• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.5-12
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• 2001

The physical characteristics and contaminant level of the dredged material generated by the channel maintenance and water quality improvement was analysed in a series of the study of the beneficial uses of dredged material in harbor. Dredged materials were sampled at Kunsan, Kohyun, Samchunpo, and Pohang Harbors and tested in the laboratory(leaching Test). From the experimental results, the specific gravity does not shows large differences, while almost grains are composed of silts and oyster shells except Pohang harbor containing gravels. The COD release rate and ignition loss is high in Kunsan dredged materials because of the watershed pollutants loads. The nutrient release rate is also relatively high. The release concentration of the heavy metals shows the highest values on Zn, Pb, Cd, Cu constituents at Kohyun, Kunsan, Samchunpo, Kunsan, respectively.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.58 no.3
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• pp.29-38
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• 2016

There have been only a few studies focused on the stabilization of metal (loid)s in anaerobic soils such as paddy soils. In this study, laboratory-scale column tests were conducted to artificially manipulate anoxic conditions in submerged paddy fields and we observed the release behavior of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn, as well as to examine the stabilization effect of steel refining slag (SRS) on the metal(loid)s. The leachate samples were collected and chemical parameters were monitored during the test period. Results suggest that anoxic conditions were developed during submersion, and that As or heavy metals (particularly Cd) fractions bound to ferrous (Fe) /manganese (Mn) oxides were easily dissociated. Moreover, As is also reduced by itself to a trivalent form with higher mobility in the reducing environment of rice paddy soil. However, it was also shown that SRS significantly decreased the dissolution of Zn, Pb, Cd, and As in the the leachates; their removal rates in the SRS-treated soil were 66 %, 45 %, 24 %, and 84 %, respectively, of those in the control soil.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.494-499
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• 2004

Growth in population and urbanization has progressively increased the loadings of pollutants from non-point sources as well as point sources. Therefore, it is necessary to manage both point and non-point sources contaminations for protecting water environment and improving water quality. This study investigated the characteristics of pollutant release over a wide range of rainfall intensities as a requisite to control road runoff that accounts for the largest portion of non-point source contamination in urban areas. Samples of runoff rainwater collected from real road surfaces were analyzed for physicochemical parameters such as pH, suspended solids, and heavy metals. A experimental model road ($30cm{\times}30cm$) was also used to evaluate wash-off properties of pollutants deposited on the surface as functions of time and rainfall intensity. Analysis of runoff samples on rain events showed that the pollutant wash-off patterns for heavy metal and suspended solids were similar. This implies that the particles in rainwater adsorb heavy metals. Experiments using the model road made of impervious asphalt demonstrate a strong first flush phenomenon. At high rainfall intensity, approximately 80% of total pollutants were released within 15 min. The pollutant wash-off rates rapidly increase from 9 mm/hr to 12 mm/hr of rainfall intensity and decrease over 12 mm/hr of rainfall intensity.

• Animal cells and systems
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.215-219
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• 2002

In mid-April, 2000, hundreds of thousands of fish floated dead on the Chungnang River, one of the small branches of the Han River in Seoul. We examined the causes of the accident in detail, through analysis of monitorinq data from the Han River Monitoring Project, which employed the transplanted aquatic moss, Fontinalis antipyretica. This allowed investigation of another possible cause of the fish kill: release of trace metals into the river from industrial sources during the rainfall event. In addition, we aimed to verify the usefulness of aquatic mosses as bioindicators of the event. Water samples collected 48 h after the fish kill exhibited low pH and high Total-N and Total-p, indicating that acidic compounds rich in nitrogen and phosphorus might be a major contaminant. BOD and COD were also very high. On the whole, the conditions of the river water were degraded at that time. Distinct trends were not observed in the chlorophyll phaeophy-tinization quotient and photosynthesis rate of transplanted mosses. How-ever mosses sampled soon after the accident exhibited the lowest values for those variables (P < 0.01), suggesting that stress factors in the river were diluted out over time. Heavy metals with characteristics of industrial effluents (Cr, Pb, Zn, Fe, Cu, and Cd) increased (p ＜ 0.01), indicating that they were unlikely to be major causes of the accident.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.300-306
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• 2000

