• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.241-251
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• 2010

Crucian carp (Carassius auratus) has been used as the sentinel species for POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants) monitoring in aquatic environment. However, there is little information for dioxin toxicity and especially, early life stage toxicity in crucian carp have been never carried out. In this study, we investigated several toxic effects for 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,3,7,8-TCDD) in fertilized egg obtained by natural fertilization from crucian carp. The embryos at 3 h post-fertilization (hpf) were treated with 0.039, 0.156, 0.625, and 2.5 (${\mu}g/L$) TCDD by waterborne exposure for 60 minutes and changed with fresh water 2 times per day. Fertilized eggs started hatching at 51 hpf and TCDD exposed embryo showed decrease of hatching rate in a dose-dependent manner at 75 hpf. Pericardial edema was continuously observed in larvae exposed to TCDD from hatching start time (51 hpf), followed by the onset of mortality. In addition, AhR-related gene, CYP1A was clearly increased by TCDD in a dose dependent manner. These results indicated that fertilized eggs obtained from crucian carp have the TCDD related gene regulation and a distinct TCDD developmental toxicity syndrome by TCDD exposure. Therefore, we suggested that early life stage test in crucian carp could be used as test methods on dioxins toxicity.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.22
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• pp.1-10
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• 2004

We conducted three experiments to estimate the toxicity of POPs (persistent organic pollutants) on two copepod species (Acartia erythraea and A. omorii) and Artemia sp.; (1) 48 h-LC$_{50}$ of A. omorii with the five PAHs [polycyelic aromatic hydrocarbons anthracene, benzo〔a〕pyrene, fluoranthene, phenanthrene, pyrene〕 which were often detected in the Gwangyang Bay, (2) toxicity of benzo〔a〕pyrene and TBT on Artemia in different temperatures (1$0^{\circ}C$, 15$^{\circ}C$, 2$0^{\circ}C$), (3) effects of benzo〔a〕pyrene and TBT on egg Production rate, hatching rate and fecal Pellet Production of two copepod species (A. erythraea and A. omorii) fed on Heterocapsa triquetra (dinoflagellate) exposed in benzo〔a〕pyrene. Toxic chemicals which were most effective to A. omorii were flueranthene (48 h-LC$_{50}$ 19.20 $\mu\textrm{g}$ L$^{-1}$ ) and benzo〔a〕pyrene (48 h-LC$_{50}$ 29.89 $\mu\textrm{g}$ L$^{-1}$ ). The toxi- city of chemicals to Artemia increased when temperature increased. The toxicity of TBT was about 100 times higher than that of benzo〔a〕pyrene at 15$^{\circ}C$. Food materials (Heterocapsa triquetra) exposed in benzo〔a〕pyrene, affected negatively the rate of egg production, hatching rate and the fecal pellet production of the copepods at the high concentration. It is suggested that an increase in the concentration of benzo〔a〕pyrene might offset the production of copepods in marine ecosystems. This study suggests that copepods may be used as n indicator for early warning of the risk of POPs in marine ecosystems.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2008

PFOS (Perfluorooctane sulfonate) and PFOA (Perfluorooctanoic acid) are environmental hormones which belong to potential future persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and it is easy to exposure to human because they are used in a wide variety of consumer products. We studied exposure route and the relativity through determining and monitoring of PFOS and PFOA in Korean plasma of metropolis, small town, rural area and industrial area. And we monitored the concentration of PFOS and PFOA regarding the gender and age. The older age is, the higher concentration of PFOS is. The mean concentration of PFOS and PFOA in men (4.74 ng/mL, 2.20 ng/mL) was higher than that in women (3.53 ng/mL, 1.17 ng/mL). In the comparison of residential areas, the mean concentration of PFOS and PFOA was the lowest in metropolitan plasma (2.47 ng/mL, 0.79 ng/mL) whereas it was the highest in the industrial area (6.57 ng/mL, 2.19 ng/mL).

