• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.132-139
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• 2017

Endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) interfere with endocrine system in organisms, and have different mode of actions compared to conventional chemicals. Therefore, EDCs specific ecotoxicity tests and assessments have been globally developed by some organizations such as OECD, ASTM, and USEPA. In Korea, researches on EDCs and monitoring of EDCs in domestic environments were also continued. However, Korean ecotoxicity test guidelines for EDCs are not suggested till date. The purpose of this study is to review and analyze international ecotoxicity test guidelines for EDCs and the compare ecotoxicity methods and toxicity endpoints among standard test guidelines. We found that there are very limited EDCs specific soil ecotoxicity test guidelines (only in ASTM) compared to aquatic ecotoxicity test guidelines. Currently, fish, amphibian, waterflea, copepoda, earthworm, white worm, springtail, nematode, mite, and midge are suggested as standard ecotoxicity test species for EDCs. Reproduction, hormones, growth, vitellogenin, sex retio and development were proposed as endpoints for EDCs ecotoxicity. This study provided the comparison of EDCs specific ecotoxicity methods and endpoints between standard test guidelines, and suggested the further research to develop the method for assesseing ecotoxicity of EDCs.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.197-202
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• 2017

This paper aimed to evaluate the test results of acute toxicity on effluent samples which were exempted from applying of ecotoxicity criteria. Total 316 effluent samples which were free from controlling of ecotoxicity regulation, were tested. Ratio of effluent samples which were exceeded the ecotoxicity criteria (TU > 1) indicated 23.7%. This ratio was a little bit higher than previous study (22.7%) on effluent samples which were controlled under ecotoxicity criteria. These results mean that our ecotoxicity management system is not appropriate and applying of ecotoxicity criteria to all effluent samples (82 industry categories) were needed in order to improve our ecotoxicity system. In addition, the same numeric criteria (TU 1 or 2) for all industry categories were proposed in consideration of these results. Ratio of effluent samples which exceeded the ecotoxicity criteria (TU > 1) with D. magna indicated 23.7%. However V. fischeri showed 14.6%. As a acute toxicity test organism, D. magna seemed to be more sensitive than V. fischeri. Ratio of samples which were exceeded TU 1 with D. magna by 24 h exposure period test indicated 35 %, whereas 48 h showed 41%.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.15 no.1_2
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• pp.1-6
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• 2000

This study was designed to evaluated the ecotoxicity to Closterium ehrenbergii using Nonionic surfactants based on its chemical structure. Nonionic surfactants ecotoxicity tended to increase with decreasing the number of ethylene oxide units. The Closterium ehrenbergii test was good in sensitivity and agreement with other published results. The use of Closterium ehrenbergii test offers promising potential for ecotoxicological applications.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.481-486
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• 2017

This paper aims to evaluate the characteristics of direct and indirect effluents'toxicity level and difference between two test durations (24 h and 48 h) of test method. The proportion of the indirect effluent samples which exceeded the ecotoxicity permit limitations (TU 1 or TU 2) showed more than 2 times higher than that of direct effluent samples. However, effluent toxicity of Wastewater Treatment Plants (WTPs) indicated less than TU 1 regardless of influent toxicity. From this results, treatment process was thought to have a good efficiency. WTP Salinity was very similar between influent and effluent. This trend could be reconfirmed by the component ratio of ion concentration between them and $Na^+$, $SO_4^{2-}$, $C^-$ lions which have a greater percentage than other ions. In addition, in case of high salinity, toxicity value also showed high level. To judge from above results, indirect effluents which were exempted from application of ecotoxicity standards, may need a new effluent limitations regardless of the treatment efficiency of WTP. According to circumstances, effective countermeasure may need to restrain the discharge of salinity-contained effluents which came from indirect-effluent factories. Test duration comparative study indicated that 48 h results were higher toxicity (exceeding rate of ecotoxicity criteria) than 24 h by the 5 to 5.4 percentage. 24 h test duration seemed to be useful in case of rapid detection, whereas 48 h test method could be applied for reinforcement of ecotoxicity regulatory system.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.37-44
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• 2006

Ecotoxicity assessments of 90 selected effluents of 22 industry types from 2002 to 2004 in Korea were evaluated by a toxic battery of bioassay test using fish Oryzias latipes, invertebrate Daphnia magna, algae Selenastrum capricornutum and bacteria Vibrio fischeri with the physicochemical measurement items and permit concentrations on the present Water Quality Conservation Act in Korea. Total toxic unit (${\Sigma}TU$) of 8 industry types of 22 industry types by the toxic battery appeared in order of the value site as follows; Pigment Dye Manufacturing (${\Sigma}TU$ 217.1) > Textile and Dye (${\Sigma}TU$ 39.3) > Semiconductor Electronic Manufacturing (Small) (${\Sigma}TU$ 25.6) > Wastewater and Sewage Treatment Plants (${\Sigma}TU$ 25.4) > Coating (${\Sigma}TU$ 23.8) > Leather Skin Manufacturing (${\Sigma}TU$ 18.0) > Synthetic Resin Manufacturing (${\Sigma}TU$ 15.6) > Assemble Metal Manufacturing (${\Sigma}TU$ 10.7). Our results demonstrate that ecotoxicity assessment, by bioassay test, is effective and practical for industrial wastewater management for 90 selected effluents with the limitation of the physicochemical permit. Among 90 effluents, 9 samples failed physicochemical permit limitation and 81 passed it. In result of ecotoxicity assessment of 90 effluents by the toxic battery, 76 effluents exhibited ecotoxicity and the others did not. The physicochemical measurement items and permit concentrations on the present Water Quality Conservation Act in Korea were low related to the ecotoxicity value by the toxic battery and appeared limited for water quality management to water-ecosystem and environment-friendly management of water.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.34 no.12
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• pp.828-834
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• 2012

