, and therefore the method may be useful when NADH interference is expected.

• Journal of radiological science and technology
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.437-444
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• 2018

Whole-Body counters have been used to evaluate the internal contamination of gamma emitting radionuclides. Among the whole-body counters used in domestic nuclear facilities, Fastscan made by CANBERRA contains 2 NaI(Tl) detectors and is generally used to monitor the primary internal exposure. It has the advantage of achieving MDA even with short time measurements. Accuscan is a bed type, and has good energy resolution because it is composed of HPGe detector. Since the Accuscan with better energy resolution than Fastscan has better able to identify radionuclides, it is used to monitor secondary internal exposure. Some nuclear facilities have only Fastscan. We analyzed statistically whether Fastscan is enough to ensure accuracy and precision comparing with Accuscan. To do this, we prepared a CRM created by the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science. We also obtained the data of 6 Fastscans and 5 Accuscans in domestic nuclear facilities. As a result of the study, although Fastscan compared with Accuscan is not as accurate as the Accuscan, the precision is statistically same. However, accuracy of Fastscan is in compliance with international standards except low energy range. In terms of accuracy and precision except radionuclides emitting low energy, it is possible to measure radioactivity inside workers even in nuclear facilities where only Fastscan is used.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.49 no.2
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• pp.234-240
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• 2016

We examined the diffusion of contaminants released from the southern coast around Fukushima, Japan, during the passage of typhoons using a three-dimensional numerical model (POM) to track diffusing radioactivity (RA) released from the nuclear power plant at Fukushima following the accident caused by the giant tsunami event in March 2011. Radioactive contaminants released during the passage of typhoons may have significantly affected not only Japanese but also Korean coastal waters. The model domain covered most of the northwestern Pacific including marginal seas such as the East/Japan Sea and the Yellow Sea. Several numerical experiments were conducted case studies focusing on the westward diffusion from the southern coast of Japan of contaminants derived from the source site (Fukushima) according to various attributes of the typhoons, such as intensity, track, etc. The model produced the following results 1) significant amounts of contaminants were transported in a westward direction by easterly winds favorable for generating a coastal air stream along the southern Japanese coast, 2) the contaminants reached as far as Osaka Bay with the passage of typhoons, forced by a 5-day positive sinusoidal form with a (right-) northward track east of Fukushima, and 3) the range of contamination was significant, extending to the interior of the East/Japan Sea around the Tsugaru Strait. The model suggests that contaminants and/or radioactivity released from Fukushima with the passage of typhoons can affect Korean waters including the northeastern East/Japan Sea around the Tsugaru Strait, especially when the typhoon tracks are favorable for generating a westward coastal air stream along the southern Japanese coast.