• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.46 no.4
• /
• pp.184-193
• /
• 2021

Background: The radionuclides released by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant (FDNPP) accident 9 years ago are still being monitored by various research teams and the Japanese government. Comparison of different surveys' results could help evaluate the exposure doses and the mechanism of radiocesium behavior in the urban environment in the area. In this study, we clarified the relationship between land use and temporal changes in the ambient dose rates (air dose rates) using big data. Materials and Methods: We set a series of 1 × 1 km² meshes within the 80 km zone of the FDNPP to compare the different survey results. We then prepared an analysis dataset from all survey meshes to analyze the temporal change in the air dose rate. The selected meshes included data from all survey types (airborne, fixed point, backpack, and carborne) obtained through the all-time survey campaigns. Results and Discussion: The characteristics of each survey's results were then evaluated using this dataset, as they depended on the measurement object. The dataset analysis revealed that, for example, the results of the carborne survey were smaller than those of the other surveys because the field of view of the carborne survey was limited to paved roads. The location factor of different land uses was also evaluated considering the characteristics of the four survey methods. Nine years after the FDNPP accident, the location factor ranged from 0.26 to 0.49, while the half-life of the air dose rate ranged from 1.2 to 1.6. Conclusion: We found that the decreasing trend in the air dose rate of the FDNPP accident was similar to the results obtained after the Chernobyl accident. These parameters will be useful for the prediction of the future exposure dose at the post-accident.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.18 no.E1
• /
• pp.1-12
• /
• 2002

One technique for determining dry acid deposition fluxes involves measurement of time - averaged ambient concentrations of dry acid deposition species using filter packs (FP) coupled with estimates of mean deposition velocities for the exposure period. A critical problem associated with filter pack data comparisons between various field sampling networks is the use of diverse sampling flow rates and duration protocols. Field experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of varying sampling flow rates, from 1.5 to 10 standard liters per minute, on total nitrate and sulfate measurements of specific dry acid deposition species . Collocated FP samplers were used to determine sampling and analysis data reproducibility and representativeness . Ambient air samples were simultaneously collected using groups of filter packs operated at various flow rates over identical 7 day periods. The species measured were sulfur dioxide, particulate sulfate , nitric acid and particulate nitrate. Statistical results (ANOVA; alpha level 5%) showed that neither the low nor high sampling flow rates caused a significant difference in the measurements of total sulfate and adjusted total nitrate (ATN) . However, it was concluded that for high flow rate sampling measurements, total nitrate (TN) could be affected during extended sampling durations because of potential nitric acid overloading and breakthrough. Although the previous workers (Costello, 1990; Quillian, 1990) used much higher sampling flow rates (~ 17 sLpm) than employed here, it was assumed that for a high loading (> 50$\mu\textrm{g}$ HNO$_3$) of nitric acid on the Nylon filters, a significant fraction (~10%) of nitric acid could pass through the Nylon filters and be collected on the carbonate impregnated filters. It was concluded that even at the highest sampling flow rate employed (10 sLpm) at the Cary Forest site, nitric acid breakthrough was less than 10% of the total HNO$_3$ collected. However, for a heavily polluted urban airshed or with longer sampling times , higher filter loadings could result in substantial nitric acid breakthrough and HNO$_3$concentrations would be underestimated.

• Korean Journal of Ichthyology
• /
• v.29 no.1
• /
• pp.13-21
• /
• 2017

We investigated that changes of survival rate and hematological factors in sevenband grouper (Epinephelus septemfasciatus), exposed to ammonia. First, the fish was exposed and was observed survival rate. We observed the survival rate of the fish when exposed at each ammonia concentrations (0, 0.35, 0.4, 0.5, 0.8 mg/L, $NH_3$) for 96 hours. The 96-h $LC_{50}$ (lethal ambient concentration for 50% of the population) of $NH_4^+$ and un-ionized ammonia ($NH_3$) for sevenband grouper were 26.7 and 0.6 mg/L, respectively. Secondly, we exposed the fish to 96-h $LC_{50}$ ammonia concentration (0.6 mg/L) for 96 hours, then sampled the blood of groupers for analysis of cortisol, glucose, $NH_3$, GOT, GPT, total protein (TP), electrolytes ($Na^+$, $Cl^-$) and osmolality in plasma. The plasma cortisol, glucose, GOT and GPT were increased with increasing of elapsed time and ammonia concentration. In addition, the $NH_3$ and total protein in plasma were significantly increased to 12 hours exposed to ammonia, and then decreased. But, the values were significantly higher than the control. The plasma electrolytes ($Na^+$, $Cl^-$) and osmolality were decreased with increasing of elasped time. The results in the present study suggest that the continuous exposure of ammonia to juveniles of sevenband grouper may be a stressor and negative influence.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.16 no.3
• /
• pp.199-212
• /
• 2014

