• Title/Summary/Keyword: Environmental health indicator

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Somatic cell counts determination in cow milk by near infrared spectroscopy: A new diagnostic tool

  • Tsenkova, R.;Atanassova, S.;Kawano, S.;Toyoda, K.
    • Proceedings of the Korean Society of Near Infrared Spectroscopy Conference
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    • 2001.06a
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    • pp.4104-4104
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    • 2001
  • Milk somatic cell count (SCC) is a recognized indicator of cow health and milk quality. The potential of near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy in the region from 1100 to 2500nm to measure SCC content of cow milk was investigated. A total of 196 milk samples from 7 Holstein cows were collected for 28 days, consecutively, and analyzed for fat, protein, lactose and SCC. Three of the cows were healthy, and the rest had mastitis periods during the experiment. NIR transflectance milk spectra were obtained by the InfraAlyzer 500 spectrophotometer in a wavelength range from 1100 to 2500 nm. The calibration for logSCC was performed using partial least square (PLS) regression and different spectral data pretreatment. The best accuracy of determination was found for equation, obtained using smoothed absorbance data and 10 PLS factors. The standard error of calibration was 0.361, calibration coefficient of multiple correlation 0.868, standard error of prediction for independent validation set of samples 0.382, correlation coefficient 0.854 and the variation coefficient 7.63%. The accuracy of logSCC determination by NIR spectroscopy would allow health screening of cows, and differentiation between healthy and mastitic milk samples. When the spectral information was studied it has been found that SCC determination by NIR milk spectra was indirect and based on the related changes in milk composition. In the case of mastitis, when the disease occurred, the most significant factors that simultaneously influenced milk spectra were alteration of milk proteins and changes in ionic concentration of milk.

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Comparison of Chlorine, Chlorine Dioxide and Ozone as Disinfectants in Drinking Water (정수소독공정에 이용되는 염소, 이산화염소, 오존 소독제의 비교, 고찰에 관한 연구)

  • Lee, Yoon-Jin;Lee, Sun-Jong;Lee, Dong-Chan;Kim, Hyun;Lee, Hwan;Lee, Cheol-Hyo;Nam, Sang-Ho
    • Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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    • v.28 no.3
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    • pp.1-8
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    • 2002
  • The experiments for the characterization of inactivation were performed in a series of batch processes with the total coliform as a general indicator organism based on chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone as disinfectants. The water sam-ples were taken from the outlet of settling basin in a conventional surface water treatment system that is provided with the raw water drawn from the mid-stream of the Han River. The inactivation of total coliform was experimentally ana-lyzed for the dose of disinfectant contact time, pH, Temperature and DOC. The nearly 2.4,3.0,3.9 log inactivation of total coliform killed by injecting 1 mか1 at 5 minutes for chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone. For the inactivation of 99.9%(3 log), Disinfectants required were 1.70, 1.00 and 0.60 mか1 for chlorine, chlorine dioxide and ozone, respec-tively. The higher the pH is, the poorer the disinfections effects are in the range of pH 6-9 by using chlorine and ozone. But the irfluence of pH value on killing effects of chlorine dioxide is weak. The parameters estimated by the models of Chick-Watson, Hom, and Selleck from our experimental data obtained for chlorine are: log(N/ $N_{0}$ )=-0.16 CT with n= 1, log(N/ $N_{0}$ )=-0.71 $C^{0.87}$T with n$\neq$1, for Chicks-Watson model, log (N/ $N_{0}$ )= -1.87 $C^{0.47}$ $T^{0.36}$ for Hom model. For chlorine dioxide are: log(N/ $N_{0}$ )= -1.53 CT with n = 1, log(N/ $N_{0}$ )= -2.29 $C^{0.94}$T with n$\neq$1,, for Chicks-Watson model, log(N/ $N_{0}$ )= -3.64 $C^{0.43}$ $T^{0.24}$ for Hom model and for ozone are: log(N/ $N_{0}$ )= -2.59 CT with n = 1, log(N/ $N_{0}$ )= -2.28 $C^{0.36}$T with n$\neq$1, for Chicks-Watson model, log(N/ $N_{0}$ )= -4.53 $C^{0.26}$ $T^{0.19}$ for Hom model.19/ for Hom model.

