• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• 제60권3호
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• pp.51-61
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• 2018

Transportation and storage technologies, which are key drivers for trade, has increased global trade of agricultural products about 165% from 1995 to 2015. Korea imports 76.2% of grain from major food exporters such as USA, Australia, Brazil, and China. The expected long shipping distances from these countries can seriously cause environmental impacts on various environmental categories such as climate change, particulate matter, and acidification. The goal of this study is to assess the environmental implications focused on greenhouse gases (GHGs) and particulate matters (PMs) emissions of imported grains (wheat, corn, and bean) using food miles analysis and life cycle assessment (LCA). The environmental impacts of imported crops are estimated by transportation modes using the national LCI database provided by Korea Environmental Industry & Technology Institute (KEITI). The results of this study are as follows; (1) Imported wheat comes from USA (29%), AUS (27%), and URK (20%), corn is imported from USA (34%), BRA (29%), and URK (16%), and bean comes from BRA (57%), USA (40%), and CHN (2%); (2) the food miles of imported crops (wheat, corn, and bean) are 3.62E+10, 1.30E+11, and $2.20E+10ton{\cdot}km$, respectively; (3) the potential GHGs and PMs of wheat, corn, and bean are 5.02E+08, 1.67E+09, and 2.84E+08 kg $CO_2e$ and 5.89E+05, 1.83E+06, 3.07E+05 kg $PM_{10}e$, respectively. The outputs of this study could provide environmental impacts and carrying distances of imported agricultural products for preparing a plan to reduce environmental impacts.

• Toxicological Research
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• 제30권2호
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• pp.83-90
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• 2014

An increasing number of recent studies have focused on the impact of particulate matter on human health. As a model for atmospheric particulate inhalation, we investigated the effects of inhaled carbon black nanoparticles (CBNP) on mice with bleomycin-induced pulmonary fibrosis. The CNBPs were generated by a novel aerosolization process, and the mice were exposed to the aerosol for 4 hours. We found that CBNP inhalation exacerbated lung inflammation, as evidenced by histopathology analysis and by the expression levels of interleukin-6 protein, fibronectin, and interferon-${\gamma}$ mRNAs in lung tissues. Notably, fibronectin mRNA expression showed a statistically significant increase in expression after CBNP exposure. These data suggest that the concentration of CBNPs delivered (calculated to be $12.5{\mu}g/m^3$) can aggravate lung inflammation in mice. Our results also suggest that the inhalation of ultrafine particles like PM 2.5 is an impactful environmental risk factor for humans, particularly in susceptible populations with predisposing lung conditions.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• 제11권2호
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• pp.179-184
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• 1995

This study was carried out to characterize sources of suspended particulate matter(SPM) in Mt. Soback area from January to Novembver in 1993. The collection and major water soluble ion analysis of SPM were conducted by using a High Volumn Air Sampler(HVAS; W&A Inc., PM-10) and ion chromatograph(DIONEX 4000i), respectively. The variations of SPM and major ion concentrations were found to be 9. sim. 156.mu.g/ $m^{3}$, $F^{-10}$ 0.00 .sim. 0.15.mu.g/ $m^{3}$, C $l^{-10}$ 0.06 .sim. 3.79.mu.g/ $m^{3}$, N $O_{3}$$^{-10}$ 0.90 .sim. 6.85.mu.g/ $m^{3}$, S $O_{4}$$^{2-}$ 1.99 .sim. 9.36.mu.g/ $m^{3}$ N $a^{+}$0.00 .sim. 0.27.mu.g/ $m^{3}$, N $H_{4}$ $^{+}$0.72 .sim. 5.77.mu.g/ $m^{3}$, $k^{+}$0.03 .sim. 0.88.mu.g/ $m^{3}$ and $Ca^{2+}$0.12 .sim. 2.76.mu.g/ $m^{3}$. Tree sources were identified by Principal Component Amalysis(PCA) using a SPSS/P $C^{+}$. The explanation ability of forst, second and third Principal Component were 60.8%, 13.6%, 8.2%, of total variance. The sources classfied by PCA were found to be secondary aerosol/fuel combustion, soil dust related cement production/yellow sand and aerosol related waste burning.related waste burning.g.

