• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.8 no.8
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• pp.751-756
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• 1998

Effects of remote hydrogen plasma cleaning process parameters on the removal of Fe impurities on Si surfaces and the Fe removal mechanism were investigated. Fe removal efficiency is enhanced with decreasing the plasma exposure time and increasing the rf-power. The optimum plasma exposure time and rf-power are 1 min and 100W. respectively, in the range below 10 min and 100W. Fe removal efficiency is better under lower pressures than higher pressures, and the optimum $\textrm{H}_2$ flow rate was found to be 20 and 60sccm, respectively, under a low and a high pressure. The post-RHP(remote hydrogen plasma) annealing enhanced metallic contaminants removal efficiency, and the highest efficiency was achieved at $600^{\circ}C$. According to the AFM analysis results Si surface roughness was improved by 30-50%, which seems to be due to the removal of particles by the plasma cleaning. Also. Fe impurities removal mechanisms by remote hydrogen plasma are discussed.

• Journal of Conservation Science
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• v.37 no.5
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• pp.567-578
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• 2021

In this study, the physicochemical properties of 21 wall fragments and rooftile pieces excavated from Jeseoksa Dump-site were analyzed, and the possibility of heat exposure, such as the fire reported in the literature, was investigated by estimating the firing temperature. From the results, it was estimated that the rooftiles were composed of refined materials, and the walls were composed of materials having different particle sizes depending on the layer. Unlike ordinary rooftiles and walls, they exhibited an uneven surface with traces of bloating phenomenon in the cross section. It was estimated from the blackening of some portions that firing was not performed in a controlled state in a constant firing environment. In addition, the estimated firing temperature showed that the non-overfired rooftiles had endured a firing temperature of 900℃ or less, but the over-fired samples were subjected to a temperature of 1,000℃ or higher and were fired at a temperature higher than the manufacturing temperature at that time. Additionally, the rooftiles probably became defective during firing or molding at the time of production, but the non-overfired rooftiles exhibited an intact shape and showed the possibility of heat exposure due to fire. Therefore, the analytical results of this study confirm that the defective architectural components damaged by the fire, as reported in the literature, were discarded in the Jeseoksa dump-site.

• Korean Journal of Mineralogy and Petrology
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.361-376
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• 2020

Atacamite and Verdigris were studied material scientific properties and durability that are used for traditional green pigment in traditional art painting work and Dancheong. As a result of ingrediant analysis, K-AA and K-VA identified Atacamite and Hoganite (or Verdigris) respectively. In order to find a factor of depressing the stability of pigment, we examined UV radiant exposure test, CO2/NO2 gas corrosion test and salt spray test. Salt spray test damaged both samples which were formed salt particle on the surface of the samples and it makes color disability. Furthermore, the results of gas corrosion test that both pigments change color enough to be perceived by the naked eyes showed that an air pollutant NO2 gas is also considered to be a major damage factor. In the case of K-VA, Hoganite that is main component of sample changes Tenorite with turn black after accelerated UV radiant exposure test. The consequences of the atmospheric environment effect test of the two pigments, K-VA showed relatetively weaker than K-AA.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.49 no.4
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• pp.218-227
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• 2023

Background: Since 2019, the Ministry of Environment has implemented a seasonal fine dust management system from December to March, targeting high PM_2.5 levels with the aim of reducing PM_2.5 concentrations and protecting public health. The focus of improving the seasonal management system lies in the atmospheric PM_2.5 levels. Considering the primary goal of protecting public health, it is necessary to analyze the policy effects from an exposure perspective rather than a concentration-based approach. Objectives: This study aims to quantitatively assess the improvement of indoor PM_2.5 levels and the health impacts of the seasonal management system by comparing the periods before and during its implementation in residential environments. Methods: PM_2.5 concentrations within residential environments in a metropolitan area were measured using an optical particle counter (IAQ-C7, K-weather, Ltd, Korea) at one-minute intervals during the pre-implementation period (November 21~25, 2022) and during the implementation period (December 19~23, 2022). Based on the measured PM_2.5 concentrations, a quantitative evaluation of cancer and mortality risks was conducted according to age and gender. Results: The results of comparing indoor and outdoor PM_2.5 concentrations before and during the implementation of the seasonal management system showed a decrease of approximately 56.6% and 47.9%, respectively. Health risk assessments revealed that both the safety-limit-based and safety-target-based Hazard Quotients (HQ) exceeded the threshold of 0.1 for children under 19 years of age, both before and after the implementation. The mortality risk decreased by approximately 47.9% after the implementation, with children aged 0-9 showing the highest mortality risk at 0.9%. Conclusions: The findings of this study confirmed the positive health impacts of the seasonal management system across all age groups, particularly children under 19 who are more vulnerable to fine dust exposure.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.197-203
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• 2023