The ecotoxicity detection device for preliminary test (Test jig) was manufactured to develop the biological early warning system using Vibrio fischeri. In this study, the ecotoxicity detection charateristics of the Test jig was investigated for 6 heavy metals (Cr, Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu and Hg). It was observed that relative luminescence unit (RLU) of Vibrio fischeri constantly decreased by the concentrations of the tested heavy metals. In contrast with other heavy metals, RLUs of Pb and Hg constantly decreased even at low concentrations. RLU of Hg drastically decreased when its concentration increased from 0.13 mg/L to 0.25 mg/L. $EC_{50}$ values of Cr, Zn, Pb and Cd gradually decreased with exposure time, whereas there was no significant change in $EC_{50}$ values of Cu and Hg with time. On the other hand, $EC_{50}$ values between the Test jig and Reference device were compared to evaluate the ecotoxicity detection performance of the Test jig. No big difference was found in $EC_{50}$ vlaues between the two devices, indicating that the Test jig could be applied as the ecotoxicity detection device for heavy metals.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.171-177
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• 2012

This research investigates how using algae as an ecotoxicological test species is easier than using daphnia for identifying toxic causative substances. From the results of the ecotoxicity measurements on the Shihwa lake and its tributaries, heavy metals were considered as one of major factors in causing toxicity. The algae ecotoxicity value was 9.6 while the daphnia ecotoxicity value was 0.8 in the Jeongwang stream. By using algae as the test species, we could identify the toxicity that causes heavy metals which might otherwise have been missed with only daphnia. The results from the EDTA addition test showed that zinc and copper were the main toxic causative substances in the Jeongwang stream and Gunja stream.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.173-183
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• 2007

The Ministry of Environment plans to introduce the Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET) system in Korea. The WET test is well established in developed countries with recognizing of the limitations of physicochemical analysis method and potential risk of chemicals in water medium. Therefore, it is essential to build the ecotoxicity infrastructure for the induction of WET test. In this study, we extensively collected the domestic and foreign toxicity test methods which employ native test species to Korea. And we suggested that the domestic ecotoxicity test methods with domestic test species in Korea through extracting the range of test conditions. Five domestic fish species selected were Carassiu auratus (Crucian carp), Cyprinus carpio(Common carp), Gasterosteus aculeatus (Three spine stickleback), Misgurnus anguillicaudatus (Oriental weather fish) and Oryzias latipes (Japanese medaka), The toxicity test methods with native test species to Korea were collected from the standard methods (OECD, U.S. EPA, ASTM), government reports, SCI papers and domestic papers. We collected the 32 test methods, and suggested the suitable aquatic toxicity test methods for fish. It is expected that this study could prove a useful information to establish the ecotoxicity test methods with domestic aquatic organisms in Korea henceforth.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.566-573
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• 2010

Nanotechnology has been applied to various fields in our life. Although there is a limitation of nanoparticle monitoring so far, it is expected that nanoparticles are widely distributed in environmental multimedia. Nanoparticle is known to be more toxic than its corresponding bulk material. For this reason, developed countries and international organizations are preparing for future regulation. To evaluate the safety of nanoparticles, nanotoxicity studies are internationally underway. In this study, we evaluated the research trends of ecotoxicity of nanoparticles in water environment. Test species include fish, water flea, and algae. Nanoecotoxicological studies are rapidly increasing and the experimental designs become more sophisticated. Physicochemical properties of nanoparticles should be measured and the ionization potential is important for metal-based nanoparticles. We analyzed the research trends based on the type of nanoparticles and test species. Also experimental aspects of nanoecotoxicology are considered.

• Proceedings of the National Institute of Ecology of the Republic of Korea
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.49-62
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• 2023

Phthalates are animal carcinogens. Potassium hydrogen phthalate (KHP), which has the least complicated structure among phthalates, is used for the analysis of total organic carbon and formaldehyde. However, its toxicity has not been confirmed. A 24-hour acute toxicity test was performed using Daphnia magna, a water flea used to evaluate aquatic toxicity owing to its high sensitivity. The lowest observed effect concentration of KHP was found to be 240 mg/L. The effects of phosphorus, nitrogen, and Cr(6+), which are able to be discharged along with KHP, were also confirmed using tests. At 240 mg/L KHP, toxicity increased as phosphorus, nitrogen, and Cr(6+) increased. In addition, tests were performed to confirm the half maximal effective concentration of KHP. Through 10 test repetitions, the average ecotoxicity value was found to be 0.3, the average half maximal effective concentration was 327.75 mg/L, and the coefficient of variation (%) was 3.16%; because the latter value is lower than 25%, which is what is generally suggested for the water pollution standard method, the reproducibility of the tests is sufficient to replace the existing standard reference toxicity test that uses potassium dichromate. In addition, the half maximum effective concentration of potassium hydrogen phthalate is approximately 218 times more than that of potassium dichromate; therefore, toxicity is relatively low. In conclusion, KHP is a feasible alternative to the highly toxic potassium dichromate for performing the standard reference toxicity test.