• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제26권12호
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• pp.1341-1353
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• 2017

This study aimed to identify the aquatic and riparian factors associated with the presence/absence of the Eurasian otter in the Nakdong river basin, where the species is relatively more abundant than other otter species. Environmental factors and presence records were collected. Geographical Information System technology and chi-square test were used to compare environmental gradients in aquatic and riparian factors between presence and absence sites. Aquatic habitat attributes were evaluated with natural riverside sandbars and channel crossing artificial structures, the ratio of channel width to alluvial plain width, riverbed substrate, and flow diversity. Riverbank characteristics, bank materials, man-made embankment types, and land use/land cover of inland and riverside areas were selected as riparian habitat attributes. Compared to the aquatic attributes, riparian attributes were highly significant when assessing otter presence and absence sites, suggesting that conservation of suitable riparian areas to provide maternity and resting areas for otter species is essential in the Nakdong river basin. None of the aquatic attributes examined were statistically significant when evaluating otter presence or absence. These results indicate that the presence of suitable riparian area for resting and reproduction habitats is more critical to the presence of Eurasian otter than food availability in aquatic areas. To inform implementation of effective conservation actions, broad-scale factors, such as watershed attributes, would be needed to further assess habitat conditions of the Eurasian otter.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제37권3호
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• pp.225-231
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• 2004

Objectives : This study was performed to examine the influence of smoking on the blood cadmium concentration in university students. Methods : The study included 300 university students. A questionnaire interview was used to collect data. The urine cotinine and blood cadmium levels were measured as biological exposure indices. The data were analyzed using t-tests ANOVA and ANCOVA. Results : The median value of blood cadmium concentration was equal in both males and females ($0.8{\mu}g/l$). This level was relatively low in comparison with the reference value suggested by WHO (2001). ANCOVA showed that smoking related variables, urine cotinine and smoking amount, were significantly associated with the blood cadmium level (P=0.004, 0.015). However, the values with regard to traffic related air pollution were not significantly associated with the blood cadmium level. Conclusions : Smoking is an important source of nonoccupational cadmium exposure in young people. The Blood cadmium level is at least 10% higher in active smokers than in passive or nonsmokers. The level of urine cotinine can be used as an indicator of non-occupational exposure of respirable cadmium due to smoking, as there is a good correlation bestween smoking amount and the urine cotinine level.

• 생태와환경
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• 제54권2호
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• pp.125-129
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• 2021

Chironomids are a large group of invertebrates that live in various aquatic habitats. The distribution range of these invertebrates has become varied due to anthropogenic impacts; as such, their distribution can be used as an indicator of environmental health. Adult chironomids are well known in South Korea; however, the larvae have rarely been studied due to difficulties associated with morphological classification. To address this lack of information, we collected larvae from four important rivers in South Korea and summarized their taxonomic morphological characteristics. The antennae, mandible, and mentum were used for larval taxonomic characterization. In this study, we describe the basic morphological features and key pictorial features of 20 species of chironomids, representing 16 genera.

• 보건교육건강증진학회지
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• 제31권5호
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• pp.159-166
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• 2014

Purpose: In spite of many Healthy Cities projects in Korea, there are few research about healthy urban planning. So we tried to use available recent models to a Healthy Cities project in a medium sized city in Gyeongnam province. Methods: Using mainly European Healthy Urban Planning Model and opinion leader survey, SWOT analysis, forum and discussion have been done to a city. Secondary city health indicator obtained from Ministry of Statistics. Results: There are strong need to develop health industry, green traffic and healthy living from survey using Healthy Cities policy direction of Korean Health Promotion Fund. Among the Healthy Urban Planning objectives, improvements of physical environments, prevention of accidents and crime, improvements of healthy esthetics rated highly. Although environmental pollution was problem local government push forward to the pilot healthy urban project as active healthy water-front development. Considering secondary healthy city indicators, change of external forces and internal capacity final task for healthy urban planning for Yangsan city were development of riverside physical education park and active living and anti-ageing environments etc. Conclusions: Comprehensive assessment and plan was possible through MAPP Model using European Healthy Urban Planning objectives to draw the direction of future urban planning for Healthy Cities Projects. Further research and formal introduction would be needed.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제24권3호
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• pp.231-240
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• 2009

