• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.590-595
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• 2015

Sampling campaigns were conducted for hazardous chemicals and heavy metals in influents and effluents of industrial wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in Korea for best management practices (BMPs) of those pollutants through the plants and the receiving water bodies. Twenty seven WWTPs, receiving wastewater from industrial complexes and treating more than $2,000m^3/day$, were selected for the sampling campaign. Influents and effluents of each WWTPs were sampled once a month (total three times per plant) between July and September, 2012, and analyzed for 22 hazardous water pollutants among 28 regulated for effluents limits in Korea. Concentrations of mercury, arsenic, 1,1-dichloroethylene, and benzene in the influents were relatively higher; concentrations of mercury and arsenic in effluents were relatively higher than those of other pollutants. Most of the hazardous chemicals and heavy metals were removed (including phase transfer) more than 60% through the treatment processes except for selenium (30% removal) and 1,4-dioxane (18% removal).

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.75-84
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• 2005

The aim of this study is to evaluate the leaching characteristics of lead, copper, cadmium, and mercury from steel making slag by seawater. To demonstrate the leaching characteristics of heavy metals from steel making slag by seawater, it was carried to various leaching tests such as regular leaching tests, liquid/sold(LS) leaching test and pH static test. From the leachability of $Pb^{+2},\;Cu^{+2},\;and\;Cd^{+2}$ from steel making slag in pH static test, it is distinguished between distilled water and seawater. With distilled water, it is very low between pH 7-8 and pH 11-12. On the other hands, with the seawater, its leaching is higher than that of distilled water. In particular, concentration of $Hg^{+2}$ leached from slag by seawater is lower than that of distilled water. Meanwhile, we found that the heavy metals from steel making slag would be dissolved and precipitated using geochemcial equilibrium program such as visual minteq. Lead and copper leached from steel making slag with seawater were dissolved nearly in the range of pH 11-12, but in the range of pH 7-10 those were precipitated about 90%. And cadmium leached from steel making slag with seawater were dissolved completely. On pH static test with distilled water, lead leached from steel making slag seemed to be similar to pH static test with seawater. However, copper and cadmium leached from steel making slag were dissolved. In general, the species of lead leached from steel making slag were formed mainly of $PbCl^+,\;PbSO_4$, the species of copper were formed mainly of $CuSO_4,\;CuCO_3$, the species of cadmium were formed mainly of $CdCl^+,\;CdSO_4$ due to being sorbed with the anions($Cl^-,\;CO_3^{-2},\;SO_4^{-2}$) of the seawater. Both pH static test with seawater and distilled water, it is not in the case of the mercury. Most of mercury leached from steel making slag was precipitated(SI=0). Because the decreasing of $Hg^{+2}$ concentrations depends ferociously on the variation of chloride($Cl^-$) existed in the seawater. $Hg^{+2}$ leached from steel making slag could be sorbed strongly with chloride($Cl^-$) compared of carbonate($CO_3^{-2}$) and sulfate($SO_4^{-2}$) in the seawater. On the basis of that result, we found that the species of mercury was formed of calomel($Hg_2Cl_2$) as one of finite solid. Due to forming a calomel($Hg_2Cl_2$) in the seawater, the stability of mercury species by steel making slag should be higher than those of lead, copper, and cadmium species. Regarding the results stated above, we postulated that the steel making slag could be recycled to sea aggregates due to being distinguishing leachability of heavy metals($Pb^{+2},\;Cu^{+2},\;Cd^{+2},\;and\;Hg^{+2}$) between leaching tests by distilled water and seawater.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.8
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• pp.101-111
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• 1967