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.364-369
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• 2013

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) have been studied during the past few decades because of their potential impacts on the environment and human health. PCBs are toxic environmental pollutants and persistent organic pollutants (POPs). This study was carried out to assess the dietary exposure and risk to PCBs for the general Korean population through food intake. Various samples (n=389) covering 28 kinds of food were collected from 5 cities in Korea. The PCB content was not detected-$182.4{\mu}g/kg$ (mean of $5.4{\mu}g/kg$) in the food. The mean dietary exposure of PCBs for the general population was 9.54 ng/kg bw/day with an intake of 0.19% of tolerable daily intake (TDI) ($5{\mu}g/kg$ bw/day). Therefore, the level of overall dietary exposure to PCBs for the Korean population through food intake is below the recommended TDI levels.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Laboratory Science
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.28-39
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• 2017

Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) can affect epigenetic mechanisms and obesity development. Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)-widely used to make flames-are one of the important POPs. Prenatal exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), such as POPs, may affect global DNA methylation in long interspersed nuclear elements (LINE-1), increasing the risk of obesity later in life. Therefore, pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were used to elucidate whether BDE-47 and BDE-209 transferred through placenta and breast milk cause epigenetic changes in LINE-1 and increase genetic susceptibility to obesity as obesogen during the developmental periods. Global DNA methylation in LINE-1 and gene expression related to obesity were measured in dams and offspring, using a methylation-sensitive high resolution melting analysis (MS-HRM) and direct bisulfite sequencing and quantitative real time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), respectively. The results of MS-HRM showed global DNA hypomethylation patterns in LINE-1 of exposed offspring (2 of total 4) at PND 4, but bisulfite sequencing showed no difference in both the exposed and non-exposed groups. Gene expression in dams related to ${\beta}$-oxidation pathway and those related to adipokines showed different patterns between the two groups. On the contrary, gene expressions of offspring showed a similar pattern. Gene expressions related to ${\beta}$-oxidation pathway and obesity were significantly increased when compared with 'at birth', but not $PPAR-{\alpha}$. In conclusion, this study demonstrated the possibility that co-exposure to BDE-47 and BDE-209-via the placenta and breast milk-may affect epigenetic changes and modulate gene expression levels related to obesity.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.192-203
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• 2020

Objectives: The concentration distributions of polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and dibenzofurans (PCDD/Fs), dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenlys (dl-PCBs), and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in fine particles were investigated to provide basic data on POP behavior and composition analysis. Methods: The concentrations of PCDD/Fs, dl-PCBs, and PAHs by particle size were evaluated for TSP, PM₁₀, and PM_2.5. Also, fine dust component analysis and factor analysis were performed to identify the source of PCDD/Fs. Results: The particle size distribution was found to account for 24.3% of >10 ㎛, 14.5% of 2.5-10 ㎛, and 61.2% of <2.5 ㎛. The average contributions of coarse particles (>2.5 ㎛) and fine particles (<2.5 ㎛) were PCDD/Fs 67%, dl-PCBs 66%, benzo (a) pyrene 83% and PAHs 84%, and the contributions of fine particles (<2.5 ㎛) were higher than coarse particles (>2.5 ㎛). However, the contributions of coarse particles increased in April to September with higher temperatures, while those of fine particles increased in February to March with lower temperatures. Conclusions: Low chlorinated (4Cl-5Cl) PCDD/Fs were more adsorbed compared to coarse particles due to the influence of pollutant migration from particulate to gas phase according to temperature rise, whereas high chlorinated (6Cl-8Cl) PCDD/Fs were more adsorbed compared to fine particles. PCDD/Fs sources were assessed to be major sources of emissions, such as incineration facilities and/or open burning.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.60 no.4
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• pp.339-342
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• 2017

