• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.433-446
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• 2009

Pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment are trace contaminants of growing importance in environmental health due to their physiologically active nature. Pharmaceuticals could affect non-target species and might eventually damage sustainability of susceptible populations in the ecosystem. Potentials for health consequences among susceptible human population cannot be ruled out since long-term exposure to cocktails of pharmaceuticals, which might be present in drinking water, is possible. Selection of antibiotic resistant microorganisms is of another concern. In order to understand, and if needed, to properly address the environmental health issues of pharmaceutical residues, knowledge gaps need to be filled. Knowledge gaps exist in many important areas such as prioritization of target pharmaceuticals for further risk studies, occurrence patterns in different environments, chronic toxicities, and toxicities of pharmaceutical mixtures. Appropriate treatment technologies for drinking water and wastewater could be developed when they are deemed necessary. One of the simplest, yet most efficient measures that could be undertaken is to implement a return program for unused or expired drugs. In addition, implementation of environmental risk assessment frameworks for pharmaceuticals would make it possible to efficiently manage potential environmental health problems associated with pharmaceutical residues in the environment.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.657-668
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• 2014

Under Korea's Enforcement Decree of the Framework Act on Environmental Policy amended in 2013, total organic carbon (TOC) is newly added as water quality parameter to assess organic pollution in water and aquatic ecosystem. To meet the TOC requirement and improve quality of effluent discharged into public watershed, it is also necessary to develop standards for TOC in effluent from public sewage treatment works (PSTWs). In this study, we reviewed the characteristics and removal efficiency of TOC in influent and effluent of PSTWs. The study found that phosphorus treatment process removed not only soluble phosphorus but also a portion of TOC remaining after the secondary treatment process. TOC concentration in effluent from PSTWs operated in tandem with industrial wastewater treatment work was higher due to influx of insoluble substances from the industrial wastewater treatment work. In order to lay a foundation for the management of TOC from PSTWs, it is necessary to carry out research on TOC from different perspectives. For example, studies on the generation mechanism of TOC and the impact of TOC on drinking water resources, assessment of effluent qualities through monitoring, and development of measures to control TOC for the preservation of aquatic ecosystem are needed.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.151-160
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• 2009

In order to use fundamental data for conservation of species diversity and stream health with dam development, fish investigation in up- and downstream of Pyeonglim Dam was seasonally conducted in 2007~2008. In addition, data of water qualities, investigated for environmental impact assessment, were used to determine a water quality standard level in Pyeonglim Stream, and it revealed that water environment condition was good in the stream. During the study period, a total number of fish caught from the 4 study sites was 5,449 representing 9 families 25 species, and there were 8 Korean endemic species (32.0%) including Rhodeus uyekii, Squalidus gracilis majimae, and Microphysogobio yaluensis. Two species of Zacco temminckii (37.5%) and Zacco platypus (26.3%) were dominant and subdominant in all sites. There were few individuals of the $2^{nd}$-class endangered species (Sand lamprey, Lampetra reissneri) and the introduced species (Bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus), found in the upstream of the dam. and further investigation for conservation of the endangered species and for prevention of the introduced species is needed in future. With fish fauna and multi-metric health assessment model in each sampling attempt, index of biotic integrity(IBI) was evaluated and it resulted mostly in good(26~35) and excellent(36~40) condition in all sites. The results indicate that it is very important to study not only environmental impact assessment with fish composition but also stream health assessment in order to conserve healthy aquatic ecosystem.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.441-450
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• 2014

In this study, we consider ability of self-purification for a rational water quality management. And we assess the risk of Alkyl Benzene Sulfonic acid sodium salt(ABS) of harmful ingredients in Anseong Cheon watershed using QUAL2E model. The observations and simulated results were fitted well for BOD and ABS, but even though the trend of DO concentration change was well represented, the error between observation and simulation values was existed. We assessed the Risk assessment by calculating Risk quotient(RQ) by Predicted Exposure Concentration(PEC) and Predicted No-Effect Concentration(PNEC). Results of the impact of ABS on the self-purification of the river were Anseongcheon[0.0003(Bressan), 0.06(Criteria of Ministry of environment)], Jinwicheon[0.0002(Bressan), 0.04(Criteria of Ministry of environment). And result of the impact of ABS on the Aquatic ecosystem of the river were Anseongcheon[0.0667(Bressan), 0.005(Criteria of Ministry of environment)], Jinwicheon[0.1(Bressan), 0.0075(Criteria of Ministry of environment). All of these results were smaller than the 1.0 which is the reference value suggested by Norification No.30 of the National Institute of Environment Research. So, ABS did not affect a self-purification and aquatic ecosystem of the river. The method suggested in the study is a simple one and can provide more information for harmful ingredients than criteria of Ministry of environment.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.760-768
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• 2011

Jinwi Stream is considerably polluted. The urban development in a Jinwi Stream basin can make state of aquatic ecosystem worse. However, researches for aquatic ecosystems in Jinwi Stream are insufficient. In this study, biotic indices of periphytic diatoms (DAIpo and TDI), benthic macroinvertebrates (EPT, KSI and ESB) and fish (IBI) were compared with the annual water quality data. Benthic macroinvertebrates indices showed highly significant correlations with concentrations of organic materials and nutrients, while DAIpo, TDI and IBI showed low correlations with them. In particular, ESB can be considered as an useful indicator that reflects the degree of diversity and abundance of biotic community as well as water quality. In polluted and disturbed streams as Jinwi Stream, DAIpo, TDI and IBI appeared to be not available for evaluating and discriminating the water quality, although they have been known as good indices in general streams.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.66-75
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• 2024