The physiological responses of three common temperate species, Pinus densiflora, Fraxinus rhynchophylla, Sorbus alnifolia to elevated $CO_2$ was investigated using open top chambers with different $CO_2$ concentrations. Morphological (stomatal size, density and area) and physiological characteristics (maximum rates of photosynthesis, carboxylation and electron transport) were compared among trees grown under ambient, ambient ${\times}1.4$ (~550 ppm) and ambient ${\times}1.8$ (~700 ppm) $CO_2$ concentrations for last four years. Morphological responses were different among species. F. rhynchophyllar increased their stomatal size and S. alnifolia had higher stomatal density under elevated $CO_2$ than ambient. Stomatal area decreased in P. densiflora, whereas it increased in S. alnifolia. However, the maximum photosynthesis rate increased in all species up to 43.5% by S. alnifolia under elevated $CO_2$ and the enhancement increased with time. Even with four years of exposure to elevated $CO_2$, there was no sign of acclimation in the maximum carboxylation rate and the maximum electron transport rates in all species. Especially, S. alnifolia even showed the temporary increase of photosynthetic capacities in spring, when leaf nitrogen concentration was high with new leaf development. There was no significant differences in diameter growth rate in any species due to high variation in their tree sizes, however accumulated diameter and biomass for four years showed significantly increment in all species under elevated $CO_2$. For example, S. alnifolia showed 59% increase in diameter at the ambient ${\times}1.8$ (~700 ppm) compared to ambient.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
• /
• v.45 no.2
• /
• pp.53-68
• /
• 2020

Background: International organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation (UNSCEAR) reported public exposure doses due to radionuclides released in the Fukushima nuclear accident a few years after the event. However, the reported doses were generally overestimated due to conservative assumptions such as a longer stay in deliberate areas designated for evacuation than the actual stay. After these reports had been published, more realistic dose values were reported by Japanese scientists. Materials and Methods: The present paper reviews those reports, including the most recently published articles; and summarizes estimated effective doses (external and internal) and issues related to their estimation. Results and Discussion: External dose estimation can be categorized as taking two approaches-estimation from ambient dose rate and peoples' behavior patterns-and measurements using personal dosimeters. The former approach was useful for estimating external doses in an early stage after the accident. The first 4-month doses were less than 2 mSv for most (94%) study subjects. Later on, individual doses came to be monitored by personal dosimeter measurements. On the basis of these measurements, the estimated median annual external dose was reported to be < 1 mSv in 2011 for 22 municipalities of Fukushima Prefecture. Internal dose estimation also can be categorized as taking two approaches: estimation from whole-body counting and estimation from monitoring of environmental samples such as radioactivity concentrations in food and drinking water. According to results by the former approach, committed effective dose due to ¹³⁴Cs and ¹³⁷Cs could be less than 0.1 mSv for most residents including those from evacuated areas. Conclusion: Realistic doses estimated by Japanese scientists indicated that the doses reported by WHO and UNSCEAR were generally overestimated. Average values for the first-year effective doses for residents in two affected areas (Namie Town and Iitate Village) were not likely to reach 10 mSv, the lower end of the doses estimated by WHO.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
• /
• v.19 no.E2
• /
• pp.51-61
• /
• 2003

The material exposure tests have been carried out since 1993 to evaluate the relationship between air pollution and material corrosion with the cooperation of the researchers in Japan, China, and Korea. The test pieces such as bronze, copper, marble, and carbon steel have been exposed under both unsheltered and rain-sheltered outdoor condition separately at 18 sampling sites in East Asia. At the same time, the concentration of SO$_2$ and NO$_2$ has been measured simultaneously with passive sampler. The meteorological data were collected from the AWS (Auto-mated weather station) In each country and chemical compositions of wet deposition were also analyzed by the bulk sampling of rainfall every month. As the results, it was found that the corrosion rates of test pieces in the ambient air were appeared to be in the order of carbon steel > marble > bronze copper. The corrosion rates of test pieces in the unsheltered outdoor condition were 2.34 to 5.88 times larger than those in rain-sheltered condition. It was also found that the corrosion rate in the heavy polluted area in China was the highest, and the corrosion rates of the metal pieces were generally proportional to SO$_2$ concentration. Between two sites in Korea, the test pieces at Daegu site showed higher corrosion rates that would be due to the higher SO$_2$ concentration.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.5
• /
• pp.365-371
• /
• 2007