Artificial Light at Night and Cancer: Global Study

  • Al-Naggar, Redhwan A.;Anil, Shirin
    • Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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    • v.17 no.10
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    • pp.4661-4664
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    • 2016
  • Background: Artificial light at night (ALAN) has been linked to increased risk of cancers in body sites like the breast and colorectum. However exposure of ALAN as an environmental risk factor and its relation to cancers in humans has never been studied in detail. Objective: To explore the association of ALAN with all forms of cancers in 158 countries. Materials and Methods: An ecological study encompassing global data was conducted from January to June 2015, with age-standardized rates (ASR) of cancers as the outcome measure. ALAN, in the protected areas, as the exposure variable, was measured with reference to the Protected Area Light Pollution Indicator (PALI) and the Protected Area Human Influence Indicator (PAHI). Pearson's correlations were calculated for PALI and PAHI with ASR of cancers for 158 countries, adjusted for country populations, electricity consumption, air pollution, and total area covered by forest. Stratified analysis was conducted according to the country income levels. Linear regression was applied to measure the variation in cancers explained by PALI and PAHI. Results: PALI and PAHI were positively associated with ASR of all forms of cancer, and also the four most common cancers (p < 0.05). These positive correlations remained statistically significant for PAHI with all forms of cancer, lung, breast, and colorectal cancer after adjusting for confounders. Positive associations of PALI and PAHI with cancers varied with income level of the individual countries. Variation in all forms of cancers, and the four most common cancers explained by PALI and PAHI, ranged from 3.3 - 35.5%. Conclusion: Artificial light at night is significantly correlated for all forms of cancer as well as lung, breast, colorectal, and prostate cancers individually. Immediate measures should be taken to limit artificial light at night in the main cities around the world and also inside houses.

Comparison of APHA-MPN and mTEC Methods for Detecting Indicator Bacteria through a Sanitary Survey of Greenwich Bay, Rhode Island, U. S. A. (위생지표세균 검출을 위한 APHA-MPN과 mTEC법의 비교 -미국 Rhode Island주 Greenwich Bay의 위생조사를 통하여-)

  • HWANG Gyu-Chul;GAINES Jack L.;WATKINS William D.
    • Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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    • v.26 no.3
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    • pp.205-213
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    • 1993
  • The APHA-MPN procedure is the only officially accepted method for classifying shellfish growing areas in U. S. A. The method estimates the levels of fecal coliforms and E. coli, indicators of the sanitary quality of environmental waters. However, the MPN has several disadvantages requiring far more time, labor and expense for assay, as well as providing relatively poor precision. Several membrane filtration procedures have been developed to enumerate these indicators in waters. Of these, the mTEC technique has been shown to provide recoveries of fecal coliforms and E. coli comparable to those of the MPN method. In an abbreviated sanitary survey for Greenwich Bay in Rhode Island, U. S. A., classified as an approved shellfish growing area, the mTEC and conventional MPN methods were again compared for their recoveries of the indicator bacteria. It was found that the recoveries of fecal coliforms and E. coli provided by the mTEC technique are 1.08 and 1.27 times higher than those produced by MPN for water monitoring, respectively, and that the membrane filtration method appears to be a possible alternative to APHA-MPN.

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Study on Indoor Air Pollutants of Public Service Centers in Winter, Seoul (서울지역 공공청사 민원실의 겨울철 실내공기질에 관한 연구)

