• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.106-113
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• 2013

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to verify the influence of a massive hydrofluoric acid spill on community health through patients who claimed to have been exposed. Methods: We analyzed 2459 patients who visited our emergency department with the claim of exposure to hydrofluoric acid, and retrospective analyses were performed. We analyzed changes in numbers of visitors per day from the day of the accidental hydrofluoric acid spill, symptoms presented by the 1924 patients, and general characteristics. Comparisons of symptoms and hematologic characteristics were made between the initially set evacuation zone(1.3 km radius parameters from the spill) and the outer zone. Results: A total of 2,459 patients who claimed exposure visited our ED from 27 September 2012 to 23 October 2012, and there was a significant increase in the number of visiting patients from day 8 of the hydrofluoric acid spill. The most common complaints were a sore throat, 729(37.9%) and no specific symptom with health concern, 547 (28.4%). Statistically significant findings were pulmonary symptoms (p=0.001), nasal symptoms (p=0.001), diarrhea (p=0.023), and skin symptoms (p=0.007). In hematologic study, a statistically significant difference was observed in white blood cell count (p=0.018), creatine phosphokinase (p<0.001), erythrocyte sediment rate (p=0.013), and phosphorus (p<0.001). Conclusion: A significant increase in the number of patients was observed one week after the accidental spill of hydrofluoric acid. The most frequent symptoms were sore throat, headache, cough, and sputum. Statistically significant increase in creatine phosphokinase level and decrease in phosphorus level were noted in patients within the evacuation zone.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.28 no.spc
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• pp.37-43
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• 2022

Post-spill monitoring of hazardous noxious substances accidents is essential in the event of a spillage of significant quantities of pollutants and for the management of the marine environment resulting from the long-term effects of the persistent toxic substances. The accidental introduction of a sinker into the marine environment can create harmful anaerobic conditions in the benthic ecosystem and spread over the seafloor by the topography and currents. Through case studies, most post-spill monitoring includes modeling, remote sensing, and chemical analyses of the sediment and benthic organisms. The monitoring also evaluates the effectiveness of restoration and recovery activities and assesses damages and compensation.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.42 no.6
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• pp.623-631
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• 2021

The increased transport of marine hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) has resulted in frequent HNS spill accidents domestically and internationally. There are about 6,000 species of HNS internationally, and most of them have toxic properties. When an accidental HNS spill occurs, it can destroys the marine ecosystem and can damage life and property due to explosion and fire. Constructing a spectral library of HNS according to wavelength and developing a detection algorithm would help prepare for accidents. In this study, a ground HNS spill experiment was conducted in France. The toluene spectrum was determined through hyperspectral sensor measurements. HNS present in the hyperspectral images were detected by applying the spectral mixture algorithm. Preprocessing principal component analysis (PCA) removed noise and performed dimensional compression. The endmember spectra of toluene and seawater were extracted through the N-FINDR technique. By calculating the abundance fraction of toluene and seawater based on the spectrum, the detection accuracy of HNS in all pixels was presented as a probability. The probability was compared with radiance images at a wavelength of 418.15 nm to select abundance fractions with maximum detection accuracy. The accuracy exceeded 99% at a ratio of approximately 42%. Response to marine spills of HNS are presently impeded by the restricted access to the site because of high risk of exposure to toxic compounds. The present experimental and detection results could help estimate the area of contamination with HNS based on hyperspectral remote sensing.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.6B
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• pp.551-560
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• 2009

This paper describes a newly developed pollutant transport model named ARPTM which was designed to simulate the transport and characteristics of pollutant materials after an accidental spill in upstream of river system up to a given position in the downstream. In particular, the ARPTM incorporated ADCP data to compute longitudinal dispersion coefficient and advection velocity which are necessary to apply one-dimensional advection-dispersion equation. ARPTM was built on top of the geographic information system platforms to take advantage of the technology's capabilities to track geo-referenced processes and visualize the simulated results in conjunction with associated geographic layers such as digital maps. The ARPTM computes travel distance, time, and concentration of the pollutant cloud in the given flow path from the river network, after quickly finding path between the spill of the pollutant material and any concerned points in the downstream. ARPTM is closely connected with a recently developed GIS-based Arc River database that stores inputs and outputs of ARPTM. ARPTM thereby assembles measurements, modeling, and cyberinfrastructure components to create a useful cyber-tool for determining and visualizing the dynamics of the clouds of pollutants while dispersing in space and time. ARPTM is expected to be potentially used for building warning system for the transport of pollutant materials in a large basin.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.127-135
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• 2018