We explored collective behaviors of indicator species to elucidate the effect of the chemical stress. After the treatments of an insecticide, diazinon, at low concentrations (1.0 and 10.0 ${\mu}g/L$), spatial dispersion patterns of Daphnia magna were checked in a test chamber. The I-index was used to characterize the movement data before (0~1 h) and after (1~2 h) the treatments in laboratory conditions. The slopes of the frequency distribution of I-index in semi-log scale decreased significantly, and the test populations appeared to be more dispersed with a lower degree of aggregation after the treatments. The index was feasible in indicating decrease in the ability of the specimens to keep desirable distances with neighbor individuals under chemical stress and showed a possibility of monitoring presence of toxic chemicals in environment through group behavior measurement.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제43권6호
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• pp.499-508
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• 2017

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate changes in microbiological quality according to various storage conditions in the drinking process of bottled mineral water. Methods: Heterotrophic plate counts ($21^{\circ}C$ and $36^{\circ}C$) and pathogenic indicators (total coliforms, fecal Streptococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Clostridium perfringens, Salmonella, and Shigella) were analyzed in commercial bottled mineral water stored under different conditions ($4^{\circ}C$, $20-25^{\circ}C$, $36^{\circ}C$) after injecting saliva. The heterotrophic plate counts were analyzed twice per day for the first week and once per day for the three weeks after. Pathogenic indicators were analyzed at the beginning and end (initial and final). Results: The results of the microbiological quality of the bottled mineral water in contact with saliva showed that heterotrophic plate counts ($21^{\circ}C$) had a tendency to be sustained or decrease slightly after 10 days. Heterotrophic plate counts ($36^{\circ}C$) had a high population in the initial samples and gradually decreased at $4^{\circ}C$ storage, but it remained constantly high in storage at $20-25^{\circ}C$ and $36^{\circ}C$. In the general drinking condition, the population was slightly higher than the control, but the overall trend was similar. Conclusions: As a result of the microbiological quality of mineral bottled water in contact with saliva during the process of drinking, heterotrophic plate counts ($21^{\circ}C$ and $36^{\circ}C$) showed a high population compared to the control, which was only opened and not in contact with saliva. In some samples, pathogenic indicators were also detected. Therefore, it is desirable to consume bottled mineral water as soon as possible after opening.

• 환경생물
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• 제32권1호
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• pp.49-57
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• 2014

인간의 생태계와 서식환경을 공유하고 있는 정주성 거미류의 경우 제한된 서식지 이동 특성으로 인해, 특정 유해환경을 효과적으로 감시할 수 있는 환경 지표생물로서의 활용가치가 매우 높은 생명체로 판단된다. 따라서 본 연구는 석면 섬유에 노출시킨 거미의 서폐 미세구조를 관찰하고, 그 결과를 토대로 유해환경을 모니터링할 수 있는 생물지표로서의 활용 가능성에 대해 논의하였다. 고해상도의 주사전자현미경으로 서폐의 미세구조를 관찰한 결과, 기공 주위에 분지된 수지상의 큐티클지주(spike)는 기낭으로 유입되는 공기를 정화하는 필터구조로 작동하였고, 기낭 내부에 수직돌출된 큐티클 지주는 기낭 공간을 안정적으로 확보하고 호흡 표면적을 극대화하는 구조체임이 확인되었다. 짧은 노출 기간에도 불구하고, 기공 개구부의 전 영역에서 청석면의 미세섬유가 검출되어 석면과 같은 환경 오염원에 대한 효과적인 생물지표로서의 가능성을 거미의 서폐에서 확인하였다. 또한, 기낭으로 유입되어 혈림프 공간을 관통한 미세섬유는 고착구조를 형성하고 조직손상을 유발함이 관찰되었는데, 섬유 주위에 밀집된 혈구는 흔히 관찰되었으나, 섬유 표면에 부착된 혈구나 석면소체 등은 관찰되지 않았다. 이는 상대적으로 짧은 석면노출기간에서 기인하는 것으로 해석되었다.

