• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.124-134
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• 2005

To investigate the exposure effect of polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), we measured airborne total PAHs as an external dose, urinary 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) as an internal dose of PAHs exposure, and analyzed the relationship between urinary 1-OHP concentration and PAHs exposure. The study population contained 44 workers in steel-pipe coating and paint manufacture industries. The airborne PAHs was obtained during survey day, and urine were sampled at the end of shift. Personal information on age, body weight, height, eniployment duration, smoking habit, and alcohol consumption was obtained by a structured questionnaire. Airborne PAHs were analyzed by the gas chromatograph with mass selective detector. Urinary 1-OHP levels were analyzed by the high performance liquid chromatograph with ultraviolet wavelength detector. For statistical estimation, t-test, ${\chi}^2$-test, analysis of variance, correlation analysis, arid regression analysis were executed by SPSS/PC (Windows version 10). The mean of environmental total PAHs was $87.8{\pm}7.81{\mu}g/m^3$. The mean concentration ($526.5{\pm}2.85{\mu}g/m^3$) of workers in steel-pipe coating industries using coal tar enamel was the higher than that ($17.5{\pm}3.36{\mu}g/m^3$) of workers in paint manufacture industries using coal tar paint. The mean of urinary 1-OHP concentration ($51.63{\pm}3.144{\mu}\;mol/mol$ creatinine) of workers in steel-pipe coating industries was the higher than that ($2.33{\pm}4.709{\mu}\;mol/mol$ creatinine) of workers in paint manufacture industries. The mean of urinary 1-OHP concentration of smokers was the higher than that of non-smokers. There was significant correlation between the urinary concentration of 1-OHP and the environmental concentration of PAHs (r=O.S48, p<0.001), pyrene(r=0.859, p<0.001), and urinary cotinine (r=0.324, p<0.05). The regression equation between the urinary concentration of 1-OHP in ${\mu}g/g$ creatinine($C_{1-OHP}$) and airborne concentration of PAHs (or pyrene) in ${\mu}g/m^3$ ($C_{PAHs}$ or Cpyrene) is: Log ($C_{1-OHP}$)=-0.650+0.889×Log($C_{PAHs}$), where $R^2=0.694$ and n=38 for p<0.001.Log ($C_{1-OHP}$)=1.087+0.707${\times}$Log(Cpyrene), where $R^2=0.713$ and n=38 for p<0.001. From the results of stepwise multiple regression analysis about 1-OHP, significant independents were total PAHs and urinary cotinine (adjusted $R^2=0.743$, p<0.001). In this study, there were significant correlation between the urinary concentration of 1-OHP and the airborne concentration of PAHs. The urinary 1-OHP was effective index as a biomarker of airborne PAHs in workplace. But it was influenced by non-occupational PAHs source, smoking.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.176-184
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• 2004

This study was conducted to compare and estimate the daily PAHs dietary intake from both home-cooking and dining-out, through approach of model diet used in exposure assessment of food contaminants. Food commodities reflecting in model diet were selected from the KHIDI report and were analysed in cooked or uncooked edible forms using HPLC-Fluorscence Detector. The PAHs dietary intake comparison between home-cooking and dining-out was based on one meal intake suggested in model diet and PAHs dietary intake was estimated by using food consumption rate and body weight of the Korean adult group. The daily PAHs dietary intake was calculated by permutation and combination method with assumption that a person consumed 2 meals from home-cooking menu and 1 meal from dining-out menu. The total PAHs levels in 36 food commodities with 200 samples were ranged from 2.00 ug/kg to 141.28 ug/kg and a food showing the highest PAHs level was the stir-fried anchovy. The $TEQ_{BaP}$ levels of PAHs were calculated using benzo(a)pyrene equivalents individual congener level and corresponding TEF value and the $TEQ_{BaP}$ level were ranged from $0.03\;ugTEQ{BaP}$ to $1.31\;ugTEQ_{BaP}$ and a food showing the highest $TEQ_{BaP}$ level was the hamburger. The PAHs dietary intakes per one meal from home-cooking and dining-out were $2.4\times10^{-3}\;ugTEQ_{BaP}/kg/meal\;and\;4.0\times10^{-3}\;ugTEQ_{BaP}/kg/meal$, respectively. This data showed the PAHs dietary intake from dining-out was about 1.7 times higher than from the home-cooking. The daily PAHs dietary intakes of general Korean adult having two meals from home-cooking and one meal from dining-out per a day were ranged between $8.0\times10^{-3}\~9.7\times10^{-3}\;ugTEQ_{BaP}/gg/day$ and mean value as $8.9\times10^{-3}\~9.7\times10^{-3}\;ugTEQ_{BaP}/gg/day$.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.375-380
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• 2003

