• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 2003

The benzene removal characteritics of the polyurethane (PU) biofilter immobilized with S. maltophilia T3-c, that could efficiently degrade benzene, was investigated. Maximum capacity to eliminate benzene was maintained at $100-110g{\cdot}m^-3{\cdot}h^-1$ when space velocity (SV) ranged from 100 to $300 h^-1$ -1/, however, it decreased sharply to $55 g{\cdot}m^-3{\cdot}h^-1^$ as SV increased to $400 h^-1$. The critical elimination capacities that guaranteed $90\%$ removal of inlet loading of the PU biofilter were determined to be 70,30, and $15 g{\cdot}m^-3{\cdot}h^-1$ at SV 100,200, and $300 h^-1$, respectively. Based on the result of a kinetic analysis of the PU biofilter, maximum benzene elimination velocity ($V_m$) was $125 g{\cdot}m^-3^\;of\;PU{\cdot}h^-1$ and saturation constant ($K_m$) was $0.22 g{\cdot}m^-3^$ of benzene ($65{\mu}{\cdot}I^-1$). This study suggests that the biofilter utilizing S. maltophilia T3-c and polyurethane is a very promising technology for effectively degrading benzene.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.43-48
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• 2011

Even though exposure to benzene has been linked to a variety of cancers including leukemia, the detailed molecular mechanisms relevant to benzene-induced carcinogenesis remain to be clearly elucidated. In this study, we evaluated the effects of benzene on differential gene expression in a leukemia cell line. The K562 leukemia cell line used in this study was cultured for 3 h with 10 mM benzene and RNA was extracted. To analyze the gene expression profiles, a 41,000 human whole genome chip was employed for cDNA microarray analysis. We initially identified 6,562 genes whose expression was altered by benzene treatment. Among these, 3,395 genes were upregulated and 3,167 genes were downregulated by more than 2-fold, respectively. The results of functional classification showed that the identified genes were involved in biological pathways including transcription, cell proliferation, the cell cycle, and apoptosis. These gene expression profiles should provide us with further insights into the molecular mechanisms underlying benzene-induced carcinogenesis, including leukemia.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.162-167
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• 2010

We investigated the adsorption and desorption characteristics of benzene molecules on $Si(001)-2{\times}n$ surfaces using a variable-low temperature scanning tunneling microscopy. When benzene was adsorbed on a $Si(001)-2{\times}n$ surface at a low coverage, five distinct adsorption configurations were found: tight-binding (TB), standard-butterfly (SB), twisted-bridge, diagonal-bridge, and pedestal. The TB and SB configurations were the most dominant ones and could be reversibly interconverted, diffused, and desorbed by applying an electric field between the tip and the surface. The population ratios of the TB and SB configurations were affected by the benzene coverage: at high coverage, the population ratio of SB increased over that of TB, which was favored at low coverage. The desorption yield decreased with increasing benzene coverage and/or density of vacancy defect. These results suggest that the interaction between the benzene molecules is important at a high coverage, and that the vacancy defects modify the adsorption and desorption energies of the benzene molecules on Si(001) surface.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.16 no.10
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• pp.1197-1202
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• 2007

Adsorption experiments of binary mixed gases composed of acetone/methylethylketone (MEK), MEK/benzene, MEK/toluene, and benzene/toluene were carried out on activated carbon fixed-bed. The variations of equilibrium adsorption capacity according to type and fraction of binary gas were investigated. In case of binary gases composed of acetone/MEK and benzene/toluene, equilibrium adsorption capacities of MEK and toluene were increased according to the increase of fraction of MEK and toluene, but equilibrium adsorption capacities of acetone and benzene were decreased. In case of binary gases composed of MEK/benzene and MEK/toluene, equilibrium adsorption capacities of benzene and toluene were increased according to the increase of fraction of benzene and toluene, but equilibrium adsorption capacities of MEK was decreased.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.87-98
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• 2001

There has been increased interest in the health effects of the Environmental Tobacco Smoke(ETS) as a confirmed human carcinogen. It has been known to be extremely difficult to make an accurate assessment of exposure to ETS since it is consisted of a variety of components and there are a number of labile chemicals. Therefore, it is necessary to obtain, to interpretate and to provide the data of quantitative exposure assessment to ETS in the field of environmental health. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the concentration of ETS using VOC in indoor office environments. The correlations and concentrations of benzene, RSP, 3-EP, nicotine that are indicators for ETS were investigate with smoking density, air change per hour(ventilation rate). Air samples were taken in smoking room(7 sites), smoking allowed office (3 sites), corridor outside smoking room(7 sites), non-smoking office (9 sites). The concentrations of benzene showed significant difference according to category of indoor office environments. The geometric mean concentration of benzene were 23.56 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$/㎥(range 4.80~192.90 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$/㎥) in smoking rooms. 6.16 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$/㎥ in smoking allowed offices, 1.32 ${\mu}{\textrm}{m}$/㎥ in the non-smoking offices respectively. The ratios of the concentration of benzene between outdoor air and smoking room, smoking allowed office, and non-smoking indicators concentrations, SD, and SI were 0.82(benzene and nicotine). 0.76(benzene and RSP), 0.60(benzene and SD), 0.76(benzene and SI). It is proposed that benzene is a good indicator for ETS.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.220-225
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• 2017