• Atmosphere
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• 제29권5호
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• pp.525-535
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• 2019

Vertical distributions of aerosol mass concentrations over Seoul and Gangneung from January to February 2015 were investigated using aerosol Mie-scattering lidars. Vertical mass concentration of aerosol was calculated from the lidar data using KALION's algorithm and quantitatively compared with ground PM₁₀ concentration to obtain objectivity of data. The backward trajectories calculated using HYSPLIT (version 4) were clustered into 5 traces for Seoul and 6 traces for Gangneung, and the observed aerosol vertical mass distribution was analyzed for individual trajectories. Result from the analysis shows that, aerosol concentrations with in the planetary boundary layer were highest when airflows into the measurement points originated in the Shandong Peninsula or the Inner Mongolia. In addition, the difference of aerosol mass concentrations in the two regions below 1 km was about twice as large as that in the long range transport from the Shandong Peninsula compared to the local emission. This result shows that the air quality over Korea related to particulate matters are affected more by aerosol emissions in the upstream source regions and the associated transboundary transports than local emissions. This study also suggests that the use of local aerosol observations is critical for accurate simulations of aerosol-cloud interactions.

• Atmosphere
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• 제29권2호
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• pp.213-218
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• 2019

A valuation of air pollution is critical for relevant policy-making for the public and research direction. This study conducted a willingness-to-pay (WTP) survey using contingent valuation method (CVM) in Seoul Korea. In detail, this study puts an emphasis on its temporal changes referred on two surveys conducted in 2014 and 2019. In reference to the previous studies in 2002, our survey indicated that the public awareness of air pollution and interests on its sources and solutions increased noticeably. Our survey showed that WTP increased significantly from 2588 to 4827 and 8240 Korean Won $month^{-1}$ in 2002, 2014, and 2019, respectively. Moreover, the percentage of respondents to pay the WTP also increased from 48% to 68% and 79% in 2002, 2014, and 2019, respectively. Our analysis based on the number of Google search on particulate matters (PMs) strongly suggests that such the noticeable increases of the public attention to air pollution is well accorded with the moment of the announcement of a standard for ultra-fine particles and the start of PM prediction in late 2013. But the Google search rate grew about 16.7 times in 2009 compared to 2014, which is much larger than the growth rate of interest and WTP between 2014 and 2019. Our results shed light on policy decision for the right person in the right place on the right time in the era of air pollution.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• 제50권1호
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• pp.6-15
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• 2024

Background: People's activities have been restricted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. These changes in activity patterns may lead to a decrease in fine particulate matter (PM_2.5) concentrations. Additionally, the level of population exposure to PM_2.5 may be changed. Objectives: This study aimed to analyze the impact of population movement and meteorological factors on the distribution of PM_2.5 concentrations before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. Methods: The study area was Guro-gu in Seoul. The research period was selected as January to March 2020, a period of significant population movement changes caused by COVID-19. The evaluation of the dynamic population was conducted by calculating the absolute difference in population numbers between consecutive hours and comparing them to determine the daily average. Ambient PM_2.5 concentrations were estimated for each grid using ordinary kriging in Python. For the population exposure assessment, the population-weighted average concentration was calculated by determining the indoor to outdoor population for each grid and applying the indoor to outdoor ratio to the ambient PM_2.5 concentration. To assess the factors influencing changes in the ambient PM_2.5 concentration, a statistical analysis was conducted, incorporating population mobility and meteorological factors. Results: Through statistical analysis, the correlation between ambient PM_2.5 concentration and population movement was positive on both weekends and weekdays (r=0.71, r=0.266). The results confirmed that most of the relationships were positive, suggesting that a decrease in human activity can lead to a decrease in PM_2.5 concentrations. In addition, when population-weighted concentration averages were calculated and the exposure level of the population group was compared before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, the proportion of people exceeding the air quality standard decreased by approximately 15.5%. Conclusions: Human activities can impact ambient concentrations of PM_2.5, potentially altering the levels of PM_2.5 exposure in the population.

