• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.385-395
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• 2016

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess exposure to VOCs and PAHs and the health effects on volunteers who participated in an oil spill cleanup in Yeosu. Methods: Atmospheric VOCs were evaluated in the vicinity of the accident site and questionnaire surveys were conducted to identify personal characteristics and acute health symptoms of clean-up workers seven days after the accident. The levels of metabolites of VOCs (t,t-MA, HA, PGA, MA, MHA) and PAHs (2-NAP, 1-OHP, 2-HF, 1-HPH), oxidative stress markers (TABARS, 8-OHdG) in the urine of workers were analyzed. Their correlation was determined by multiple regression analysis with SAS ver. 9.4. Results: Although the concentration of atmospheric VOCs in the residential areas were low at the time of survey, the levels of VOCs and PAHs metabolites in clean-up workers were higher than those in the control group after clean-up activities. The levels of urinary VOC and PAH metabolites were significantly increased after clean-up compared to those measured before participation. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) concentrations were also increased and showed significant correlations with those of metabolites of benzene. Conclusion: This study shows that oil spill clean-up activities affect exposure to VOCs and PAHs and the health of clean-up workers. The results suggest the need for check-ups of participants in oil spill cleaning work.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.166-173
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• 2010

Objectives: On December 7, 2007, the Hebei Spirit oil tanker spilled out 12,547 kl of crude oil on the Yellow Sea 10 km away from the cost of Taean Province, Korea. As the coastline has been contaminated, local residents have been exposed to crude oil. Because the residents were showing many symptoms, we investigated the acute health effects of this oil spill on them. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study consisting of the heavy and moderately oil soaked area in Taean and the lightly oil soaked area in Seocheon. Ten seashore villages were selected from each area, and 10 male and female adults were selected from each village. We interviewed the subjects using a structured questionnaire on the characteristics of residents, the cleanup activities, the perception of oil hazard, depression and anxiety, and the physical symptoms. The odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were analyzed using logistic regression analysis. The logistic regression model was adjusted for age, gender, education, smoking, the perception of oil hazard and anxiousness. Results: The more highly contaminated the area, the more likely it was for residents to be engaged in cleanup activities and have a greater chance of exposure to oil. The indexes of anxiety and depression were higher in the heavy and moderately oil soaked areas. The increased risks of headache, nausea, dizziness, fatigue, tingling of limb, hot flushing, sore throat, cough, runny nose, shortness of breath, itchy skin, rash, and sore eyes were significant. Conclusions: The results suggest that exposure to crude oil is associated with various acute physical symptoms. Long-term investigation is required to monitor the residents' health.

• Korean Journal of Microbiology
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.109-111
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• 2010

Recent studies have described various microorganisms that can degrade PAH, however, there are currently limited methods available to screen for PAH-degrading microorganisms. To screen for PAH-degrading microorganisms, a sublimation method (Alley, Jeremy F. and Lewis R. Brown. 2000. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66, 439-442) was modified to produce a simple screening system. In our results, there were several bacterial species capable of pyrene degradation including genera, Coryenbacterium, Gordonia, Rhodococcus, and Streptomyces, which have been screened from 350 bacterial isolates of commercial gasoline and oil-spilled sediment by the sublimation method. The main advantage of this method is that it (i) safely deposits an even, thin and visible layer of PAH onto the agar surface without the use of solvents and (ii) the quantity of PAH sublimed onto the agar can be easily controlled. Overall, this sublimation method may be an effective and simple technique to screen for PAH-degrading microorganisms.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.41 no.5
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• pp.345-354
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• 2008

