• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.125-133
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• 2002

Volatile disinfection by-products (DBPs) contained in chlorinated tap water are released into household air during indoor activities (showering, cooking, dish -washing, etc.) associated with tap water uses and may cause adverse health effects on humans. Twenty seven subjects were recruited and their homes were visited during the winter of 2002. Tap water, household air, and exhaled breath samples were collected and analyzed for five volatile DBPs (chloroform, bromodichloromethane, dichloroacetonitrile, 1,1 -dichloropropanone and 1,1,1 trichloropropanone). Chloroform was a major DBP found in most samples. Tap water chloroform concentrations were not statistically correlated with its household air concentrations, probably due to individual variability in indoor activities such as showering, cooking, and dish - washing as well as household ventilation. Correlation of breath chloroform concentration with household air chloroform concentration showed its possible use as a biomarker of exposure to household air chloroform. Exposure estimates suggested that inhalation during household stay be a major route of exposure to volatile DBPs and that ingestion of tap water be a trivial contributor to the total exposure in Koreans.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.120-125
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• 2004

Exposure to volatile disinfection by-products (DBPs) such as chloroform included in chlorinated tap water can occur during household activities via inhalation as well as ingestion and dermal absorption. This study was conducted to examine the significance of inhalation route of exposure since humans are unintentionally exposed to volatile DBPs while staying home. Two sets of experiments were carried out in an apartment to measure: 1) the variation of chloroform concentrations in the living room air following kitchen activities (cooking and dish-washing); and 2) the variation of chloroform concentrations in the bathroom and living room following showering. Cooking, dish-washing, and showering all contributed to the elevation of household chloroform levels. Even a few minutes of natural ventilation resulted in the reduction of the chloroform levels to the background. Estimates of daily chloroform doses and lifetime cancer risks suggested that inhalation of household air during staying home be a major route of exposure to chloroform and that ingestion be a minor one in Korean people. It is also suggested that ventilation be a simple and important measure of mitigating human exposure to volatile DBPs indoors.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.551-559
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• 2010

This study was conducted to establish an analytical method for the determination of seven nitrosamines in chlorinated tap water by precolumn derivatization followed by high performance liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection. The derivatization procedure was optimized for denitrosation and dansylation, and then two extraction methods, liquid-liquid extraction (LLE) with dichloromethane and solid phase extraction (SPE), were compared. The SPE method employing the optimized derivation procedure showed higher extraction recovery (54.4-88.7%) and reproducibility (1.9-19.4%) than the LLE method (51.4-87.7% and 4.2-33.3%, respectively). The method detection limits were between 0.5 and 4.4 ng/L. When chlorinated water samples were collected from two treatment plants and ten household taps, and analyzed for nitrosamines, Nnitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) was the major compound found between 26.1 and 112 ng/L.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.271-277
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• 2012

The present study was conducted to assess the suitability of domestic natural waters as a Daphnia magna culture medium. In order to assess survival rate and reproductive output, young female daphnids (parent animals), aged less than 24 hours at the start of the test and produced in the Elendt M4 medium, were exposed to Elendt M4 medium, de-chlorinated tap water, and natural mineral water for 21 days. D. magna cultured in Elendt M4 medium (reference medium) and natural mineral water met the criteria of OECD No. 211, Daphnia magna Reproduction Test Guidelines in terms of percent adult survival, first day of reproduction, and average young production. However, the mortalities of adult daphnids observed in de-chlorinated tap water were more than 20% in two reproduction tests for 21 days. Mortality was observed on exposure days 13, 15, and 18 in de-chlorinated water. The use of D. magna is recommended in water of hardness >80 mg $CaCO_3\;L^{-1}$. However, the hardness of de-chlorinated tap water used in the present study was 50~53 mg $CaCO_3\;L^{-1}$. Therefore, it is judged that the delayed mortalities observed in de-chlorinated tap water were caused by a rapid decreased in hardness when the medium was changed from Elendt M4 to de-chlorinated tap water. When D. magna is cultured using domestic natural waters (underground water, surface water, and de-chlorinated water), the quality-control (QC) data should be maintained through a standardization for health assessment method, toxicity test method using reference chemical, test intervals of reference toxicant toxicity test, and data treatment and interpretation. In the long term, national research programs are needed for the development of test species which are representative of domestic aquatic environmental conditions among indigenous daphnids.

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.28-34
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• 2006

Effects of various surface sterilization and washing methods on sterilization of fresh chicory surface were evaluated. Fresh-cut chicory was washed with tap water for 1 min, 100 ppm chlorinated water, and 3 ppm ozonated water using mechanical washing machine for 3 min, packed with bi-axially oriented polypropylene (OPP 0.04 mm) film, and stored for 3 weeks at 4 and $10^{\circ}C$. Tap water washing resulted in approximately 1 log CFU/g reduction of microbial load, and ozonated water and chlorinated water treatments resulted in additional 2 log CFU/g reduction.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.176-183
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• 2008