This study was carried out 1) to investigate the pH effect on solubilization of phenanthrene by biosurfactant in aqueous system and 2) to evaluate the pH effect on the biodegradation rate of phenanthrene in the presence and the absence of the biosurfactant by phenanthrene degraders. Tween 80, which is a chemically synthesized surfactant, showed greater solubilizing capacity than rhamnolipid. The solubilization capacity can be expressed as a MSR(molar solubilization ratio=moles of organic compounds solubilized per mole of surfactant). The calculated MSR of Tween 80 and rhamnolipid were 0.1449 and 0.0425 respectively. The kinetic study of phenanthrene solubilization by rhamnolipid showed that solubilization mechanism could reach equilibrium within 24 hours. Addition of 240 ppm rhamnolipid solution, which concentration is 4.3 times of Critical Micelle Concentration(CMC), caused 9 times solubility enhancement compared to water solubility. The highest solubilities were detected around a pH range of 4.5-5.5. Changes in apparent solubility with the changes in pH are possibly related to the fact that the rhamnolipid, an anionic surfactant, can form different structures depending on the pH. Two biodegradation experiments were performed in the absence and the presence of rhamnolipid, with the cell growth investigated using a spread plate method. The specific growth rates at pH 6 and 7 were higher than at the other pH, and the HPLC analysis data, for the total phenanthrene loss, confirmed the trends in the $\mu$(specific growth rate) values. In presence of rhamnolipid, maximum $\mu$ values shifted from around pH 5 which showed maximum enhancement of solubility in the abiotic experiment, compared to the $\mu$ values obtained without the biosurfactant. In this study, the increase in the observed specific grow rate(1.44 times) was not as high as the increase in solubilization(5 times). This was supported by the fact all the solubilized phenanthrene is not bioavailable to microorganisms.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.152-164
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• 2018

Fermented seasoning pastes were prepared by Aspergillus oryzae and Bacillus subtilis using three edible insects, Tenebrio molitor larvae (TMP), Gryllus bimaculatus (GBP), and Bombyx mori pupa (SPP), with soybean (SBP) as a negative control. Volatile compounds were extracted by the headspace solid-phase microextraction (HS-SPME) method and confirmed by gas chromatograph-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In total, 121 volatiles from four samples were identified and sub-grouped as 11 esters, 18 alcohols, 23 aldehydes, 5 acids, 10 pyrazines, 2 pyridines, 7 aromatic hydrocarbons, 10 ketones, 19 alkanes, 9 amides, 4 furans and 3 miscellaneous. TMP, GBP, SPP and SBP had 48, 54, 36, and 55 volatile compounds, respectively. Overall, 2,6-dimethylpyrazine and trimethylpyrazine were found by a high proportion in all samples. Tetramethylpyrazine, a main flavor of doenjang, a Korean fermented seasoning soybean paste, was identified as one of the major compounds in TMP, SPP, and SBP. SBP had benzaldehyde, hexanal, n-pentanal, and aldehydes and SPP with pyrazines.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.477-487
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• 2019