Daily doses of phenylmercuric acetate arranged in $30{\gamma}\;(group\;I)$, 3{\gamma}\;(group\;II)$ and $0.3{\gamma}\;(group\;III)$ were administered respectively to rabbits for 90 days. The chief histopathological changes in the organs and the analytical data on mercury residues in the excretion and liver were as follows. 1. Kidney: In group I, severe degrees of vacuolization and cloudy swelling were occurred in the epithelial cells of proximal convoluted tubules and severe cloudy swelling and coagulative necrosis were observed in the proximal straight tubules. There were many hyaline casts in the collecting tubules. In group II, moderate degrees of vacuolization and cloudy swelling were observed in the epithelial cells of proximal convoluted tubules and moderate cloudy swelling and coagulative necrosis were encountered in the proximal straight tubules. A little numbers of hyaline casts were located in the lumen of collecting tubules. In group III, slight degree of cloudy swelling were observed in the epithelial cells of proximal convoluted and straight tubules. 2. Liver: In group I, cloudy swelling, fatty changes and coagulative necrosis were observed in the central zone of hepatic lobules. Dissociation of hepatic cell cords was encountered. Hyperplsia of hepatic cells were remarkable in group II. No Pathological changes were observed in group III. 3. Spleen: Deposition of hemosiderin pigment was prominant in group I and small amount of the pigment was observed in group II. There were no pathological changes in group III. 4. Adrenal, colon and heart: No pathological changes were detected in all 3 groups. 5. In an average about 76.5% of mercury was excreted from group I, 85.4% from group II and 79.8% from group III. 6. Mercury content in the liver was 0.0348 g in group I, 0.00378 g and 0.00066 g in group II and group III respectively. 7. In general, as to increased mercury doses the concentration of mercury accumulation in the liver became higher, how·ever, the accumulation quantity against a total amount of mercury doses showed an adverse trend. In other word, the quantity of mercury accumulation was not increased proportionately by higher dose of mercury.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.158-164
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• 1991

The reduction mechanism at a mercury electrode of o-cresolphthalexon(OCP) in strongly alkaline supporting electrolytes has been investigated by several electrochemical techniques. The radical formed after first one electron reduction uptake, dimerizes. The result of cyclic voltammetric investigation demonstrated the reversible nature of the electron transfer and standard rate constant was $3.27{\times}10^{-2}$ cm/sec. The apparent irreversible behavior of the second wave is a result of the existence of a fast protonation following the second electron transfer. At low concentration of OCP(< $1{\times}10^{-4}$M), cathodic current were remarkably adsorptive properties. Prolonged electrolysis was carried out at controlled potential of -1.85V, original violet color of the solution becames progressively weaker, and then colorless solution. The final product of an exhaustive electrolysis is electro-inactive. The appearence of four steps may be explained by the fact that the reduction of OCP elucidated ECEC mechanism.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.675-683
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• 2017

Total mercury (T-Hg) and methyl mercury (MeHg) were determined in marine fisheries (41 species, n=87) commonly consumed in Korea, using a gold amalgamation method and gas chromatography-cold vapor atomic fluorescent spectroscopy, respectively. Concentrations of T-Hg and MeHg in all samples (31 fish, 4 crustaceans, 4 cephalopods, and 2 gastropod species) were in the range of 0.016-0.495 (mean, 0.093) mg/kg-wet and not detected-0.338 (mean, 0.067) mg/kg-wet, respectively. The concentrations of MeHg in marine fisheries were significantly correlated with T-Hg concentrations (P<0.001). The highest mean concentrations of T-Hg and MeHg were found in fish species, followed by crustaceans. The contribution of MeHg to T-Hg was in the range of 64-95% (mean, 83%) in cephalopods, 28-98% (mean, 69%) in fish, and 26-88% (mean, 57%) in crustaceans. The weekly intakes of T-Hg and MeHg by fisheries consumption for the Korean general population were estimated to be 0.463 and $0.338{\mu}g/kg$ body weight/week, respectively. The concentrations and intakes of T-Hg and MeHg were less than the allowable residue levels and in the range of 12 to 17% of the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) applied in Korea.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.217-221
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• 1984

In order to estimate interfering effects of mercury and lead on biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), BOD in 18 effluent samples were measured under three different concentrations of mercury and lead. The results obtained were as follows: 1. Biochemical oxygen demand(BOD) was decreased under the presence of mercury and lead, with parallel correlation of mercury concentration. 2. High correlations were noted between original BOD concentration and decreasing amount of BOD when concentrations of mercury or lead were increased. 3. When the lead concentration was high, the close correlation was observed between total organic carbon(TOC) and decreasing amount of BOD. 4. There was a negative correlation between TOC/BOD ratio and decreasing amount of BOD when the mercury concentrations were high.