The rate of apparent nitric oxide (NO) release, as measured in the exhaust gas of green alga, Scenedesmus obliquus, depended on the light intensity and pH. It doubled after lowering the temperature from $25^{\circ}C{\;}to{\;}15^{\circ}C$ and strongly decreased from $35^{\circ}C{\;}to{\;}42^{\circ}C$. The Scenedesmus cells, deficient in nitrogen or phosphorus, demonstrated a significant increase in NO production following their transfer to nitrate- and phosphate-rich media. The addition of herbicides (DCMU and glyphosate) or toxic concentrations of $Cu^{2+}{\;}or{\;}Fe^{3+}$ produced strong NO peaks, resembling those that occurred after sudden darkening. An increase in the $Ni^{2+}$ concentration to 20 ppm resulted in a gradual increase of NO release from the initial ~1.5 ppbv to>20 ppbv, whereas $Cd^{2+}$ instantaneously suppressed the NO by the cultures of Scenedesmus was not altered by L-NNA, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), or by its substrate, L-arginine. This seems to exclude the role of NOS in the NO formation under study. Accordingly, it can be assumed that the rate of NO formation is mainly a function of dynamic nitrite pool sizes and environmental factors significantly affect the NO production in algae.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.159-168
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• 2015

Forty-four surface sediments from Doam Bay were analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), total metal (Al, Fe, Mn, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) and further chemical partitioning of metals were carried out in some samples. The TOC (0.32~3.10%) and TN (0.03~0.26%) values of the samples were similar to those of other coastal area. The C/N ratios ranged from 7.9 to 11.9 with an average 9.3 which revealed that contribution of terrestrial organic matters was relatively rare. Contents of analysed metals showed a level lower than threshold effects level (TEL) in sediment quality guidelines. Based on the chemical speciation of metals, the lattice fractions were found in the order Cr > Cu > Ni > Zn > Pb > Mn, while Mn and Pb are the ratio of the non-lattice fractions accounted for more than 50%. The average baseline values were obtained relative cumulative frequency curves and linear regression analysis. The respective baseline concentrations for Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn, Cr and Mn were 11.8, 23.1, 26.8, 76.6, 56.7, 585 mg/kg, respectively. Based on geoaccumulation index ($I_{geo}$) with a baseline values of Mn showed that face the contamination phase from estuarine stations. However, in case of Zn and Pb, although there is no sign of contamination, it could be release from sediment when there is a change in the environment, which is caused from the high ratio of non-lattice fractions.

• Ocean Science Journal
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• v.40 no.2
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• pp.91-100
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• 2005

Bioassay using the marine bacteria, Vibrio fischeri and rotifer, Brachionus plicatilis, and chemical analyses were conducted to assess the toxicity of the various sewage sludges, one of the major ocean dumped materials in the Yellow Sea of Korea. Sludge elutriates extracted by filtered seawater were used to estimate the ecotoxicity of the sludge. Chemical characterization included the analyses of organic contents, heavy metals, and persistent organic pollutants in sludge. Bacterial bioluminescent inhibition (15 min), rotifer mortality (24 hr) and rotifer population growth inhibition (48 hr) assay were conducted to estimate the sludge toxicity. EC50 15 min (inhibition concentration of bioluminescence after 15 minutes exposed) values by Microtox(R) bioassay clearly revealed different toxicity levels depending on the sludge sources. Highest toxicity for the bacteria was found with the sludge extract from dyeing waste and followed by industrial waste, livestock waste, and leather processing waste. Clear toxic effects on the bacteria were not found in the sludge extract from filtration bed sludge and rural sewage sludge. Consistent with Microtox(R) results, rotifer neonate mortality and population growth inhibition test also showed highest toxicity in dyeing waste and low in filtration bed and rural sewage sludge. High concentrations of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) and heavy metals were measured in the samples from the industrial wastes, leather processing plant waste sludge, and urban sewage sludge. However, there was no significant correlation between pollutant concentration levels and the toxicity values of the sludge. This suggests that the ecotoxicity in addition to the chemical analyses of various sludge samples must be estimated before release of potential harmful waste in the natural environment as part of an ecological risk assessment.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.167-167
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• 2002

