• Advances in environmental research
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.15-35
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• 2012

Mercury (Hg) is a global environmental pollutant that has been the cause of many public concerns. One particular concern about Hg in aquatic systems is its trophic transfer and biomagnification in food chains. For example, the Hg concentration increases with the increase of food chain level. Fish at the top of food chain can accumulate high concentrations of Hg (especially the toxic form, methylmercury, MeHg), which is then transferred to humans through seafood consumption. Various biological and physiochemical conditions can significantly affect the bioaccumulation of Hg-including both its inorganic (Hg(II)) and organic (MeHg) forms-in fish. There have been numerous measurements of Hg concentrations in marine and freshwater fish worldwide. Many of these studies have attempted to identify the processes leading to variations of Hg concentrations in fish species from different habitats. The development of a biokinetic model over the past decade has helped improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying the bioaccumulation processes of Hg in aquatic animals. In this review, I will discuss how the biokinetic modeling approach can be used to reveal the interesting biodynamics of Hg in fish, such as the trophic transfer and exposure route of Hg(II) and MeHg, as well as growth enrichment (the increases in Hg concentration with fish size) and biomass dilution (the decreases in Hg concentration with increasing phytoplankton biomass). I will also discuss the relevance of studying the subcellular fates of Hg to predict the Hg bioaccessibility and detoxification in fish. Future challenges will be to understand the inter- and intra-species differences in Hg accumulation and the management/mitigation of Hg pollution in both marine and freshwater fish based on our knowledge of Hg biodynamics.

• Journal of the Korean association of regional geographers
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.114-125
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• 2008

Colored dissolved organic matter(CDOM) is an important component of ocean color that can be used as an invaluable tool in water quality and ocean color studies. With the largest source of coastal CDOM appearing to be from freshwater discharge into the ocean, coastal predictive models will do much to refine our knowledge about major processes that control CDOM distributions in coastal waters and provide a better insight into the global carbon cycle. This study aims at developing a GIS-based watershed-scale predictive model of CDOM distributions in Neponset river watersheds that can be used to appraise our understanding of CDOM sources and distributions in coastal waters and predict the response of CDOM concentration to changes in land use patterns. Weighting factors are developed for CDOM freshwater sources after extensive groundtruthing from various landuse types in the watershed. This model makes use of a publicly available DEM(Digital elevation model) as the base data for analysis. Stream networks, discharge, and land use data are used from public repositories while sub- watershed delineation, pour-points, and land use parcels are generated using Spatial Analysis of ArcGIS 9.2 to estimate the CDOM loading from various sources to the lower tributaries of rivers. The Neponset Watershed in eastern Massachusetts is selected as the site for development of the model.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.37-44
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• 2013

We have examined the effect of rice straw mat (RSM) on the reduction of non-point source (NPS) pollution loads at soybean cultivations. The slope of the experimental plot was about 3 %. Monitoring was carried out for four years at conventional tillage (CT) in 2008~2009 years and RSM covered tillage in 2010~2011 years. Thirty-two rainfall events were monitored and analyzed during the study period. During the 2 years of 2008 and 2009, 20 rainfall runoff events were monitored. But in 2010 years, only 2 rainfall runoff events could be monitored. And in 2011 years, 10 rainfall runoff events was monitored. It was because the RSM cover enhanced infiltration and reduce runoff in 2010 and 2011. Average NPS pollution load (organic matters) of the RSM covered field was reduced by 72.1~94.2 % compared to that of CT field. NPS pollution load of TN and TP reduced by 67.5 % and 55.7 %, respectively. Especially, SS pollution load was reduced by 97.3 %. Based on the results, rice straw mat cover was considered as a promising best management practices (BMP) to reduce NPS pollution load. However, it was recommended that the results are limited to the field conditions and the same experiments must be performed on different soil textures, slopes, and crops if it is applied to the development of policies.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.37 no.3 s.108
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• pp.313-318
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• 2004