• Plant Journal
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• 제16권1호
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• pp.34-37
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• 2020

The need to improve the performance of the dust collector by increasing the fine dust pollution in Korea is eminent. In this study, electrostatic spray wet electrostatic precipitator is used to remove Particulate Matter (PM). In order to enter the Cone-jet mode, which is the most stable spray mode among the various modes of electrostatic spraying, an appropriate voltage-flow condition must be satisfied, and a voltage-flow interval enabling this can be expressed as Stability Island. The voltage at which the conduit mode starts in the Stability Island section is referred to as the electrostatic spray minimum voltage (Onset Voltage). However, the conventional electrostatic spray is uses a very low flowrate, at most few millilitres per minute. The use of much higher flowrates has introduced different patterns of electrospray modes. In this study, the different spray modes will be studied in detail.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• 제33권7호
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• pp.1209-1216
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• 2020

Objective: The present study aimed to evaluate the performance of odor abatement by using two different ventilation-biofilter systems with recycled stablized swine wastewater. Methods: The performance of odor removal efficiency was evaluated using two different ventilation-biofilter-recycled wastewater arrangements. A recirculating air-flow ventilation system connected to a vertical biofilter (M1) and a plug-flow ventilation system connected to a horizontal biofilter (M2) were installed. Water dripping over the surface of the biofilter was recycled at a flow rate of 0.83 L/h in summer and 0.58 L/h in winter to reduce odorous compounds and particulate matter (PM). The experiments were performed for 64 days with M1 and M2 to investigate how these two ventilation-biofilter systems influenced the reduction of odor compounds in the model houses. Odorous compounds, NH₃ and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were analyzed, and microclimatic variables such as temperature, humidity, and PM were monitored. Results: Ammonia concentration inside M1 was about 41% higher on average than that in M2. PM and total suspended particles (TSPs) inside M1 were about 62.2% and 69.9%, respectively, higher than those in M2. TSPs in the model house were positively correlated with the concentration of NH₃ and VOCs. Conclusion: M2 emitted lower concentration of odorous compounds than M1. Moreover, M2 could maintain the optimum temperature condition for a swine house during the cooler season. The plug-flow ventilation-horizontal biofilter system could be used for pig houses to minimize air pollution produced by swine farming activities and maintain optimum microclimate conditions for pigs.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• 제4권3호
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• pp.157-165
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• 2010

The purpose of this study is to investigate allergic diseases related to allergy caused by the exposure to indoor and outdoor sources of air pollution in primary schools. The symptoms questionnaire of allergic diseases based on the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) was completed by the participants. The past and present status of asthma, allergic rhinitis, eczema, and allergic conjunctivitis were investigated by providing a questionnaire to all the participating children. Questionnaires were sent to a total of 61,350 children from 438 primary schools. A total of 40,522 children responded to the questionnaire, which represents a 66.1% return rate. Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs), $\underline{A}$ldehydes, and Particulate Matter ($PM_{10}$) were measured and analyzed from October to December of 2006, in 82 primary schools. The final study population comprised 35,168 children with complete data which excluded incomplete questionnaire responded by 5,354 children. Based on the survey, the level of indoor air contamination did not appear to be high, but 27.2% of the schools evaluated had exceeded the $PM_{10}$ level specified by the school health guidelines ($100\;{\mu}g/m^3$). The overall mean concentration of formaldehyde was $22.07\;{\mu}g/m^3$ and 1.0% of schools (1 school) exceeded the $100\;{\mu}g/m^3$. Statistically significant relationships have been observed between indoor air quality and prevalence rate of allergic rhinitis and conjunctivitis of primary schools in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• 제31권4호
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• pp.345-355
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• 2015

Carbonaceous compounds in the atmospheric particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of less than or equal to a nominal $10{\mu}m$ ($PM_{10}$) were analyzed for the samples collected during the period of August 2006 to August 2007 at Jongro in Seoul. A total 18 dicarboxylic acids (DCAs) and levoglucosan, as well as organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), and water soluble organic carbon (WSOC), were analyzed. Distinctive seasonal patterns of the concentrations of OC, EC, and WSOC including levoglucosan were observed with the highest concentrations in winter and the lowest concentrations in summer. In addition, OC, WSOC, and most of DCAs showed also higher concentration in summer than in winter. Using the seasonal patterns and relevant indicative ratios (WSOC/EC and $OC_{sec}/OC_{tot}$) of the carbonaceous compounds, it was verified that (1) primary emission sources were elevated in winter, and (2) the formation of secondary OC increased due to the prompted photochemical reaction in summer. Results from this study also suggest that some organic compounds were likely attributed to longrange transport.