Objectives : Our objective is to review and summarize the previous studies on the health effects of exposure to oil spills in order to make suggestions for mid- and long-term study plans regarding the health effects of the Hebei Spirit oil spill occured in Korea. Methods : We searched PubMed to systemically retrieve reports on the human health effects related to oil spill accidents. The papers' reference lists and reviews on the topic were searched as well. Results : We found 24 articles that examined seven oil spill accidents worldwide over the period from 1989 to August 2008, including the Exxon Valdes, Braer, Sea Empress, Erika, Nakhodka, Prestige and Tasman Spirit oil spills. Most of the studies applied cross-sectional and short-term follow-up study designs. The exposure level was measured by assessing the place of residence, using a questionnaire and environmental and personal monitoring. Studies on the acute or immediate health effects mainly focused on the subjective physical symptoms related to clean-up work or residential exposure. Late or mid-term follow-up studies were performed to investigate a range of health effects such as pulmonary function and endocrine, immunologic and genetic toxicity. The economic and social impact of the accidents resulted in the socio-psychological exposure and the psychosocial health effects. Conclusions : Studies of the health effects of exposure to oil spills should consider a range of health outcomes, including the physical and psychological effects, and the studies should be extended for a considerable period of time to study the long-term chronic health effects.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.46-52
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• 2008

Oils and chlorinated solvents leaking to the subsurface are entrapped in the soil pore and these are called as nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPL). NAPL entrapped in porous media acts as a continuous source for surface and ground water contamination. This study visualized dissolution of trichloroethylene (TCE) entrapped in porous media and quantified the velocity of TCE dissolution using an image analysis technique. As the water velocity increased, the level of dissolution increased. The results imply that a TCE contaminated region having a high infiltration rate and groundwater velocity may result in severe groundwater contamination. Microscopic images of TCE entrapped in porous media showed that TCE present in the preferential flow paths was easily dissoluted into the water phase. However, TCE present in the stagnant flow region was visualized for long time. The results imply that TCE would be still present in the soil if TCE is detected in goundwater.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.39 no.spc1
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• pp.151-164
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• 2006

We monitored the current macrozoobenthic community structure after the Sea Prince oil spill around Keumo-do and Sori-do, Korea. Macrobenthic animals were collected seasonally around Sori-Keumo do using a van Veen grab ($0.1m^2$) from October 1999 to April 2000. In total, 196 species were identified at 46 sites around Keumho-do. The mean density was 1,460 individuals/$m^2$, and polychaetes comprised 80% of the total density of the macrozoobenthic. Dominant species were the polychaete Tharyx sp. (51%), the echinoderm Amphioplus megapomus (5%) and the polychaete Lumbrineris longifolia (3%). We identified 176 macrobenthic species at 36 sites around Sori-do. The mean density was 1,068 individuals/$m^2$, and polychaetes was the most abundant faunal group, comprising 41%, followed by mollusks (24%) and echinoderms (20%). Dominant species in Sori-do were the mollusk Potamocorbula amurensis (23%), the chinoderm Amphioplus megapomus (14%), and the polychaete Tharyx sp. (10%). The overall community structures in the study area showed few seasonal changes, although there was a gradual change in the species composition within each benthic community. Tharyx sp. was the most abundant species in the study area. Because this species has not been found in the other coastal areas except during recent investigations, it is considered to have increased during the course of community succession after the oil spill. The macrozoobenthic around Keumo-do showed little change in species richness, whereas around Sori-do, it showed a few increases in species richness after the summer of 1998. The overall density showed the same trend as species richness. Based on improved community indices, we suggest that the macrozoobenthic communities around Sori-Keumo Islands are gradually recovering from the oil-spill damagecaused by the oil spill.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.73-81
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• 2009

Objectives : This study presents a scientific basis for the establishment of an environmental health contingency plan for dealing with accidental coastal oil spills and suggests some strategies for use in an environmental health emergency. Methods : We reviewed the existing literature, and analyzed the various fundamental factors involved in response strategies for oil spill. Our analysis included data derived from Hebei Spirit oil spill and used air dispersion modeling. Results : Spill amounts of more than 1,000 kl can affect the health of residents along the coast, especially those who belong to vulnerable groups. Almost 30% of South Korean population lives in the vicinity of the coast. The area that is at the highest risk for a spill and that has the greatest number of people at risk is the stretch of coastline from Busan to Tongyeong. The most prevalent types of oil spilt in Korean waters have been crude oil and bunker-C oil, both of which have relatively high specific gravity and contain volatile organic compounds, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and metals. In the case of a spill of more than 1,000 kl, it may be necessary to evacuate vulnerable and sensitive groups. Conclusions : The government should establish environmental health planning that considers the spill amount, the types of oil, and the distance between the spot of the accident and the coast, and should assemble a response team that includes environmental health specialists to prepare for the future oil spill.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.67 no.3
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• pp.249-253
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• 2009

