• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.52-61
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• 2014

Metal concentrations in the former Janghang smelter area were determined and human health risk of arsenic (As) with bioaccessibility was investigated. Site investigation of the area within 1.5 km from the Janghang smelter showed the As concentrations of 4.8~169.8 mg/kg (avg. 37.8 mg/kg). For 85 samples out of 126 samples, As concentrations were higher than the Worrisome Level of the Korean Soil and Environment Conservation Act, and seven samples exceeded the Countermeasure Standard. Risk assessment for As incorporated with the bioaccessibility revealed that potential human health risk of the carcinogenic ($1.8{\sim}5.0{\times}10^{-5}$) was above the acceptable risk range ($10^{-5}{\sim}10^{-6}$) while the risk of the non-carcinogenic was not found. Remediation goals based on risk incorporated with bioaccessibility of As ranged from 10.8 to 20.0 mg/kg. Such difference in the remediation goals resulted from various bioaccessibility of As (i.e., between 8.7~66.3%) at the study site.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.192-199
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• 2012

BACKGROUND: Genetically modified (GM) crops must receive relevant regulator's authorization before they can be sold as seed or used food, feed and processing. Before approving any GM crop, the relevant government ministries are required to examine environmental risk assessment to make scientifically sound and socially acceptable decisions. But one of the least studied and understood areas in the environmental risk assessment of GM crops are their impact on soil microbial community. METHODS AND RESULTS: Recently, advanced methods have been developed to characterize the soil microbial community in various environments. In this study, the culture-dependent and culture-independent technical approaches for profiling soil microbial communities are summarized and their applicability to assess GM crops are discussed. CONCLUSION(S): We concluded that the effect of GM crops on soil microbial community need to be assessed on a case by case basis. The combination of culture-dependent and culture-independent method was necessary for reliable and detailed assessment of effect of GM crops on soil microbial community.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.28
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• pp.13.1-13.5
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• 2013

Objectives: Potential environmental risks caused by chemicals that could be released from a recycled plastic product were assessed using a screening risk assessment procedure for chemicals in recycled products. Methods: Plastic slope protection blocks manufactured from recycled plastics were chosen as model recycled products. Ecological risks caused by four model chemicals - di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb)-were assessed. Two exposure models were built for soil below the block and a hypothetic stream receiving runoff water. Based on the predicted no-effect concentrations for the selected chemicals and exposure scenarios, the allowable leaching rates from and the allowable contents in the recycled plastic blocks were also derived. Results: Environmental risks posed by slope protection blocks were much higher in the soil compartment than in the hypothetic stream. The allowable concentrations in leachate were $1.0{\times}10^{-4}$, $1.2{\times}10^{-5}$, $9.5{\times}10^{-3}$, and $5.3{\times}10^{-3}mg/L$ for DEHP, DINP, Cd, and Pb, respectively. The allowable contents in the recycled products were $5.2{\times}10^{-3}$, $6.0{\times}10^{-4}$, $5.0{\times}10^{-1}$, and $2.7{\times}10^{-1}mg/kg$ for DEHP, DINP, Cd, and Pb, respectively. Conclusions: A systematic ecological risk assessment approach for slope protection blocks would be useful for regulatory decisions for setting the allowable emission rates of chemical contaminants, although the method needs refinement.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.442-449
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• 2000

The bioremediation is an economic technology to remove the organopollutants from soil. It is often found that the remediation could not remove the compounds below the levels determined by vigorous extractions as required by regulatory agencies. The reason for the reduced bioavailability with increasing time of aging has been accredited to the sequestration of the compounds in remote sites within or between soil particles. Then, the aging could be defined as the time-dependent sequestration. Partitioning and entrapment have been suggested as mechanism for aging. The rate and extent of the sequestration varies among dissimilar soils. The bioavailability of aged pollutants in soil could be measured by bioassays, mild solvent extraction, and soild-phase extractions. The sequestration could be affected by many factors including various soil properties, wetting and drying cycle, and the presence of cosolutes and NAPLs etc. The bioavailability and sequestration should be considered to determine the environmentally acceptable endpoint.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.13 no.1_2
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• pp.49-54
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• 1997

PCBs are classified as B2 (Probable human carcinogen) based on the induction of hepatocellular carcinomas in rats and mice from IRIS (Integrated Risk Information System). About 20 years ago, PCBs were phased out for electrical use in Korea, but PCBs were continuously used in the other field. Lately, there has been increasing concern on possible effects of contaminated soil to the other environment and human health. The purpose of this study is to determine PCBs level in soil at some site and to assess the human exposure doses according to exposure routes for people living within sites which expected to be exposed to PCBs. Pollution level of PCBs on the site was monitored using gas liquid chromatography. To assess the transport of PCBs in soil to plant and to air, various transfer factors(diffusion coefficient, bioconcentration factor etc.) were considered in simple calculations. To calculate the residential exposure doses by routes, some equations were considered using assumption value, which define inhalation, ingestion (soil, plant) and derreal uptake pathway. Computated results will be used as risk assessment information for human health evaluation on contaminated soil.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 2008

In the present study, the concentration levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs) in the environments in Korea are estimated based on some measured data in Korea, in comparison with the data from the other countries. Even though PCBs were banned as electrical fluids in 1970s in Korea, PCBs are still detected in the environment. PCBs levels in Korea are greatly lower than those in other countries, which are gradually decreased as well. However, the measured data are not sufficient in both numbers and quality, to estimate the average PCBs levels in Korea. The regulation limit on polychlorinated biphenyls (or PCBs) is 2mg/kg (ppm), which is too low compared to 50 ppm of many other countries including U.S. With this strict regulation, there are many problems expected, for example, in the analysis of PCBs in the transformers using in the field as well as the safe treatment of PCBs. The risk assessment on the PCBs in the environment is surely necessary prior to the change in the limit. Also the PCBs concentration monitoring in the environmental media (i.e. air, water, soil and sediment) and exposure assessment will be essential for the accurate risk assessment. If the PCB-waste guideline maintain as 2 ppm after 10 years, the excess cancer risk of PCBs exposure by ambient air, drinking water and soil was $10^{-8}$. But if the guideline mitigate as 50 ppm after 10 years, the cancer risk was increased by $10^{-7}$. The ecological risk quotient by regulation change was not exceed '1'.

