• ALGAE
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.63-70
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• 2012

Algae are sensitive to a wide range of pollutants, and are effective bioindicators in ecotoxicity assessments. Here, we evaluated the sub-lethal sensitivity of the marine dinoflagellate Cochlodinium polykrikoides upon exposure to copper (Cu), lead (Pb), bisphenol A (BPA), and Aroclor 1016 (polychlorinated biphenyl, PCB). Toxic effects were assessed by observations of the reduction in cell counts and chlorophyll a levels after exposure to each toxicant. C. polykrikoides displayed dose-dependent, sigmoidal responses when exposed to the tested chemicals. $EC_{50}$-72 h values for Cu, Pb, BPA, and PCB were 12.74, 46.70, 68.15, and $1.07mg\;L^{-1}$, respectively. PCB, which is an endocrine-disrupting chemical, was the most sensitive, proving its toxic effect on the dinoflagellate. This study provides baseline data on the toxic effects of commonly used heavy metals and endocrine-disrupting chemicals to a marine dinoflagellate.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.207-208
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• 2006

Earthworms have been widely used as bioindicators for soil ecotoxicity assessment. Ecotoxicity of methyl tert-butyl ether(MTBE) to terrestrial organisms were evaluated by- earthworm assay. Test earthworm species were Perionyx excavatus and Eisenia andrei. The. toxicity test was performed based on a OECD guideline No. 207 with slight modification. Mortality and abnormal morphology of earthworms exposed to different concentrations of MTBE were measured. Toxic levels of MTBE were determined by measuring the median lethal concentration (LC5O) after 72 hours. The toxicity data was statistically analyzed by Trimmed Spearman-Harbor method. This study showed that, P. excavatus is more sensitive to E. andrei, and that earthworm assay can be a good protocol to evaluate the soils contaminated gasoline components.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.762-767
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• 2012

The ecotoxicity assessment of nanomaterials (NMs) in the environment is actively conducted throughout the world because of the concerns about their potential risk from usage and release into the environment, as well as their unique physiochemical properties. Ecotoxicity tests for NMs have been conducted using various species and methods; however, in spite of these efforts, the characteristics and toxicity of NMs have not been defined. The fish embryo toxicity test (FET) has been conducted extensively to evaluate the toxicity of NMs as an alternative to a whole-body test in fish. In this study, we collected and analyzed the trends of nanotoxicity on the early development of freshwater fish. The model nanomaterials are carbon NMs ($C_{60},\;C_{70},\;C_{60}$(OH)n and carbon nanotube). Their adverse effects were extensively investigated based on the properties of NMs, test species, and diverse exposure conditions.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.654-661
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• 2017

Recently, a low-impact development (LID) technic such as a wetland has been proposed as a Nature-friendly process for reducing pollutants caused by livestock wastewater. Therefore, the Daphnia magna toxicity was analyzed for livestock wastewater samples, to determine if a wetland system would also be effective in reducing this ecotoxicity. In the present study, acute D. magna toxicity was not significantly dependent on the presence and type of reed, nor type of media. However, when treated with construction wetlands, ecotoxicities decreased as well as TN, TP and COD concentrations. Therefore, it is considered that a construction wetland system with bio reeds and bio-media as well as general reeds would be effective to reduce the ecotoxicity of livestock wastewater. To apply a wetland system as the subsequent treatment process to a livestock waste water treatment facility, it is necessary to perform an integrated evaluation such as treatment efficiency and the ecotoxicity test for various characteristics of livestock wastewater.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.7-14
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• 2010

Ecological Risk Assessment (ERA) supports a decision-making process such as establishment of environmental quality criteria. Soil quality criteria (SQC) are essential to protect soil organisms from the exposure to various soil contaminants. In this study, ERA methodologies of advanced countries for soil pollution were extensively compared to propose the ERA approach suitable for soil ecosystem in Korea. The soil ERAs in European Chemical Bureau(ECB), The Netherlands, and Canada can be classified as deterministic ecological risk assessment (DERA), and probabilistic ecological risk assessment (PERA) based on species sensitivity distribution (SSD). We propose three ERA methods according to abundance and reliability of soil ecotoxicity data. The method considered land use such as residential/agricultural, and industrial/commercial uses. The taxonomic groups of soil organism were classified as 'Class' level including different trophic levels (Magnoliopsida or Liliopsida, Clitellata, and Insecta or Secernentea). This study can be used to estimate the soil quality criteria to protect soil biota.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.392-396
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• 2007