Di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP) is a widely used plasticizer known to be a suspected xenoestrogen and a causative agent of oxidative damage to the RBC cell membrane ir vitro. We evaluated the toxic effects of a scarcely documented aquatic environmental pollutant, DEHP, on selected haematological endpoints in the bagrid catfish, Pseudobagrus fulvidraco. Bagrid catfish were exposed to DEHP (300, 1,000 mg DEHP kg body weight$^{-1}$) through thrice intraperitoneal injection and effects were assessed in blood of the exposed organisms. Haematological property, serum organic and inorganic chemistry were monitored in blood of Bagrid catfish. DEHP exposed-fish showed erythropenia; low hematocrit (Ht) and hemoglobin (Hb) content and red blood cell count showed a significantly higher than in that of the control group. The treatment group showed a significantly lower concentration of serum total protein, cholesterol and triglyceride compared with those in the control group. The value of calcium and osmolality were significantly decreased in the DEHP treatment group, compared with the control group.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.219-234
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• 2021

Industrial emissions, mainly from industrial complexes, are important sources of ambient Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). Identification of the significant VOC sources from industrial complexes has practical significance for emission reduction. VOC samples were collected from July 2019 to June 2020. A Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) receptor model was used to evaluate the VOC sources in the area. Four sources were identified by PMF analysis, including coating-1, coating-2, printing, and vehicle exhaust. The coating-1 source was revealed to have the highest contribution (41.5%), followed by coating-2 (23.9%), printing (23.1%), and vehicle exhaust (11.6%). The source showing the highest contribution was coating emissions, originating from the northwest to southwest of the sample site. It also relates to facilities that produce auto parts. The major components of VOC emissions from the coating facilities were toluene, m,p-xylene, ethylbenzene, o-xylene, and butyl acetate. Industrial emissions should be the top priority to meet the relevant control criteria, followed by vehicular emissions. This study provides a strategy for VOC source apportionment from an industrial complex, which is helpful in the development of targeted control strategies.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2021.06a
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• pp.128-128
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• 2021

Most of the studies about stormwater low impact development technologies used generalized observations without fully understanding the mechanisms affecting the whole performance of the systems from catchment to the facility itself. At present, these LID technologies have been treated as black box due to fluctuating flow and environmental conditions affecting its operation and treatment performance. As such, the implications of microbial community to the overall performance of the tree-box filter were investigated in this study. Summer season was found to be the most suitable season for microorganism growth since more microorganism were found during this season. Least microorganism count was found in spring because of the plant growth during this season since plant penology influences the seasonal dynamics of soil microorganisms. Litterfall during fall season might have affected the microorganism count during winter since, during this season, the compositional variety of soil organic matter changes affecting growth of soil microbial communities. Microbial analyses of sediment samples collected in the system revealed that the most dominant microorganism phylum is Proteobacteria in all the seasons in both inlet and outlet comprising 37% to 47% of the total microorganism count. Proteobacteria was followed by Acidobacteria, Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi which comprises 6% to 20%, 9% to 20% and 2% to 27%, respectively of the total microorganism count for each season. These findings were useful in optimizing the design and performance of tree box filters considering physical, chemical and biological pollutant removal mechanisms.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.24-31
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• 2024

Mercury is a chemical pollutant widely present in the environment. Humans are generally exposed to mercury in the form of organic Hg (methylmercury) through the consumption of seafood. Koreans enjoy eating fish therefore blood mercury concentration is usually higher than in developed countries. By investigating blood mercury concentration according to the frequency of seafood consumption and sociodemographic factors, we aimed to identify recent trends in blood mercury concentration in Korean adults. This study was conducted using KoNEHS cycle 4 (2018~2020) from the National Institute Environmental Research Survey. The geometric mean concentration of blood mercury of the subjects was 2.959 (±1.018) ㎍/L, which was significantly higher in men than in women. It was observed that as the frequency of fish and shellfish consumption increased, the blood mercury concentration increased. In adjusted logistic regression, fish consumption was associated with 36.7% increased risk of blood mercury levels [Odds ratio, 1.367; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.246~1.500], and shellfish consumption was associated with 26.5% increased risk of blood mercury levels [Odds ratio, 1.265; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.134~1.410]. Blood mercury concentration was also found to increase as the socioeconomic level increased. In conclusion, the geometric mean concentration of blood mercury was increased compared to the one in the 3rd KoNEHS (2015~2017) and seafood consumption and socioeconomic level were still significantly associated with increasing blood mercury concentration in Korea. Therefore, it is necessary to encourage healthy seafood consumption habits and conduct continuous monitoring considering various factors to reduce blood mercury levels.