Objectives: Firefighters are known to be exposed to a variety of toxic substances, but little information is available on the exposure profile of firefighting activities. The aims of this study were to conduct exposure monitoring of toxic chemicals at fire scenes, to compare the concentrations of respective chemicals among firefighting tasks, and to assess the main factors influencing the concentrations of chemicals. Methods: Researchers performed sampling at firefighting scenes during four weeks in 2013. At the scene, we collected samples based on firefighters' own activities and examined the situation and scale of the accident. Collected samples were classified into three categories, including fire extinguishing and overhaul, and were analyzed in the laboratory according to respective analysis methods. Results: A total of fourteen fire activity events were surveyed: five fire extinguishing, six overhaul, and three fire investigations. Although no substance exceeded the ACGIH TLV, PAHs were detected in every sample. Naphthalene ranged from 0.24 to 279.13 mg/㎥ (median 49.6 mg/㎥) and benzo(a)pyrene was detected in one overhaul case at 10.85 ㎍/㎥. Benzene (0.01-12.2 ppm) was detected in every task and exceeded the ACGIH TLV. No significant difference in concentrations between tasks was shown. Conclusions: These results indicate that all firefighting tasks generated various hazardous combustion products, including possible carcinogens.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.333-342
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• 2020

The aim of this study was to define the toxic effects of phenanthrene (PAHs) on the fertilization and normal embryogenesis rates in the two species of sea urchin (Hemicentrotus pulcherrimus and Mesocentrotus nudus). The sperm and fertilized eggs of both sea urchin species were exposed to serial dilutions of phenanthrene for 10 min and 48 hours, respectively. The fertilization rate and normal embryogenesis rate of H. pulcherrimus and M. nudus were decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. The EC₅₀ for the fertilization rate of H. pulcherrimus and M. nudus was 17.48 mg L^-1 and 16.21 mg L^-1, and the EC₅₀ for the normal embryogenesis rate was 2.99 mg L^-1 and 0.36 mg L^-1, respectively. Between the two species, H. pulcherrimus was more sensitive to phenanthrene exposure, and 48 h normal embryogenesis was the more sensitive endpoint. Therefore, the results of this study demonstrated that the exposure of both sea urchin species to phenanthrene caused alterations in egg fertilization and the early developmental stages.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Marine Environment & Energy
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.247-256
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• 2012

Stable carbon isotope ratio of oil components are known to be unaffected by weathering processes and thus has been widely used to determine the origin of spilled oil. In this study, molecular index and composition of stable carbon isotope in 15 crude oils and petroleum product were analyzed and used as oil fingerprints to determine the discriminating power of each fingerprinting method among target crude oils. Through the fingerprints of alkane distribution only Bintulu and B-C(1%) were distinguishable from other crude oils. The pristane/phytane ratio can classify the crude oils into three groups but differentiation of crude oils within a group was impossible using the ratio. The crude oils of A.L., A.S.L., Foroozan and B-C(1%) were differentiated from the other oils using PAH source recognition indexes of C2D/C2P and C3D/C3P. The usage of 4-mD/1-mD and 2/3-mD/1-mD ratio was able to distinguish A.S.L., Bintulu and Oman from the other crude oils. However the PAH source recognition ratios in the other crude oils were similar and thus they were impractical to be used for source identification among the target crude oils. Stable carbon isotope ratios of alkanes were able to uniquely specify each crude oil in the plot of ${\delta}^{13}C_{C21}$ and ${\delta}^{13}C_{C25}$ except A.L., A.M., Qatar-Marine, B-C(1%). The oil fingerprinting method using stable carbon isotope ratios of individual alkane compounds showed more discriminating power among the target crude oils than the conventional source recognition indexes of PAHs or alkanes.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.95-105
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• 2007

