• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.393-405
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• 2018

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are representative air pollutants due to their detrimental effects on human health and their role in formation of secondary organic aerosols. Assessments and monitoring programs of VOCs using periodic grab sampling like Tedlar bags, canisters, and sorbent traps provide limited information, often with delay times of days or weeks. Selected ion flow tube mass spectrometry (SIFT-MS) is an emerging analytical technique for the real-time quantification of VOCs in air. It relies on chemical ionization of the VOCs molecules in air introduced into helium carrier gas using $H_3O^+$, $NO^+$, and $O_2{^+}$ precursor ions. Real-time monitoring method of 60 VOCs in the ambient air was developed using TO-15 standard gas mixture. Calibration curves, method detection limit, and quantitation reproducibility of the target compounds were tested. Dynamic dilution system was used to dilute standard gas from 0.174 ppbv to 100 ppbv, where calibration curves showed good linearity with $r^2$> 0.95 in all target analytes. Limit of detection (LOD) all compounds were sub ppbv, and some halogenated compounds showed pptv levels. Seven consecutive analyses of target compounds showed good repeatability with relative standard deviation of less than 10%. One day monitoring of VOCs in ambient air was conducted in Geoje. Average concentration of target VOCs in Geoje were relatively lower than other regions, among which formaldehyde showed the highest concentration ($15.4{\pm}5.78ppbv$). SIFT-MS provided good temporal resolution data (1 data per 3.2 minute), which can be used for identifying ephemeral short-term event. It is expected that SIFT-MS will be a versatile monitoring platform for VOCs in ambient air.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.233-243
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• 2018

This study was carried out to characterize the ambient levels of PAH concentrations in Pohang city, where steel industry has been intensively developed. A large amount of PAH emissions from steel production and related industries in Pohang are concerned about the environmental health hazards of nearby residents. TSP samples were seasonally collected during 10 days at four sites in Pohang from April to December 2010. Each sample was collected for 24 hours using high-volume air sampler. All samples were extracted by $soxtec^{TM}$ before concentration of 1.0 mL. The concentrates were analyzed by GC/MS. The prevailing wind direction was southwest and west-southwest in Pohang during the measurement period. Variations of TSP concentrations appeared to be similar between four sites. The highest TSP concentration was found in fall, while the lowest in summer. The highest PAH concentration was found at an industrial site, while the lowest at a residential/commercial site. In the case of BaP, the average concentration at the industrial site was $0.63{\pm}0.66ng/m^3$, which was approximately 2 times of the residential/commercial site. The paired t-test (p<0.05) showed significant differences between industrial and residential area. Particulate PAH concentrations were higher in the winter and lower in the summer. The concentrations of BaP in winter were 2~10 times higher than those in the other three seasons. This study clearly demonstrated the impact of steel industry on the elevated levels of PAH in Pohang city.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.179-184
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• 2012

The light absorbance of photocatalysts and reaction kinetics of environmental pollutants at the liquid-solid and gas-solid interfaces differ from each other. Nevertheless, many previous photocatalytic studies have applied the science to aqueopus applications without due consideration of the environment. As such, this work reports the surface and morphological characteristics and photocatalytic activities of carbon-embedded (C-$TiO_2$) photocatalysts for control of gas-phase methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) under a range of different operational conditions. The C-$TiO_2$ photocatalysts were prepared by oxidizing titanium carbide powders at $350^{\circ}C$. The characteristics of the C-$TiO_2$ photocatalysts, along with pure TiC and the reference pure $TiO_2$, were then determined by X-ray diffraction, scanning emission microscope, diffuse reflectance ultraviolet-visible-near infrared (UV-VIS-NIR), and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The C-$TiO_2$ powders showed a clear shift in the absorbance spectrum towards the visible region, which indicated that the C-$TiO_2$ photocatalyst could be activated effectively by visible-light irradiation. The MTBE decomposition efficiency depended on operational parameters, including the air flow rate (AFR), input concentration (IC), and relative humidity (RH). As the AFRs decreased from 1.5 to 0.1 L/min, the average efficiencies for MTBE increased from 11% to 77%. The average decomposition efficiencies for the ICs of 0.1, 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 ppm were 77%, 77%, 54%, and 38%, respectively. In addition, the decomposition efficiencies for RHs of 20%, 45%, 70%, and 95% were 92%, 76%, 50%, and 32%, respectively. These findings indicate that the prepared photocatalysts could be effectively applied to control airborne MTBE if their operational conditions were optimized.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.29
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• pp.5.1-5.7
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• 2014