To evaluate the effect of air pollution on respiratory health in children, We conducted a longitudinal study in which children were asked to record their daily levels of Peak Expiratory Flow Rate(PEFR) using potable peak flow meter(mini-Wright) for 4 weeks. The relationship between daily PEFR and ambient air particle levels was analyzed using a mixed linear regression models including gender, age in year, weight, the presence of respiratory symptoms, and relative humidity as an extraneous variable. The daily mean concentrations of $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ over the study period were $64.9{\mu}g/m^3$ and $46.1{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively. The range of daily measured PEFR in this study was $182{\sim}481\;l/min$. Daily mean PEFR was regressed with the 24-hour average $PM_{10}(or\;PM_{2.5})$ levels, weather information such as air temperature and relative humidity, and individual characteristics including sex, weight, and respiratory symptoms. The analysis showed that the increase of air particle concentrations was negatively associated with the variability in PEFR. We estimated that the IQR increment of $PM_{10}$ or $PM_{2.5}$ were associated with 1.5 l/min (95% Confidence intervals -3.1, 0.1) and 0.8 l/min(95% CI -1.8, 0.1) decline in PEFR. Even though this study showed negative findings on the relationship between respiratory function and air particles, it was worth noting that the findings must be interpreted cautiously because exposure measurement based on monitoring of ambient air likely resulted in misclassification of true exposure levels and this was the first Korean study that $PM_{2.5}$ measurement was applied as an index of air quality.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.255-263
• /
• 2007

Indoor air quality is the dominant contributor to total personal exposure because most people spend a majority of their time indoors. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the alternative method for improvement of indoor air quality in house after coating titanium dioxide ($TiO_2$) photocatalyst for interior part of the house using nitrogen dioxide ($NO_2$) multiple measurements. To evaluate the alternative method in indoor environment, daily indoor and outdoor $NO_2$ concentrations of an apartment and a detached house were daily measured for consecutive 21 days in winter and summer, respectively, Another daily 21 measurements were carried out after $TiO_2$ coating on wall paper of interior part in houses. All $NO_2$ concentrations were measured by passive filter badges. Indoor air quality models using mass balance are useful tool to quantify the relationship between indoor air pollution levels, ambient concentrations, and explanatory variables. Using a mass balance model and linear regression analysis, penetration factor (ventilation rate divided by sum of ventilation rate and decay rate) and source strength factor (emission rate divided by sum of ventilation rate and decay rate) were calculated. Subsequently, the decay constants were estimated. In this study. magnitude of improvement of indoor air quality could be evaluated by decay constant.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.39 no.4
• /
• pp.346-353
• /
• 2013

Objectives: The goal of this study is to identify the distribution of the foliar fluorine content of vegetation surrounding the area where hydrofluoric acid was accidently released in Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do on September 27, 2012. In addition, it also aims to estimate the concentration of hydrogen fluoride in the air on the day of the accident. Methods: Samples of plant leaves were collected on October 7, 2012 within 1 km from the site where the accident occurred. These samples were analyzed for soluble fluorine ion with an ion selective electrode. The ambient concentration of hydrogen fluoride was calculated using the fluoride content in the plant via the dose-rate equation (${\Delta}F$=KCT). Results: The arithmetic and geometric means of the concentrations were 2158.2 and 1183.7mg F $kg^{-1}$ for leaves and, 2.4 and 1.1 ppm HF for the air, respectively. The highest concentration of hydrogen fluoride in the air was 14.7 ppm, which is higher than the maximum concentration reported by the government (1 ppm) and the exposure limit (ceiling, 3 ppm). The concentrations of both fluorine and hydrogen fluoride decreased with increasing distance from the accident site and showed a significant decrease outside of a 500m radius from the site (p <0.05). Conclusions: The area around the accident site was highly polluted with hydrogen fluoride according to the results of this study. Considering the persistency of hydrogen fluoride in the environment, long-term monitoring and environmental impact assessment should be pursued.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.57-63
• /
• 1997

This study was carried out to find the adverse health effects of ozone by papers, the potential indoor sources of ozone by papers, and then the removal mechanism of ozone by experiments. The exposure of individuals to excessive levels of ozone both in the industrial and ambient environment is a continuing public health concern. Ozone indoors may play a role in generating secondary pollutants that may have adverse health effects. The removal efficiency of ozone was studied by (1) the effect of concentration on breakthrough time, (2) the effect of flow rate on breakthrough time, (3) the effect of adsorbent's weight on breakthrough time, (4) the effect of temperature on breakthrough time, (5) the application of Langmuir's isotherm equation in using activated carbon. The followings are the conclusions that were derived from this study. 1. In the effect of concentration on breakthrough time, the adsorption capacity of activated carbon was inversely proportional to ozone concentratuion (0.1, 0.2, 0.3 ppm). 2. In the effect of flow rate on breakthrough time, the service life of activated carbon was inversely proportional to flow rate (2, 8, 14l/min). 3. The difference in removal efficiency of ozone between weights(100 mg and 150 mg) was seen. And when weight of activated carbon was 100 mg and 150 mg, pressure loss was 4-5mmHg and 6-7mmHg, respectively. It is required to study relations among flow rate and adsorbent's weight and ventilation quantity, too. 4. Generally, Langmuir's equation, one of the oldest and most used frequently isotherm equation, applies to chemisorption. In case of ozone, when the weight of activated carbon was 70 mg and temperature 40, slope(1/a) was $6.25\times 10^{-1}$ and intercept(1/ab) was $1.9\times 10^{-4}$ (average r=0.94).