Aquatic ecotoxicity of bisphenol A, a well-known endocrine disrupter in mammals, was studied using laboratory-reared Daphnia magna as a test organism. The static acute 48 h $EC_{50}$ of bisphenol A for daphnid neonates(<24 hold) was 12.9 mg/l and 110 h $LC_{50}$ values of bisphenol A for daphnid embryos of different ages after deposition into the brood chamber increase with ages in the range of 1.55 mg/l-8.91 mg/l. Also, 48 h $EC_{50}s$ generally increase with daphnid's ages in the range of 12.9 mg/l-19.8 mg/l. In the acute toxicity tests using mature daphnids, the lethal response and immobility all showed good concentration-response relationship with exposure concentration and exposure time, showing little difference between lethality and immobility. These results clarify that acute toxicity tests, using daphnid and its embryo, could also be useful tools easily available for the assessment of ecotoxicity of various harmful chemicals.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.87-91
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• 2008

In this study, three different sizes of cerium oxide ($CeO_2$) nanoparticles were synthesized and exposed to Caenorhabditis elegans to investigate the potential harmful effect of $CeO_2$ nanoparticles on the environment. The effects of the $CeO_2$ nanoparticles on C. elegans were assessed at multiple levels, such as with respect to stress response gene expression, growth, reproduction and mortality. Moreover, to test the ecotoxicological relevance of $CeO_2$-induced gene expression. The overall results suggest that $CeO_2$ nanoparticles may provoke ecotoxicity in C. elegans especially with respect to gene expression, reproduction and survival, which can comprise an important contribution to knowledge on the ecotoxicity of $CeO_2$ nanoparticles, about which little data are available. This is particularly valuable in the biomarker research on ecotoxicology, as ecological relevance is a crucial criterion for the applicability of the biomarker in field biomonitoring and ecological risk assessment.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.15-24
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• 2014

Soil pollution has been recognized as a serious problem because it causes groundwater pollution through medium contacts. Although concentration of individual chemical could be more easily measured by physico-chemical analysis, it is not easy to consider the bioavailability of edaphic receptors living in soil or groundwater. To measure the toxicity of soil, the soil extracts (soil elutriates or soil suspensions in the other words) are often used due to the difficulties of extracting soil pore water. In this study, we reviewed 15 toxicity test methods found in literature to analyze the detail of each extraction method and to recommend the most frequently used extraction methods. The identified most commonly used extraction methods are as following: The 1 : 4 soil:water ratio, 24 hours shaking time, room temperature, dark, and separation of supernatant using a $0.45{\mu}m$ pore size filter.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.514-522
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• 2020

To understand the ecotoxicological differences between representative Skeletonema sp. and Dunaliella tertiolecta, both producers as international standard test species for marine ecotoxicity testing, we compared each standard test method, and comparatively analyzed the suitability of the species for environmental assessment and their sensitivity to various test substances. Although most of the test conditions were the same in each method, there were differences in limitation of pH changing and the initial inoculation density in the validation criteria, which is supposed to originate from the low growth rate of D. tertiolecta. In terms of suitability, both species showed consistency in test performance by repeatedly meeting the validation criteria required by the standard test methods. The salinity ranges available for testing were 20 and 10 psu for Skeletonema sp. and D. tertioelecta, respectively. Finally, regarding sensitivity, the toxicity sensitivity of Skeletonema sp. was relatively higher than that of D. tertiolecta for the reference toxicant, actual polluted water discharged (ballast water), and other chemicals. This implies that using at least two species of microalgae from different classification groups could help increase the reliability and objectivity of test results in the performance of marine ecotoxicity tests using producers.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.35 no.4
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• pp.662-669
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• 2017

This study evaluated the ecotoxicological properties of livestock waste water treated by a LID (Low Impact Development) system, using a mixture of bio-reeds and bio-ceramics as suitable bed media for a subsequent treatment process of a livestock wastewater treatment plant. The relationship between the pollutant reduction rate and the ecotoxicity was analyzed with the effluents from the inlet pilot plant, with vegetated swale and wetlands and the batch type of an infiltration trench. Each pilot plant consisted of a bio process using bio-reeds and bio-ceramics as bed media, as well as a general process using general reeds and a bed as a control group. The results indicated that, after applying the HRT 24 hour LID method, the ecotoxicity was considerably lowered and the batch type pilot plant was shown to be effective for toxicity reduction. The LID method is expected to be effective for water quality management, considering ecotoxicity by not only as a nonpoint source pollution abatement facility but also, as a subsequent treatment process linked with a livestock manure purification facility. It is necessary to take the LID technic optimization study further to apply it as a subsequent process for livestock wastewater treatment.