Objectives Numerous studies have revealed the adverse health effects of acute and chronic exposure to particulate matter less than $10{\mu}m$ in aerodynamic diameter ($PM_{10}$). The aim of the present study was to examine the spatial distribution of $PM_{10}$ concentrations and cardiovascular mortality and to investigate the spatial correlation between $PM_{10}$ and cardiovascular mortality using spatial scan statistic (SaTScan) and a regression model. Methods From 2008 to 2010, the spatial distribution of $PM_{10}$ in the Seoul metropolitan area was examined via kriging. In addition, a group of cardiovascular mortality cases was analyzed using SaTScan-based cluster exploration. Geographically weighted regression (GWR) was applied to investigate the correlation between $PM_{10}$ concentrations and cardiovascular mortality. Results An examination of the regional distribution of the cardiovascular mortality was higher in provincial districts (gu) belonging to Incheon and the northern part of Gyeonggi-do than in other regions. In a comparison of $PM_{10}$ concentrations and mortality cluster (MC) regions, all those belonging to MC 1 and MC 2 were found to belong to particulate matter (PM) 1 and PM 2 with high concentrations of air pollutants. In addition, the GWR showed that $PM_{10}$ has a statistically significant relation to cardiovascular mortality. Conclusions To investigate the relation between air pollution and health impact, spatial analyses can be utilized based on kriging, cluster exploration, and GWR for a more systematic and quantitative analysis. It has been proven that cardiovascular mortality is spatially related to the concentration of $PM_{10}$.

• The Journal of The Korea Institute of Intelligent Transport Systems
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.90-99
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• 2020

The "Low Emission Zone" (LEZ) system restricts entry of vehicles with high air pollutants into city centers. Implementation of the system improves air environment around the world. Since 2012, operating restrictions have been applied to all of Seoul's metropolitan areas and some other metropolitan areas in the state. Beginning in December 2019, entry of 5th class vehicles to the central green transport zone of Seoul has been restricted. In this study we examine the status of operational restrictions in this zone, and predict the amount of traffic reduction expected when numbers of target vehicles are expanded in the future, we use data for each vehicle's emission grade: by region and 'Origin-Destination Traffic Volume'. After estimating the amount of traffic entering Seoul's 25 autonomous districts, by emission class, we propose a target region that may have a significant effect if target areas for automobile operation restrictions expand in the future.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.32 no.5 s.92
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• pp.522-531
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• 2006

This study has been conducted to evaluate the influence of ambient heavy metals to the air quality and to find their sources in Ulsan. Korea. The distribution characteristics of ambient heavy metals with wind direction were investigated by using pollution-rose diagram. Carcinogenic risk for five trace heavy metals (Pb. Cd, Cr, Mn, and Ni), which are classified to carcinogenic material by US EPA, are assessed according to the classification system of USEPA and WHO. According to pollution-rose calculation on pollutants sources, Pb and Cu in Deoksin, which is an adjacent to Onsan industrial complexes, were $0.1058\;and\;0.3242{\mu}g/m^3$. These concentration levels are the highest at all sampling sites. From this result we could confirm that it was affected by Onsan industrial complex that is located northeast of Deoksin.,And the maximum concentration of Cd, Cr, and Ni were $0.0306,\;0.0102,\;and\;0.0146\;{\mu}g/m^{3} in Yeocheon respectively. Because Yeocheon is in the Mipo industrial complexes, which have many combustors, incinerators, and manufacturing facilities compared to other regions. In carcinogenic risk assessment, Pb, Ni, and Mn concentration level at six sampling sites were lower than the risk level guideline values ($10^{-5}$) of WHO. However, $Cr^{6+}$ and Cd concentration in Yeocheon were 60% and 205% higher than the guideline values of WHO. Therefore it is very important that the emission from industrial complexes were carefully managed and controlled to improve air quality in residential area.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.7 no.4 s.21
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• pp.36-43
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• 2003