• Proceedings of The Korean Society of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology Conference
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• 2001.06a
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• pp.11-13
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• 2001

본 연구진은 비교적 청정한 공기질을 유지하는 것으로 알려진 강화도 하리지역을 중심으로 2001년 3월 봄철의 일주일 (3/20∼3/27) 기간동안 미량기체의 교환량을 측정하기 위한 공동연구사업을 수행하였다. 본 연구에서는 수은, VOC, 메탄, 비메탄계 탄화수소를 위시한 가스상 성분은 물론 입자상성분을 대표할 수 있는 PM 10의 농도를 지면상부 1m와 5m 고도에서 관측하였다.(중략)

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.168-175
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• 2018

The use of microwave-assisted extraction and an acid-base clean-up process to determine the amount of methylmercury (MeHg) in marine products was suggested in order to improve the complicated sample preparation process. The optimal conditions for microwave-assisted extraction was developed by using a 10% NaCl solution as an extraction solution, setting the extraction temperature at $50^{\circ}C$, and holding for 15 minutes to extract the MeHg in marine products. A NaOH solution was selected as a clean-up substitute instead of L-cysteine solution. Overall, 670 samples of marine products were analyzed for total mercury (Hg). Detection levels were in the range of $0.0006{\sim}0.3801{\mu}g/kg$. MeHg was analyzed and compared using the current food code and the proposed method for 49 samples which contained above 0.1 mg/kg of Hg. Detection ranges of methylmercury followed by the Korea Food Code and the proposed method were $75.25(ND{\sim}516.93){\mu}g/kg$ and $142.07(100.14{\sim}244.55){\mu}g/kg$, respectively. The total analytical time of proposed method was reduced by more than 25% compared with the current food code method.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.212-217
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• 2010

Soil pollution by heavy metals has become a significant environmental concern due to a variety of human activities. Specially toxicity caused by excessive mercury exposure is now being recognized as a widespread environmental problem and is continuing to attract a great deal of public concerns. The earthworms are very important animals that aerate the soil with their burrowing action and enrich the soil by decomposing organic matters. Especially the earthworm Eisenia fetida is routinely used in ecotoxicological studies. The levels of DNA damage in earthworms treated with HgCl2 and ionizing radiation were investigated in this study. Genotoxic effects were evaluated in the earthworm's coelomocytes using the comet assay (Single Cell Gel Electrophoresis; SCGE). The results showed that the mercury chloride and radiation were responsible for the genotoxic effects on earthworms. The level of DNA damage significantly increased after the treatment of mercury chloride combined with ionizing radiation. The combined treatment of $HgCl_2$ and ionizing radiation had a greater genotoxicity. This study is amenable to further study such as enzyme activation assay.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.155-165
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ecosystem of Yeongsan Lake using physical, chemical, and biological indicators. We evaluated the integrative ecosystem health using Lentie Ecosystem Health Assessment (LEHA) model, Qualitative Health Evaluation Index (QHEI) model, and chemical water quality. The models of LEHA and QHEI were modified as 10 and 7 metries attributes, respectively. Also, we analyzed bioaccumulation of total mercury on various fish tissues by method of U.S. EPA 7473 using Direct Mercury Analyzer (Model DMA-80). Model values of LEHA model averaged 19 (range: $14{\sim}26$, n=15), which indicated a "poor" condition, and had slightly spatial variations. Values of the QHEI in the all sites averaged 72, which were judged as a "fair" to "good" condition. The QHEI values varied from 48 (fair condition) to 99 (good condition) and showed large longitudinal gradients between the upper and lower reach. Conductivity and salinity were increased from the up-lake to downlake reach. Analysis of total mercury in fish tissues showed that levels of total Hg ranged between 0.002 and $0.087\;mg\;L^{-1}$ depending on the types of tissues. Overall, the ecosystem health in the Yeongsan Lake was judged as a "poor" and the effects of bioaccumulation on the fish tissues were minor. Therefore, it is necessary to keep an efficient management for the lake environment to maintain their ecological health.