This study examined the anti-microbiological effects of chlorine treatment on the surface of fresh fruits, in order to improve microbiological safety in school foodservice operations. Non-peeled fruit(strawberries) and peeled fruit(bananas) were treated with different concentrations of chlorinated water and rinsing numbers, followed by microbiological testing. The fruits were immersed at different concentrations of chlorinated water(0 ppm, 50 ppm, and 100 ppm) and durations(3 min and 5 min), and were then rinsed with tap water(one time, two times, or three times). The total viable cell counts of both the strawberries and bananas ranged from $10^3$ CFU/g to $10^4$ CFU/g, and coliform levels ranged from $10^2$ CFU/g to $10^3$ CFU/g. As the chlorine concentration, immersion time, and rinsing number increased, anti-microbiological activity increased. The largest microbial reduction was shown with immersion for 5 min in 100 ppm chlorinated water and three rinsings. In the strawberries, this treatment reduced the initial population of total viable cells and coliforms by 3.29 log CFU/g and to an undetectable level, respectively, no total viable cells or coliforms were detected on the banana surface following this treatment. However, after a sterilization treatment with immersion for 5 min in 50 ppm chlorinated water and three rinsings, the total viable cell counts and coliform counts of the strawberries and bananas decreased to acceptable levels, based on the microbiological standards for ready-to-eat foods. Overall, it was shown that the sterilization treatment of 50 ppm chlorinated water, soaking for 5 min, and three rinsings provided an effective reduction in surface microbes, and enhanced the microbiological safety of the fruit.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.20 no.6 s.84
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• pp.589-597
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• 2004

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of various kinds of electrolyzed and chlorinated waters on the sensory and microbiological qualities of fresh-cut lettuce and to determine the most suitable electrolyzed water for the vegetable dishes, without heat treatment, at institutional foodservices. The sensory evaluation resulted in higher scores on the 1st-day of storage for the EW-1 (diaphragm type 1) and EW-3 (non-diaphragm type) compared to that for EW-2 (diaphragm type 2), with regard to their appearance, discoloration, texture, taste and overall acceptability characteristics. However, over time, EW-3 ranked highest, with a score of 8.00 (very like), on the 4th-day of storage, which maintained the highest level up to the 7th-day of storage, at which time the score was 7.00 (fairly like). The CW (chlorinated Water) had a significantly lower score, due to the smell of chlorine, although there was no concern with relation to chlorine residue from the electrolyzed waters. Microbial examinations of the total plate count revealed that immersing lettuce into EW-3 brought about l/3,000 to 1/30,000 reductions in the microbial counts of the TW treatment or untreated samples for up to seven days of storage. The CW treatment gave a 1/10 reduction in the microbial counts compared with the TW (tap water) treatment. The coliform bacterial counts also showed similar trends to those of the total plate count values. With regards to the psychotropic bacterial count, EW-3 was able to result in as much as a 1/30,000 reduction in the initial counts. As vegetable dishes, such as salad, can not be heat-sterilized, the utilization of EW-3 for the preparation of vegetable dishes without heat treatment will be an excellent choice to improve the critical control point in production state as a new effective means for sanitizing management.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.363-369
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• 2010

This study was conducted to investigate the effects of different sanitizers and contact times on storage quality and microbial growth in fresh-cut broccoli. Fresh broccoli samples were cut into small pieces, washed each for 90 s and 180 s in normal tap water (TW), $100\;{\mu}/l$ chlorinated water (CL, pH 7), electrolyzed water (EW, pH 7.2) containing $100\;{\mu}/l$ free chlorine, or $2\;{\mu}/l$ ozonated water ($O_3$). Then, samples were packaged in 30-${\mu}m$ polyethylene bags and stored at $5^{\circ}C$ for 9 days. No significant differences were observed in gas composition and color parameters ($L^*$, $a^*$, $b^*$, and hue angle) among different sanitizers with contact times. No off-odor was detected during the storage. A longer contact time was not effective in reducing microbial population, except with $O_3$ washing. $O_3$ with 90 s was not much effective in reducing microbial population compared with Cl or EW. However, samples washed with $O_3$ for 180 s observed the lowest numbers of total aerobic and coliform plate counts. The result suggested that, a longer contact time of ozone can be used as a potential sanitizer to maintain the microbial quality and safety of fresh-cut broccoli.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.35-41
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• 2001

Barley or corn tea, which is usually prepared with municipal chlorinated tap water, is commonly consumed by the public as a substitute for the supplied water itself. This is because most people believe that harmful organic and inorganic compounds can be removed from the tap water by the adsorption mechanism during the tea preparation. In this study, three kinds of commercial grain tea materials-roasted barley grains, a tea bag containing barley grain pieces, and roasted corn grains-were tested for metal removal by preparing 1 liter of tea with deionized/distilled water according the manufacturer's recommended preparation procedures, assuming that the water is contaminated with eight selected metals at levels of 50$\mu\textrm{g}$/l. Of the tested teas, barley tea prepared with roasted grains showed the highest removal efficiency for Cu, As, Ni, Co, Pb, and Cd, ranging from 48 to 71%, followed by corn tea with roasted grains and barley tea with a tea bag. Cr was nearly maintained at the initial concentration in all kinds of tea. The Mn levels. however, were elevated during the tea preparation, particularly in both barley teas, probably because the metal was extracted into the water from the tea materials without significant adsorption. Therefore, it should be considered in the ingestion exposure analysis for metals that their concentrations are altered during the tea preparation with roasted barley or corn grain materials.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.428-433
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• 2007

To clarify the pioneer group in the development of biofilms in high chlorine residual water, a semi-pilot model system was operated and 16S rDNA V3 targeted PCR-DGGE was submitted. Biofilm formation occurred rapidly in the model of a drinking water distribution system. It reached $10^3\;CFU/cm^2$ or more on the surface of stainless steel, PVC, and galvanized iron in chlorinated (1.0 mg/l) water within a week. Within a week, uncultured Proteobacteria- and Bacillales group-like sequences were detected and Sphingomonas-like sequences were identified from all season and all pipe materials tested. Hence Sphingomonas species were regarded as the potential pioneer group in the development of biofilm in drinking water and this results would be useful for the prevention of biofilm formation and safety of drinking tap water.