This paper provides the possibility of the district cooling system by using a LNG cold thermal energy. A liquefied natural gas provides a plenty of cooling source energy during a gasification of a liquefied natural gas. In recent, an ice thermal storage system is used for cooling a building, and a deep water source cooling system has been introduced as a district cooling system in which is used to cool the office towers and other large buildings in old and new downtown. LNG cooling energy refers to the reuse of a large body of naturally cold fluids as a heat sink for process and comfort space cooling as an alternative of conventional, refrigerant based cooling systems. Coincident with significant clean energy and operating cost savings, LNG cold energy cooling system offers radical reductions in air-borne pollutants and the release of environmentally harmful refrigerants in comparison to the conventional air-conditioning system. This study provides useful information on the basic design concepts, environmental considerations and performance related to the application of LNG cold thermal energy.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.472-481
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• 2012

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the AD (allergic diseases: asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis) prevalence among elementary schoolchildren in an industrial city, Ulsan, and identify major environmental risk factors associated with AD prevalence. Methods: Data on the physician-diagnosed prevalence over the past 12 months and potential risk factors of AD were collected through a questionnaire from a 2009-2010 survey of 4,067 schoolchildren living in different urban environments. The logistic regression analysis was performed to assess differences in AD prevalence among the areas and to determine which environmental factors impacted AD. Results: Our survey results showed that the AD prevalence rate ranged between 26.2% and 35.9%. Children living in polluted areas (near industrial and central urban areas) had about a 10% higher prevalence of AD than did those living in coastal or suburban residences. The Chi-Square test demonstrated that this local difference was statistically significant before and after adjustment of major confounders such as parental AD history and parental education. The results of the logistic regression analysis showed a statistically significant association between several environmental factors (ventilation in winter, odor conditions and exposure to traffic smoke, and outdoor $PM_{10}/O_3$ pollution) and the prevalence of AD found by multivariate model after adjusting confounders. Conclusion: These results suggest that local differences in AD prevalence are significantly associated with outdoor environmental factors. Although there are likely to be other risk factors for AD, living in a polluted area and exposure to high levels of air pollutants can contribute to an increased risk of childhood AD.

• Journal of Korean Biological Nursing Science
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• v.3 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2001

Skin is constantly exposed to air, solar radiation, ozone and other air pollutants formulating free radicals. The reactive oxygen species(ROS), formed under these conditions, are associated with skin cancers, cutaneous photoaging, and cutaneous inflammatory disorders. In this study, we sought to establish an animal model for UVB-induced skin alteration using BALB/c mice. The level of UVB irradiation used in this model was within physiological dose. BALB/c mice were exposed to a single dose of UVB ($200mJ/cm^2$ and were sacrificed at 3, 6, 24, and 48 hours following the irradiation. The effect of a single exposure to UVB irradiation on skin catalase(CAT), superoxide dismutase(SOD), and glutathione peroxidase(GPx) activities were examined. Significant decrease in the activity of all enzymes were observed at 6 hours after irradiation(p<.05). The activity of CAT decreased more sharply than those of SOD and GPx, and then remained depressed until 48 hours after UVB irradiation, whereas the activity of GPx recovered to basal level at 48 h after UVB irradiation. Our results indicate that BALB/c mouse could be an adequate animal model of UVB irradiation experiment. These results will also provide fundamental knowledge for the effective nursing strategies in reducing UV-induced skin disorders.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.49-60
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• 2015

Objectives: Pine needles were used as a passive air sampler (PAS) of atmospheric persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This study was performed to investigate concentrations of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs) deposited on pine needles near a waste incinerator and PCDD/Fs source contributions using principal component analysis (PCA). Methods: Two-year-old pine needles were sampled at 11 points with respect to distance and wind direction from the incinerator. PCDD/Fs deposited on pine needles were analyzed with HRGC/HRMS. The source contribution of PCA was calculated with SPSS. Results: The average concentration of PCDD/Fs deposited on pine needle was 0.79 (0.27-1.76) pg TEQ/g dry, PCDDs with 0.24 (0.01-0.95) pg TEQ/g dry and PCDFs with 0.56 (0.27-0.82) pg TEQ/g dry, respectively. The average concentration fraction of PCDDs was 29.7%, that of PCDFs was 70.3%, and PCDFs were more prevalent than PCDDs. The contributions of PCDD/Fs sources were estimated as incineration at 58.3% and automobiles at 28.4%. However, a relation and regulation between PCDD/Fs concentrations deposited on pine needles and distance from incinerator or wind direction was not shown. Conclusion: It was concluded that atmospheric PCDD/Fs concentrations near an industrial complex with a waste incinerator were affected by multiple sources. However, PCDD/Fs concentrations were lower than in other inland cities with the exception of background area.