  • Jeon, Jea-Sik;Kim, Mi-Hyung;Lee, Ju-Yeol;Jeon, Myung-Jin;Ryu, In-Cheol;Park, Duck-Shin;Choi, Han-Young
    • Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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    • v.27 no.5
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    • pp.569-579
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    • 2011
  • This study evaluated the indoor air quality of 26 government offices located in Seoul. The pollutant samples were taken from Jan. 13th to Jan. 29th and Feb. 20th to Feb. 23rd, 2010 in the offices. The target indoor pollutants for this study were $PM_{10}$, formaldehyde, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, total bacteria counts, total volatile organic compounds, radon, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and asbestos which were controlled by the indoor air quality law for the multiple-use facilities management. The results of this study showed that some pollutants of the 38.5% offices exceeded the standards of the air quality guideline. The correlation analysis of the same pollutants between indoor and outdoor represented that $NO_2$ (r=0.629, p<0.05) and $O_3$ (r=0.459, p<0.01) were significant, however, $PM_{10}$ and CO were not. The correlation analysis between different pollutants showed that CO and TVOC (total volatile organic compounds: r=0.724; p<0.01), CO and $NO_2$ (r=0.674; p<0.01), HCHO and humidity (r=0.605; p<0.01), $CO_2$ and TVOC (r=0.534; p<0.01), TBC (total bacteria counts) and Asbestos (r=0.520; p<0.01) were significant. The energy-saving system of government buildings in winter caused under-ventilated and poor air quality. This study suggests that the concentrations of radon and $CO_2$ should be used as an indicator for monitoring indoor air quality and maintaining effective ventilations.

Differences in Urine Cadmium Associations with Renal Damage Markers According to the Adjustment with Specific Gravity or Urinary Creatinine (요비중 또는 크레아티닌 보정에 따른 요중 카드뮴과 신장손상지표와의 관련성 비교)

  • Kim, Yong-Dae;Eom, Sang-Yong;Yim, Dong-Hyuk;Kwon, Soon Kil;Park, Choong-Hee;Kim, Guen-Bae;Yu, Seung-Do;Choi, Byung-Sun;Park, Jung-Duck;Kim, Heon
    • Journal of Life Science
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    • v.29 no.2
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    • pp.265-271
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    • 2019
  • In general, specific gravity (SG) and urinary creatinine (CR) have been used to adjust urinary cadmium (Cd) concentrations. However, the validity of correction methods has been controversial. We compared the two adjustments to evaluate associations between urinary Cd and various renal damage markers and to evaluate the relationship between urinary Cd concentration and renal disease markers, such as estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), in a relatively large general population sample. Among the 1,086 volunteers who were enrolled in this study, 862 healthy volunteers who did not have kidney disease were included in the final analysis. Urinary Cd, malondialdehyde (MDA), and N-acetyl-${\beta}$-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) concentrations were measured, the creatinine-based eGFR was calculated, and the relationships between these markers were subsequently analyzed. This study showed the use of urinary Cd concentration adjusted with SG rather than with urinary creatinine may be appropriate in studies evaluating renal function based on Cd exposure. Urinary Cd concentration adjusted with SG had a positive correlation with urinary MDA levels and a negative correlation with eGFR. This relationship was relatively stronger in women than in men. This study showed that urinary Cd level was associated with decreased eGFR in the general population, and oxidative stress was likely to act as an intermediator in this process. These results suggest that eGFR can be a very good indicator of kidney damage caused by Cd exposure in the general population.

The estimation of river discharge by using the mean velocity equation in a unsteady condition (평균유속공식을 이용한 부정류 하천유량 산정)

  • Choo, Tai Ho;Chae, Soo Kwon;Yoon, Hyeon Cheol;Yun, Gwan Seon
    • Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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    • v.14 no.12
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    • pp.6558-6564
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    • 2013
  • As the average indicator for amount of water flowing in any cross section of a river, the mean discharge has been reported to be a very important factor for examining water circle constructions in a river basin, the design and construction of a hydraulic structure, and water front area use and management. The stage-discharge curve based on discharge and stage data measured in a normal season were basically derived. Using this derivation, the necessary discharge data was obtained. The values produced in this manner corresponded to the measured data in a uniform flow state well, but showed limited accuracy in a flood season (unsteady flow). In the present paper, the mean velocity in unsteady flow conditions, which exhibited loop form properties, was estimated using the new mean velocity formula derived from Chiu's 2-D velocity. The results of RMSE and Polar graph analyses showed that the proposed equation exhibited approximately nineteen times the accuracy compared to the Manning and Chezy equations.