Background: Benzene is a known occupational and environmental pollutant. Its urinary metabolite trans, trans-muconic acid (tt-MA) has been introduced by some environmental and occupational health regulatory associations as a biological index for the assessment of benzene exposure; however, recently, doubts have been raised about the specificity of tt-MA for low-level benzene exposures. In the present study, we investigated the association between urinary levels of tt-MA and inhalational exposure to benzene in different exposure groups. Methods: Benzene exposure was assessed by personal air sampling. Collected benzene on charcoal tube was extracted by carbon disulfide and determined by a gas chromatograph (gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector). Urinary tt-MA was extracted by a strong anion-exchange column and determined with high-performance liquid chromatography-UV. Results: Urinary levels of tt-MA in intensive benzene exposure groups (chemical workers and police officers) were significantly higher than other groups (urban and rural residents), but its levels in the last two groups with significant different exposure levels (mean = 0.081 ppm and 0.019 ppm, respectively) showed no significant difference (mean = $388{\mu}g/g$ creatinine and $282{\mu}g/g$, respectively; p < 0.05). Before work shift, urine samples of workers and police officers showed a high amount of tt-MA and its levels in rural residents' samples were not zero. Conclusion: Our results suggest that tt-MA may not be a reliable biomarker for monitoring low-level (below 0.5 ppm) benzene exposures.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.272-280
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• 1996

This study was to evaluate the associations between urinary S-Phenyl-mercapturic acid(S-PMA) as a new indicator of biological monitoring for low level of exposure to benzene and independent variables such as the air concentration of benzene in the breathing zone of workers, the years of work, and smoking. In this study the subjects were the total of 145 drawn from 53 workers who were occupationally exposed to benzene and 92 workers who were not. The results were as follows: 1. In the workplace geometric mean concentration of benzene in the breathing zone of workers was 0.31 ppm(0.02 - 3.26 ppm) for the spraying workers and 0.25 ppm(0.02 - 3.95 ppm) for the printing workers. 2. The geometric mean of uninary S-PMA for non exposed group was $8.9{\mu}g/g$ creatinine($0.6-72.3{\mu}g/g$ creatinine), 80.3% (74 workers) of the total non-exposed workers indicated less than $20{\mu}g/g$ creatinine of uninary S-PMA. The difference of uninary S-PMA by sex, age, smoking was not significant. 3. The geometric mean of urinary S-PMA for workers who were exposed to benzene was $37.2{\mu}g/g$ creatinine, and was four times higher than that of workers who were not exposed. And 79.3% (42 workers) of the total exposed workers indicated more than $20{\mu}g/g$ creatinine of urinary S-PMA. 4. Regarding the level of benzene in the air, urinary S-PMA was the highest level of $147.9{\mu}g/g$ creatinine in the workers who were exposed to air concentration of 0.5 ppm of benzene and was higher as the level in the air was increased. 5. The correlation coefficient between log urinary S-PMA and log benzene concentration in the breathing zone was 0.80, and the following linear equation was found between urinary log S-PMA and log benzene concentration in the breathing zone : log S-PMA(${\mu}g/g$ creatinine) = 0.564 log benzene in air(ppm) + 0.192 (n=53, r=0.80, p=0.000) In conclusion, the concentration of S-PMA in urine proved to be good parameter for biological monitoring benzene exposure at the workplace even at low level of benzene in air.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.97-102
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• 1999

This study was carried out view that reuse of sludge of adsorbent for benzene in carbonized cast compare with activated carbon. Not only the carbonized cast is good than carbonized carbon in cation exchange capacity and 12 adsorption capacity, but also benzene adsorption capacity is no differences compare to activated carbon. As results, benzene adsorption capacity of carbonized cast and activated carbon are decreased as temperature increase($25~70^{\circ}C$).It is compatible in Lamgmuir model. Therefore, carbonized cast is applied general adsorbent. From experimental results and data regression, in model concerning effect of temperature, relative errors between the experimental data and those calculated by the model are within the range of 1.2~7.8%. In relative humidity effect (RH 0.25~0.50) of benzene adsorption, modified Freundlich model : $QB_{enzene}{;\}QB_{enzene},{\}_{RH=0}=1-kRH^{IN}$, relative errors between the experimental data and those calculated by the model are within are range of 0.5-5.1%. The constants k and l/n in equation were found to be 1.25, 1.89 in carbonized cast.

• Environmental Sciences Bulletin of The Korean Environmental Sciences Society
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.79-84
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• 2000

The photodegradation of benzene was studied in an aqueous solution using a medium pressure Hg-lamp. In this study, persulfate, nitrate, nitrite, chloride, and sulfate ions were all tested as sensitizers. The persulfate, nitrate, and nitrite ions exhibited a sensitizing effect in the photodegradation of benzene, whereas no detectable effects were observed with the sulfate and chloride ions. When nitrite ions were used as the sensitizer, the photodegradation of benzene ran through a maximum value and thereafter decreased with an increasing nitrite concentration. The resulting build-up of nitrite ions seemed to scavenge the hydroxyl radicals. When nitrite ions were present along with persulfate ions, the photodegradation of benzene was inhibited.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.222-228
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• 1998

The characteristics of cometabolic removal of xylenes by Alcaligenes xylosoxidans Y234 were investigated. m-Xylene was found to be degraded while ο- and p-xylene were biotransformed into cresols in the presence of benzene or toluene. A lower level of benzene was required than that of toluene to remove the same amount of xylenes, which suggested benzene was a more effective primary substrate than toluene. ο-Xylene was found to be the most toxic to Alcaligenes xylosoxidans Y234 followed by p-xylene and m-xylene. Rates of cell decay during cometabolic removal of ο-, m-, or p-xylene were decreased by up to $76\%$ when benzene-adapted cells were inoculated. Xylenes were removed efficiently using benzene-adapted cells.