• Advances in environmental research
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.241-254
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• 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the levels of heavy metals in twelve species of vegetables and assessment of health risk. Samples were analyzed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometer (ICP-MS). The ranges of Cr, Ni, Cu, As, Cd and Pb in vegetables species were 0.37-5.4, 0.03-17, 0.35-45, 0.01-2.6, 0.001-2.2, and 0.04-8.8 [mg/kg, fresh weight (fw)], respectively. The concentrations of As, Cd and Pb in most vegetable species exceeded the maximum permissible levels, indicating unsafe for human consumption. Health risks associated with the intake of these metals were evaluated in terms of estimated daily intake (EDI), and carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks by target hazard quotient (THQ). Total THQ of the studied metals from most of the vegetables species were higher than 1, indicated that these types of vegetables might pose health risk due to metal exposure. The target carcinogenic risk (TR) for As ranged from 0.03 to 0.48 and 0.0004 to 0.025 for Pb which were higher than the USEPA acceptable risk limit (0.000001) indicating that the inhabitants consuming these vegetables are exposed to As and Pb with a lifetime cancer risk. The findings of this study reveal the health risks associated with the consumption of heavy metals through the intake of selected vegetables in adult population of Bangladesh.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.21-31
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• 2012

This paper presents the short-term and long-term measures to determine the fugitive dust concentration in a contaminated site, which is a crucial step for the determination of particulate emission factor (PEF) for risk assessment. As a long-term measure, USEPA method employing Q/C value (inverse of the ratio of the geometric mean air concentration to the emission flux at center of a 0.5-acre square source) seems to be suitable as it reflects regional-specific meteorological conditions. However, it requires nation-wide database collection and interpretation. Use of ASTM method is an alternative as a short-term measure. The method is readily field-applicable as PEF calculation equation is simple and input parameters can be easily derived at the site of interest as well without the nation-wide efforts. Using ASTM method, PEF at the Former Janghang Smelter Site was determined. According to various mode of aggregate size distribution and fractions of vegetative cover, which are the most important factors in PEF calculation, PEF values at the Former Janghang Smelter Site varied greatly. When the mode of aggregate size distribution was set at 0.25 mm, PEF values at the Former Janghang Smelter Site was 5~20 times higher than the default PEF value (i.e., 35 ${\mu}g/m^3$) shown in the current Korean Soil Contamination Risk Assessment Guidance. On contrast, when the mode was set at 2 mm, PEF values at the Former Janghang Smelter Site was 160~640 times lower than the default PEF value in the Korean Guidance.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.8
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• pp.588-595
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• 2014

Carbon nanomaterials such as fullerene, carbon nanotube and graphene are representative nanomaterials and widely used in various fields. Carbon nanomaterials can be exposed to environments during their production, usage and disposal, spreading to different systems and posing a great threat to various ecological receptors. Researches are conducted in order to determine the possibility of groundwater exposure to carbon nanomaterials due to their release and passage through soils. If soils can play a significant role in limiting the transport of carbon nanomaterials, the possibility of groundwater exposure to carbon nanomaterials can be reduced greatly. This review paper presented the research works performed for the mobility of carbon nanomaterials in soil media. Also, the paper provided the factors affecting the transport of carbon nanomaterials in soil media along with the DLVO theory/colloid filtration theory/transport model, which are used to describe the transport of carbon nanomaterials in soil media. Recently, production of carbon nanomaterials and their commercial and environmental applications increase rapidly in Korea. Therefore, researches regarding the fate and transport of domestic carbon nanomaterials in soil environments should be performed in various environmental conditions.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.62-71
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• 2008

Soil quality standards (SQS) are necessary to protect the human health and soil biota from the exposure to soil pollutants. The current SQS in Korea contain only sixteen substances, and it is scheduled to expand the number of substances. Chemical ranking and scoring (CRS) system is very effective to screen the priority chemicals for the future SQS in terms of their toxicity and exposure potential. In this study, several CRS systems were extensively compared to propose the assessment factors that required for the screening of soil pollutants The CRS systems considered in this study include the CHEMS-1 (Chemical Hazard Evaluation for Management Strategies), SCRAM (Scoring and Ranking Assessment Model), EURAM (European Union Risk Ranking Method), ARET (Accelerated Reduction/Elimination of Toxics), CRSKorea, and other systems. The additional assessment factors of CRS suitable for soil pollutants were suggested. We suggest soil adsorption factor as an appropriate factor of CRS system to consider chemical transport from soil to groundwater. Other factors such as soil emission rate and cases of accident of soil pollutants were included. These results were reflected to screen the priority chemicals in Korea, as a part of the project entitled ‘Setting the Priority of Soil Contaminants'.