• 한국환경독성학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국환경독성학회 2003년도 추계국제학술대회
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• pp.91-93
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• 2003

It has been estimated that the equivalent of approximately $US 50 billion has been spent on research on the behavior and fate of pesticides in the environment since Rachel Carson published “Silent Spring” in 1962. Much of the resulting knowledge has been summarized explicitly in computer algorithms in a variety of empirical, deterministic, and probabilistic simulation models. These models describe and predict the transport, degradation and resultant concentrations of pesticides in various compartments of the environment during and after application. In many cases the known errors of model predictions are large. For this reason they are typically designed to be “conservative”, i.e., err on the side of over-prediction of concentrations in order to err on the side of safety. These predictions are then compared with toxicity data, from tests of the pesticide on a series of standard representative biota, including terrestrial and aquatic indicator species and higher animals (e.g., wildlife and humans). The models' predictions are good enough in some cases to provide screening of those compounds which are very unlikely to do harm, and to indicate those compounds which must be investigated further. If further investigation is indicated a more detailed (and therefore more complicated) model may be employed to give a better estimate, or field experiments may be required. A model may be used to explore “what if” questions leading to possible alternative pesticide usage patterns which give lower potential environmental concentrations and allowable exposures. We are currently at a maturing stage in this research where the knowledge base of pesticide behavior in the environmental is growing more slowly than in the past. However, innovative uses are being made of the explosion in available computer technology to use models to take ever more advantage of the knowledge we have. In this presentation, current developments in the state of the art as practiced in North America and Europe will be presented. Specifically, we will look at the efforts of the ‘Focus’ consortium in the European Union, and the ‘EMWG’ consortium in North America. These groups have been innovative in developing a process and mechanisms for discussion amongst academic, agriculture, industry and regulatory scientists, for consensus adoption of research advances into risk management methodology.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• 제34권
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• pp.35.1-35.12
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• 2022

Background: Shift work is known to be associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD). It has been found that inflammatory reactions are involved in the onset and progression of CVD. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the association between shift work and inflammatory markers. Methods: Among workers at an electronics manufacturing company, 2,329 workers who had a health checkup from January 2019 to December 2019 were targeted. The general and biochemical characteristics of daytime workers and shift workers were compared through the Independent-test and the χ² test. Through multiple linear regression analysis, the association with shift work and inflammatory markers was investigated. Through multiple logistic regression analysis, the association with shift work and high inflammatory markers Results: The mean total leukocytes, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes of shift workers were significantly higher than those of daytime worker. The mean high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) of shift workers was also higher than that of daytime workers but not significantly. In multiple linear regression, shift work was associated with increase of total leukocyte count (β = 0.367, p < 0.001) and hs-CRP (β = 0.140, p = 0.005) after adjusting for all variables. In multiple logistic regression analysis, shift work showed 2.27 times risk of high leukocyte count and 1.8 times risk of high hs-CRP level compared to daytime work after adjusting for all variables. Conclusions: This study confirmed that shift work is associated with high inflammatory markers. Considering that high inflammatory markers is independent indicator of CVD, the association between shift work and high inflammatory markers may help to understand the CVD risk of shift workers.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제48권5호
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• pp.282-289
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• 2022

Background: Airborne fungi are ubiquitous in the air and exposure to an airborne fungus can be a significant risk factor. The composition of fungi has been potentially important for human health, especially for respiratory diseases like asthma and atopic dermatitis. Therefore, we attempted to ascertain what kind of airborne fungi affect human health at a nationwide level. Objectives: This study was carried out to provide information on indoor fungi distribution at multi-use facilities throughout South Korea. Methods: We classified our data by region and public facility after collection, cultivation, and identification via the sequencing of the ITS (internal transcribed spacer) region. We investigated whether or not the proliferation of HaCaT cells was affected by the identified airborne fungi. Results: In our data, the most isolated airborne fungi by region were Penicillium spp (Seoul, Daegu), Periconia sp (Gyeonggi-do), Iprex sp (Gangwon-do), Phanerochaete sp (Busan), Bjerkandera sp (Gwangju), and Aspergillus sp (Jeju-do). In the public facilities, the most detected fungi were Cladosporium sp (public transport), Penicillium sp (apartment house, retail market, financial institution, karaoke room), Bjerokandera sp (underground parking lot, public toilet, medical institution), Periconia sp (retail store), and Fusarium sp (general restaurant). Next, we selected twenty airborne fungi to examine their cytotoxicity and proliferation of human skin cells. In this experiment, the proliferation of the cells was influenced by most of the identified fungi. In case of the cytotoxicity test, most genera except for Rhodotorula sp and Moesziomyces sp showed cytotoxicity in HaCaT cells. Conclusions: The distribution of mold in the indoor air in multi-use facilities in South Korea differs from region to region, and this is an indicator that should be considered in future health impact studies. In addition, as a result of culturing about 20 types of bacteria dominant in indoor air, it was found that most (90%) inhibit the growth of skin cells, which can be harmful to health. An in-depth study of the health effects of floating fungi is needed.