Characteristics of Macro Benthic Community in the Subtidal Zone of Muan Bay on Summer and Health Assessment by using AZTI Marine Biotic Index (AMBI) and Water Quality Index (WQI) (하계 무안만 조하대 저서동물군집 특성 및 AZTI의 해양생물지수(AMBI)와 수질평가지수(WQI)를 이용한 건강성 평가)

  • Oh, Jun Ho;Lee, Kyoung Seon
    • Journal of Marine Life Science
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    • v.7 no.1
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    • pp.21-28
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    • 2022
  • Benthic animals are important indicators in benthic environmental quality assessment. This study investigated the environmental characteristics and the distribution pattern of benthic animals, and assessed the benthic ecosystem using AMBI (AZTI's marine biotic index) and WQI (water quality index) in the subtidal zone of Muan bay. Samplings were collected from 10 stations in the subtidal zone of Muan bay on summer. In the upper area of Muan bay, grain size was finer and organic content was higher than those of in the lower area. The pollution indicator organism such as Musculista senhousia, Theora fragilis and Lumbrineris longifolia were dominant at some stations. The benthic community was distinguished into three groups of upper, center and lower area of Muan bay, and which were coincided with the results by correlation analysis between organic matter content and benthic health assessment (WQI and AMBI). As a result of this study, the health condition of the subtidal zone in Muan bay were good. However, from the results that benthic animals were not evenly distributed, and also the opportunistic species appeared, the load of organic matter in Muan bay seems to be increasing.

Urinary S-Phenylmercapturic Acid as a Biomarker for Biological Monitoring in Workers Exposed to Benzene (벤젠 노출 근로자의 생물학적 모니터링 지표로서의 요중 S-Phenylmercapturic Acid에 관한 연구)

  • Bang, Sin Ho;Kim, Kwang Jong;Yum, Yong Tae
    • 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.

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Development and Verification of a Simultaneous Analytical Method for Whole Blood Metals and Metalloids for Biomonitoring Programs (바이오모니터링 프로그램을 위한 혈중 금속류 동시분석법 개발 및 확인 평가)

  • Cha, Sangwon;Oh, Eunha;Oh, Selim;Han, Sang Beom;Im, Hosub
    • Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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    • v.47 no.1
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    • pp.64-77
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    • 2021
  • Objective: Biological monitoring of trace elements in human blood samples has become an important indicator of the health environment. The purpose of this study was to detect and evaluate multiple metal items in blood samples based on ICP-MS, to perform comparative evaluation with the existing analysis method, and to develop and verify a new method. Methods: 100 μL of whole blood from 80 healthy subjects was used to analyze ten metals (Sb, tAs, Cd, Pb, Mn, Hg, Mo, Ni, Se, Tl) using ICP-MS. Verification of the analysis method included calculation of linearity, accuracy, precision and detection limits. In addition, a comparative test with the conventional graphite furnace atomic absorption spectroscopy (GF-AAS) method was performed. In the case of Pb, Cd, and Hg in whole blood, cross-analysis between Pb, Cd, and Hg analysis methods was performed to confirm the difference between the existing method and the new method (ICP-MS). Results: The coefficient of determination (R2) was 0.999 or higher in seven items and 0.995 or higher in three items. The Pb result showed that Pearson's correlation coefficient was very high at 0.983, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.966. The Cd result showed that Pearson's correlation coefficient was 0.917 between the existing method and the new analysis concentration value. Its intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.960, and there was no significant difference between the two groups. Hg had a low correlation at 0.687, and the intraclass correlation coefficient was 0.761, which was lower than that of Pb and Cd. The intra-day and inter-day accuracy of Pd and Cd were satisfactory, but Hg did not meet the criteria for both accuracy and precision when compared with the conventional analysis method. Conclusion: This study can be meaningful in that it proposes a more efficient and feasible analysis method by verifying a blood heavy metal concentration experiment using multiple simultaneous analyses. All samples were processed and analyzed using the new ICP-MS. It was confirmed that the agreement between the two methods was very high, with the agreement between the current and new methods being 0.769 to 0.998. This study proposes an efficient simultaneous methodology capable of analyzing multiple elements with small samples. In the future, studies of various applications and the reliability of ICP-MS analysis methods are required, and research on the verification of accurate, precise, and continuous analysis methods is required.