On 7 December 2007, the Hebei Spirit ran aground near Taean and released approximately 10,900 tons of oil into the sea. Crude oil on the coastal areas and fumes in the air increased the number of health problems among the local population. We report a case of respiratory failure after the oil spill clean-up work. A 66-year-old female was admitted to hospital with cough, sputum, and dyspnea of 1-month duration after the oil spill clean-up. She was diagnosed with community-acquired pneumonia and treated with empirical antibiotics. However, she had progressive respiratory failure without identification of the pathogen. Respiratory failure due to chronic inhalation of hydrocarbons from the crude oil spill clean-up was suspected. After mechanical ventilation care, she recovered from respiratory failure and was discharged. We report a case of severe respiratory toxic effects after an oil spill clean-up. We concluded that long-term hydrocarbon inhalation during the oil spill clean-up may have induced respiratory failure in this case.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.10 no.5
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• pp.582-588
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• 1995

A marine microorganism producing biosurfactant was isolated from the oil polluted coast of Chung-Mu in Korea, and was identified as Pseudomonas sp.. It produced the biosurfactanl and its optimum culture conditions for pH and salt concentration were 8.0 and 3.0%, respectively. The productivity of biosurfactant from this strain was affected by the nitrogen source used. For the oil resolvability of the biosurfactant, the residual oil in the culture broth with 2% Kuwait crude oil at each time of 48, 96, and 132hr was investigated by gas chromatography. As result of this experiment, it was verified that the biosurfactant acted on C10-C14, of Kuwait crude oil and so the oil was decomposed. The biosurfactant isolated from the supernatant was purified by adsorption to Amberliter XAD-7 and followed by gel chromatography (Sephadex G-100) and HPLC. The purified biosurfactant showed a high value of emulsifying activity at $40^{\circ}C$ and the emulsifying stability was maintained at the temperature range of $30^{\circ}C$∼$60^{\circ}C$. The purified biosurfactant reduced the interfacial tension of Kuwait crude oil remarkably and showed improved dispersing ability compared to those of commercial surfactants such as Tween 80, Tween 60 and SDS.

• Ocean and Polar Research
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• v.41 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2019

Right after the 2007 Hebei Spirit Oil Spill phytoplankton ecosystems were investigated for 11 years based on the seasonal monitoring of the composition and abundance of phytoplankton species. Comparable time-series data from the 1989 Exxon Valdez or the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill sites were not available. It was suggested that the ecological healthiness of phytoplankton ecosystems at EVOS sites had recovered after 10 years following the oil spill based on chlorophyll concentrations even though these concentrations only represented phytoplankton communities in most cases. Chlorophyll concentrations can only reflect limited aspects of highly complex phytoplankton ecosystems. During the last 11 years following the 2017 HSOS, extreme variabilities were met in the seasonally averaged ratios of diatoms to phototrophic flagellates including dinoflagellates based on the microscopic cell countings. Summer phytoplankton communities exhibited some cyclic interannual changes in dominant groups every 2-4 years. During the early years (2008-2010) cryptophytes or raphidophytes (Chattonella spp.) dominated alternately each year, which was repeated again in 2014, 2015 and 2017. Two thecate dinoflagellates, Tripos fusus and Tripos furca, together accounted for 52.5% and 50.0% of all organisms in the summers of 2011 and 2012, respectively, which was repeated again in 2018. Summer occurrence and dominance by the phototrophic flagellates including HABs (Harmful Algal Blooms) species as well as their interannual variabilities in the oil spill sites could be utilized as markers for the stable and long-term management of healthy ecosystems. For this type of scientific ecosystem management monitoring of chlorophyll concentrations may sometimes be insufficient to gain a proper and comprehensive understanding of phytoplankton communities located in areas where oil spills have occurred and harmed the ecosystem.