The aim of this study was to determine the residual amounts of PAHs in environmental samples such as crop, soil and water collected from paddy, upland fields and forestlands near industrial zone and/or a thermal power plant in South Korea. All of the samples were analyzed by GC-mass spectrometer. The average contents of total PAHs in soil samples were 140.2 ${\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$ and the range was from 4.3 to $662.9{\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$. The detection of benzo(a)anthracene, chrysene, benzo(b)fluoranthene, benzo(k)fluoranthene, benzo(a)pyrene and dibenzo(a,h) anthracene which have strong carcinogenecity was ranged from 14.2 to 167.8 ${\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$. The residual amounts and detection frequency of PAHs in soil samples from the iron and heavy industrial areas near Pohang and Busan were 3-folds more than those of the other areas. Amounts of PAHs in upland soil samples was 1.5 folds higher than those of paddy soil samples, suggesting that it may be related to the content of organic matter in soil. The average contents of total PAHs in crop samples were 9.7 ${\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$ which ranged from 4.5 to 52.2 ${\mu}g\;kg^{-1}$. However, the residual amounts of PAHs in water samples were not detected. These results showed that soils and crops were slightly contaminated with PAHs. Therefore, the investigation should be continued for evaluating a safety or risk assessment through expansion of regions and crops.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.247-258
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• 2018

The purpose of the present study was to investigate whether the degree of air pollution can be evaluated via examination of local plants. Selected sites included two parks in an industrial area, as well as two parks in an urban area. Selected plant samples comprised one-year-old pine shoot leaves. Leaves growing over 2 m from the ground were collected from over 10 pine trees. Leaf surface was analyzed for deposition of 14 trace elements and 16 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), including particle size and mass, surface imaging, precipitation-mediated particle removal rate, and concentration. Particle size ranged from 0.4 to $200{\mu}m$, and the volume percentage of particles ${\leq}10$ was 20 %. Deposited particle mass ranged from 0.450-0.825 mg, and precipitation-mediated removal rate ranged from 10.0-27.6 %. Trace element concentration, as measured by ICP/MS after microwave acid digestion, was 18.8-26.3 mg/kg As, 0.08-0.13 mg/kg Be, 0.06-0.08 mg/kg Cd, 4.91-17.8 mg/kg Cr, 5.26-405 mg/kg Cu, 1,930-2,670 mg/kg Fe, 3.03-28.1 mg/kg Pb, 26.9-42.8 mg/kg Mn, 2.66-10.4 mg/kg Ni, 4,560-8,730 mg/kg Al, 2,500-6,120 mg/kg Ba, 5.27-17.8 mg/kg Rb, 40.9-95.3 mg/kg Sr, and 4,030-8,260 mg/kg Zn. Concentration of PAHs, as analyzed by GC/MS/MS after liquid-liquid extraction and purification of deposited particles, ranged from 1.17 to 12.378 mg/kg for ${\Sigma}PAH_{16}$ and from 1.17 to 12.378 mg/kg for ${\Sigma}PAH_7$.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.37-48
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• 2021

A new high speed rotation type-passive sampling device (HSR-PSD), which can rotate seawater at high speed and absorb easily and quickly the freely dissolved hydrophobic organic contaminants from seawater, was developed and then applied around the Korean Peninsula. Freely dissolved concentrations (Cfree) of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) were determined using the HSR-PSD with low density polyethylene (LDPE) sheets as a passive sampler. Furthermore, dissolved concentrations (Cdissolved) of PAHs in seawater were also obtained from high volume water sampling as a conventional method to account for actual bioavailability. When the LDPE sheets were rotated in the HSR-PSD at 900 rpm, PAHs with log KOW 3.4 ~ 5.2 were equilibrated between the LDPE and water in 5 hours. Although the high molecular weight PAHs with log KOW 5.6 ~ 6.8 was expected to be 2 to 30 days to reach the equilibrium, the Cfree of the PAHs at equilibrium could be corrected using performance reference compounds in 5 hours. Meanwhile, the total Cfree of PAHs were from 0.32 to 1.2 ng/L, which were higher than reported values in other oceans, but lower than in coastal water such as estuary, harbor, or shore. A bioavailability from the detected PAHs was highest at the sampling line near the dumping site of the Yellow Sea. Predicted residual concentrations in biota were relatively higher in offshore including the dumping site than in coastal regions.