• Membrane Journal
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.182-191
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• 2024

This review addresses the pressing need for effective wastewater treatment methodologies by exploring advanced thin-film nanocomposite (TFN) nanofiltration membranes aimed at efficient dye removal from industrial effluents. Utilizing insights from recent research, the review focuses on the fabrication of TFN membranes incorporating innovative materials such as nanocarbons, silica nanospheres, metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), and MoS₂. The primary goals are to enhance dye removal efficiency, improve antifouling properties, and maintain high selectivity for dye/salt separation. By leveraging the distinct advantages of these nanomaterials-including large surface areas, mechanical robustness, and specific pollutant interaction capabilities-this review aims to overcome the limitations of current nanofiltration technologies and provide sustainable solutions for water treatment challenges.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.1360-1365
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• 2007

The purpose of this study is to present the basic data for nonpoint pollutant loads from bridge road drainage sediments using the results to analyze organic matter and heavy metals from the four bridge drainage sampling sites with sediments of different particle size ranges. The sediment sample was collected from the bridge road drainage and the masses of nine sediments fractions were obtained after drying the separated sediment in an over at $85^{\circ}C:>2,000{\mu}m$, $1,000\sim2,000{\mu}m$, $850\sim1,000{\mu}m$, $425\sim850{\mu}m$, $212\sim425{\mu}m$, $125\sim212{\mu}m$, $90\sim125{\mu}m$, $75\sim90{\mu}m$, $<75{\mu}m$. The sediment extract was analyzed water quality constituents, including chemical oxygen demand(COD), total nitrogen(T-N), total phosphorus(T-P), heavy metals and particle size distribution. The results indicate that most of particle size ranges of the bridge road sediments was $125\sim425{\mu}m$, and portion of $<75{\mu}m$ was low. But most of the pollutants are associated with the finer fractions of the load sediments. As the results of analysis, the range and average values of COD, T-N, T-P, Fe, Cu, Cr, and Pb were $177\sim198.8$ mg/kg(77.6 mg/kg), $23\sim200$ mg/kg(83 mg/kg), T-P $18\sim215$ mg/kg(129 mg/kg), and $1,508\sim5,612$ mg/kg(3,835 mg/kg), $9.2\sim69.3$ mg/kg(49 mg/kg), $19.1\sim662.2$ mg/kg(214 mg/kg), and $28.4\sim251.4$ mg/kg(114 mg/kg), respectively. The relationship between sediment size and pollutants concentration have an inverse proportion. The removal of road sediments with frequently could be reduced the significant nonpoint pollutant load, because of the bridge road sediment contains considerable micro-particles and heavy metals.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.353-366
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was assessment the quality of water by using the statistical analysis technique of the Water flow and water quality from January 2012 to December 2016 at the unit basin for total pollutant load management system (TPLMS) in the Imjin River. Water flow and water quality were monitored at an average of 8 day intervals, 11 parameters were used for correlation analysis, principal component analysis (PCA), factor analysis (FA), and cluster analysis (CA). The Hierarchical CA was classified into three according to the change of space, such as natural rivers, urban rivers, point with large influence of point pollution source, it was found that the type of contamination source the similarity of water quality affected the classification of cluster. Using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc Analysis, there were statistically significant differences between mean values among the clusters. Correlation analysis showed the correlation coefficient between $COD_{Mn}$ and TOC was 0.951 (p<0.01) and the correlation was statistically significantly higher. According to the result PCA and FA, 3 principal components can explaining 72% of the total variations in water quality characteristics and main factor was EC, $BOD_5$, $COD_{Mn}$, TN, TP and TOC indirect indicators of organic matter and nutrients were influenced. This study presented the regression equation obtained by applying the factor scores to the multiple linear regression analysis and concluded that the management Indirect indicators of organic matter and nutrients is important for water quality management in the Imjin River basin.