Residual endosulfan in an agricultural environment has been reported, although endosulfan was listed to persistent organic pollutants and banned. To produce the safe crop from endosulfan residue risk, the plant uptake potential of endosulfan from soil to crop should be studied. In here, the plant uptake potentials of endosulfan in various crops were surveyed and ranged from 0.002-4.460. And the bioconcentration factors (BCF) of total endosulfan in carrot and spinach were calculated from the pot experiment. The BCFs in carrot and spinach were 0.285 and 0.040-0.047 respectively. Endosulfan sulfate was contributed to over 42.8% of the crop residue as a major contributor among the three endosulfan congeners in both of carrot and spinach.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.262-269
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• 2012

We investigated the concentration levels and evaluated the distributions of 17 polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans(PCDD/Fs), 12 dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls(DLPCBs) and 24 polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in sediment and organism from various culturing grounds in Korean coast. The levels of PCDD/Fs, DLPCBs, and PBDEs in sediment samples ranged from 0.03 to 2.9(Mean${\pm}$SD, $1.2{\pm}0.89$) pg $WHO_{2005}$-TEQ $g^{-1}$ dry weight(dw), ND(not detected) to 1.1($0.09{\pm}0.19$) pg $WHO_{2005}$-TEQ $g^{-1}$ dw, and ND to 16.6($2.96{\pm}3.53$) ng $g^{-1}$ dw, respectively. Also, the levels of PCDD/Fs, DLPCBs, and PBDEs in culturing organisms ranged from ND to 0.24($0.07{\pm}0.06$) pg $WHO_{2005}$-TEQ $g^{-1}$ wet weight(ww), ND to 0.11($0.04{\pm}0.04$) pg $WHO_{2005}$-TEQ $g^{-1}$ ww, and 0.05 to 0.29($0.13{\pm}0.06$) ng $g^{-1}$ ww, respectively. The levels of total dioxins(PCDD/Fs+DLPCBs) and PBDEs in sediments from East and South sea were four to seven times higher than those from West sea. PCDD/Fs had dominant contribution(mean, 94%) for TEQ concentration in sediment, whereas relatively higher contribution of DLPCBs(33%) were shown in culturing organism than sediment. BDE209 was a dominant congener in both matrix. The concentrations of PCDD/Fs, DLPCBs and PBDEs were in decreasing trends in Korea coasts compared to previous results.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.625-639
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• 2019

Microplastics are one of the substances threatening the marine ecosystem. Here, we summarize the status of research on the effect of microplastics on marine life and suggest future research directions. Microplastics are synthetic polymeric compounds smaller than 5 mm and these materials released into the environment are not only physically small but do not decompose over time. Thus, they accumulate extensively on land, from the coast to the sea, and from the surface to the deep sea. Microplastic can be ingested and accumulated in marine life. Furthermore, the elution of chemicals added to plastic represents another risk. Microplastics accumulated in the ocean affect the growth, development, behavior, reproduction, and death of marine life. However, the properties of microplastics vary widely in size, material, shape, and other aspects and toxicity tests conducted on several properties of microplastics cannot represent the hazards of all other microplastics. It is necessary to evaluate the risks according to the types of microplastic, but due to their variety and the lack of uniformity in research results, it is difficult to compare and analyze the results of previous studies. Therefore, it is necessary to derive a standard test method to estimate the biological risk from different types of microplastics. In addition, while most of the previous studies were conducted mostly on spheres for the convenience of the experiments, they do not properly reflect the reality that fibers and fragments are the main forms of microplastics in the marine environment and in fish and shellfish. Furthermore, studies have been conducted on additives and POPs (persistent organic pollutants) in plastics, but little is known about their toxic effects on the body. The effects of microplastics on the marine ecosystems and humans could be identified in more detail if standard testing methods are developed, microplastics in the form of fibers and fragments rather than spheres are tested, and additives and POPs are analyzed. These investigations will allow us to identify the impact of microplastics on marine ecosystems and humans in more detail.