Methylmercury (MeHg), one of the heavy metal compound, can cause severe damage to the central nervous system in humans. Many reports have contributed MeHg poisoning to contaminated foods and release into the environment. Despite many studies on the pathogenesis of MeHg-induced central neuropathy, no useful mechanism of toxicity has been established. To find genes differentially expressed by MeHg in neuronal cell, we peformed forward and reverse suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) method on mRNA derived from neuroblastoma cell line, SH-SY5Y treated with solvent (DMSO) and 6.25 uM (IC$\sub$50/) MeHg. Differentially expressed CDNA clones were sequenced and the mRNAs were re-examined on Northern blots. These sequences were identified by BLAST homology search to known genes or expressed sequence tags (ESTs). Analysis of these sequences has provided an insight into the biological effects of MeHg in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disease and a possibility to develop more efficient and exact monitoring system of heavy metals as common environmental pollutants.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.45-54
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• 2000

Several chemical washing procedures were applied to Zn and Cd contaminated soil. Batch and column tests were performed to determine the metal extraction efficiency as a function of pH and concentration. Washing efficiencies by water and NaOH are very low but those by HCI, EDTA and Oxalic acid are high. The most efficient washing occurs in case of using HCI because heavy metal is ionized easily at the condition of low pH. EDTA and Oxalic acid are also effective to extract Zn and Cd because they have a high complexation affinity for heavy metals forming active surface complexes. More Zn is released than Cd is and release trend is increased as pH is decreased and concentration of washing solution is increased. When heavy metal contaminated soil is remediated, HCI and EDTA are more effective to remove Zn than others are. Meanwhile HCI and Oxalic acid are more effective to remove Cd than others are.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.755-764
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• 2009

To estimate the pollutant removal efficiency by surface sediment, matter content within surface sediment and its release from the sediment were investigated at 12 sites in the Sihwa constructed wetland. The content of COD, TOC, IL, TN, and TP within sediment varied temporally and spacially, showing ranges of 4.1~7.7 mg/g, 0.29~2.81%, 1.88~8.15%, 0.03~0.35%, 362~1,150 ${\mu}g$/g, respectively. The contents of organic matter and TN were significantly highest in March and decreased towards fall (March${\geq}$May${\geq}$July${\geq}$September, p=0.003 for COD, p=0.001 for TOC, p=0.017 for IL, p=0.015 for TN), whereas TP content was not significant statistically in difference between sampling times. The contents of heavy metals also varied largely with sampling sites and times (As:3.5~3.9 ${\mu}g$/g, Cd:0.08~0.38 ${\mu}g$/g, Cr:51.8~107.0 ${\mu}g$/g, Cu:16.4~81.8 ${\mu}g$/g, Pb:26.~81.8 ${\mu}g$/g, Zn:85~559 ${\mu}g$/g). As compared with sediment quality guideline, the content of organic matter within surface sediment of the Sihwa constructed wetland was classified as unpolluted level. In contrast, the contents of TN, TP and heavy metals were classified as medium or severe pollution state, except some heavy metals (Cu and Pb). From the results of release experiment, TN, Pb, and Zn tend to be removed by surface sediment, but TP, Cd, and Cu have a tendency to released from sediment. Therefore, a relevant plan to improve the removal efficiency of pollutant (especially phosphorus) by surface sediment in the Sihwa constructed wetland is needed.