Heavy metals are naturally found in the ecosystem, and their presence in the freshwater river is increasing through anthropogenic activities which pose a threat to living beings. In this study, heavy metal concentrations (Zn, Mn, Cu, Cd, Cu, Cr, Pb, and Ni) in different organs (muscle, skin, and gill) of fish from the Padma River were evaluated to quantify, and compare the contamination levels and related human health risks. The results revealed that the heavy metal concentrations in the water, surface sediments, and fish taken from the Padma River were far below the WHO/USEPA's permitted limits. The estimated daily intake (EDI) value in muscle was less than the tolerable daily intake (TDI). The target hazard quotient (THQ) and hazard indexes (HI) were less than 1, showing that consumers face no non-carcinogenic risk (CR). CR values of Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, and Ni ranged from 4.00 × 10^-8 to 6.35 × 10^-6, less than 10^-4, and total carcinogenic risk (CRt) values ranged from 9.85 × 10^-6 to 1.10 × 10^-5, indicating some pose a CR from consumption of those fish from the Padma River. To establish a more accurate risk assessment, numerous exposure routes, including inhalation and cutaneous exposure, should be explored.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.108-117
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• 2015

This study was carried out to assess problems related to legislative regulations and guidelines concerning some biological assessment systems applied to stream corridor in Korea. We comparatively reviewed the law of stream corridors and the guidelines for master plan concerned, and the law of water quality and health assessment criteria for the aquatic ecosystem concerned. Stream environments were not managed effectively due to the absence of detail regulations and the criteria for stream assessment. A biological assessment system was not equivalently integrated within the management of water resources in process implementation of projects resulting from the dualistic management system for stream corridors in Korea. The current biological assessment system was reflected to mainly physical habitats or only oriented to some aquatic species correlated with water quality. This system was also recognized as part of environment impact assessment based on an intensive survey method of most biological taxa. Conclusively rapid and quantitative assessment techniques based on advanced organisms, such as vegetation, fish and birds, etc. should be urgently provided for considering as representative indicators of stream conditions in Korea.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.73-83
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• 2013

The object of this study was to evaluate lotic ecosystem health using multiple eco-metric approaches such as water chemistry diagnosis, physical habitat health evaluations, and biological integrity modeling at 100 streams of four major watersheds. For the study, eight chemical water quality parameters such as nutrients (N, P) and organic material were measured and 11-metric models of Qualitative Habitat Evaluation Index (QHEI) and multiple eco-metric health assessment model (MEHA) were applied to the four major watershed. Nutrient analysis of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in all watersheds indicated a eutrophic state depending on the locations of sampling streams. Physical habitat health, based on the QHEI model, averaged 114 (range: 56 - 194), judging as a "good condition" by the criteria of Plafkin et al. (1989). In addition, primary (H1 - H4), secondary (H5 - H7), and tertiary habitat metric variables (H8 - H11) were analyzed in relation to the physical habitat degradations. The plots of tolerant species ($P_{TS}$) and sensitive species ($P_{SS}$) to water quality showed that the proportions of $P_{TS}$ had positive linear functions with nutrients, and that the $P_{SS}$ had inverse linear relations with the chemical variables. The model of eco-metric health assessment showed that mean MEHA was 20.4, indicating a fair condition. Overall, our data suggest that water chemistry, based on nutrients and organic matter, directly modified the trophic structures in relation to food chain in the aquatic ecosystems, and then these directly influenced the compositions of tolerance/sensitive species, resulting in degradations of overall ecological health.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.46 no.3
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• pp.395-408
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• 2013

Environmental condition can induce changes in early life-history traits in order to maximise the ecological fitness. Here I investigated how temperature change and variation in human aquatic activity/behaviour affect early life-history consequences in fish using a dynamic-state-dependent model. In this study, I developed a general fish's life-history model including three life-history states depend-ing on foraging activity, such as body mass, mass of reproductive tissue (i.e., gonadal development) and accumulated stress (i.e., cellular or physiological damage). I assumed the level of foraging activity maximises reproductive success-ultimately, fitness. The model predicts that growth rate, development of reproductive tissues and damage accumulation are greater in higher temperature whereas higher human aquatic activity rapidly reduced the growth rate and development of reproductive tissue and increased damage accumulation. While higher foraging activity in higher temperature is less affected by human aquatic activity, the foraging activity in lower temperature rapidly declined with human aquatic activity. Moreover, lower survival rate in higher temperature or human aquatic activity was independent on mortality rate due to human aquatic activity or mortality rate when foraging activity, respectively. However, the survival rate in lower temperature or human aquatic activity was dependent on these mortality rates. My findings suggest that including of early life-history traits in relation to climate-change and human aquatic activity on the analysis may improve conservation plan and health assessment in aquatic ecosystem.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.790-798
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• 2013

Benthic macroinvertebrates are widely used as biological indicators for assessing the integrity of aquatic ecosystem. However, sampling has usually been done with fixed sample size due to time consuming and costly process. This study was conducted to find out the influence of sample size on the biological indices (H' DI, R1, J, EPT, ESB and BMI) of benthic macroinvertebrates. The 15 replicate samples were quantitatively collected from each 3 different site of two mountain streams in May, 2011. With the replicate data, we combined the abundance of each species with all the possible combinations of the sample size. Along with the increase of sample size, the number of species increased continuously and did not converge. BMI showed little difference whereas other biological indices increased or decreased.