PURPOSES : Traffic cameras have been installed to reduce traffic accidents. The effectiveness of traffic cameras has been proved by dozens of studies, but recently questions over its effectiveness have been raised by a series of studies. In this study, the effectiveness of traffic cameras was analyzed with a focus on different road environments. METHODS : The effectiveness of the traffic cameras was analyzed by extracting the occurence frequency before and after camera installation. The effect of reduction was analyzed comprehensively considering the installation position, monitoring direction, and surrounding environment of traffic cameras. RESULTS : The result of this study is as follows. First, the installation of cameras in an area with relatively low accidental traffic was more effective. Secondly, the effect of camera installation on car-to-pedestrian collisions was better than that of car-to-car collisions. Thirdly, accidents tended to occur more frequently when cameras were installed in front of the accident-prone owing to the negative spill-over effect. CONCLUSIONS : The result can be used to guide placement of traffic cameras. Moreover, the installation of cameras with consideration of the road environment is expected to contribute to a reduction in traffic fatalities.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.1-8
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• 2018

In this study, formaldehyde and benzene were selected as the arbitrary chemicals in accidental leakage to environment, and their physicochemical and biological characteristics and toxicity were studied. Also, the fate of these chemicals in soil and groundwater was studied based on the results of previous studies. They can be released into the atmosphere as gas or vapor phase, which then can be photochemically degraded. Since they have relatively high water solubility, they are likely to have high mobility in water and soil. Volatilization of these chemicals from soil is affected by the soil moisture content. Biodegradation of formaldehyde and benzene is one of the important pathways as well. Therefore, it is necessary to study the environmental impacts of leakage accidents of flammable chemicals such as formaldehyde and benzene. Further research on the fate of flammable chemicals in the environment is needed to take appropriate response actions to leakage accidents of flammable chemicals, and this will contribute to the development of practical guidelines to cope with leakage accidents.

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.43 no.1
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• pp.95-104
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• 2010

The tap water supply in Korea mainly depends on the surface water. However, the advanced water purification process becomes a necessity due to the deterioration of surface water quality and the risk of accidental spill. High cost of water treatment and public concerns make the decision makers turn to riverbank filtration as an alternative to the surface water. Riverbank filtration has been employed for water supply in many developed countries for more than 150 years. In Korea, riverbank filtration has drawn attention since 1990s as a supply source having potential to stably meet the ever-increasing water demand. Some cities located in the Nakdong River Basin are currently supplying water through riverbank filtration. This work studies the site suitability analysis for riverbank filtration using game theory. Theory of games, which is a branch of applied mathematics used in social sciences (most notably economics), biology, engineering and computer science, was applied to candidate locations for the selection of riverbank filtration site. We proposed a policy game model as a new method adopting a probabilistic approach. The model developed turned out to be an effective tool for site selection.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.82-87
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• 2011

Heat transfer oils are used in applications such as heating systems of chemical plant, refinery heat exchange systems, gas plant process, injection molding systems, and pulp and paper processing. These oils are extremely stable and resistance to thermal and oxidative degradation. In the event of a spill or accidental release of heat transfer oils, it can be ignite easily when there is an ignition source. This paper discusses the flammability and thermal stabilities of new and used oils. The flammability of the oils are assessed by measuring changes in flash point and auto ignition temperature. The thermal stability of oils are evaluated by the thermal screening unit ($TS^u$) and the differential scanning calorimeter (DSC). From the experimental results, it is suggested to give fire hazard characteristics to safe precautions for the proper use and treatment of heat transfer oils.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.33-39
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• 2014

Heat transfer oils are used in applications such as chemical plant heating systems, refinery heat exchange systems, certain gas processes, injection molding systems, and pulp and paper processing. These oils are extremely stable and resistant to thermal and oxidative degradation. In the event of a spill or accidental release of heat transfer oils, it can be ignited easily when there is an ignition source. This study discusses the status of safety management through the actual status of the heat transfer oils to prevent fire and explosion accidents in industries for process safety management. The actual status of the heat transfer oils in process system of industries surveyed by a questionnaire developed. The results of this study can be used to help establishment of safety management to prevent fire and explosion accidents, such as the management of heat transfer oils, safe operation and maintenance in heat transfer oil processes.