Background: The thermoluminescent dosimeter (TLD) and Monte Carlo (MC) dosimetry are carried out to determine the occupational dose for personnel in the handling of ¹²⁵I seed sources. Materials and Methods: TLDs were placed in different layers of the Alderson-Rando phantom in the thyroid, lung and also eyes and skin surface. An ¹²⁵I seed source was prepared and its activity was measured using a dose calibrator and was placed at two distances of 20 and 50 cm from the Alderson-Rando phantom. In addition, the Monte Carlo N-Particle Extended (MCNPX 2.6.0) code and a computational phantom with a lattice-based geometry were used for organ dose calculations. Results and Discussion: The comparison of TLD and MC results in the thyroid and lung is consistent. Although the relative difference of MC dosimetry to TLD for the eyes was between 4% and 13% and for the skin between 19% and 23%, because of the existence of a higher uncertainty regarding TLD positioning in the eye and skin, these inaccuracies can also be acceptable. The isodose distribution was calculated in the cross-section of the head phantom when the ¹²⁵I seed was at two distances of 20 and 50 cm and it showed that the greatest dose reduction was observed for the eyes, skin, thyroid, and lungs, respectively. The results of MC dosimetry indicated that for near the head positions (distance of 20 cm) the absorbed dose rates for the eye lens, eye and skin were 78.1±2.3, 59.0±1.8, and 10.7±0.7 µGy/mCi/hr, respectively. Furthermore, we found that a 30 cm displacement for the ¹²⁵I seed reduced the eye and skin doses by at least 3- and 2-fold, respectively. Conclusion: Using a computational phantom to monitor the dose to the sensitive organs (eye and skin) for personnel involved in the handling of ¹²⁵I seed sources can be an accurate and inexpensive method.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.107-121
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• 2010

The number of nanotechnology based consumer products are growing rapidly. Thus, the customer likely to be exposed to such products continues to increase as the applications expand. This article describes the international and Korea's policies on the EHS(Environment, Safety and Health) issues of nanotechnologies. The strategic plan and coordination of OECD and ISO were summarized. This article also examines several new findings of Korean researchers as well as current and future challenges in the aerosol application study of EHS issues on the nanotechnologies.

• Proceedings of the Korean Radioactive Waste Society Conference
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• 2009.06a
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• pp.84-85
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• 2009

New approaches for detecting, preventing and remedying environmental damage are important for protection of the environment. Procedures must be developed and implemented to reduce the amount of waste produced in chemical processes, to detect the presence and/or concentration of contaminants and decontaminate fouled environments. Contamination can be classified into three general types: airborne, surface and structural. The most dangerous type is airborne contamination, because of the opportunity for inhalation and ingestion. The second most dangerous type is surface contamination. Surface contamination can be transferred to workers by casual contact and if disturbed can easily be made airborne. The decontamination of the surface in the nuclear facilities has been widely studied with particular emphasis on small and large surfaces. The amount of wastes being produced during decommissioning of nuclear facilities is much higher than the total wastes cumulated during operation. And, the process of decommissioning has a strong possibility of personal's exposure and emission to environment of the radioactive contaminants, requiring through monitoring and estimation of radiation and radioactivity. So, it is important to monitor the radioactive contamination level of the nuclear facilities for the determination of the decontamination method, the establishment of the decommissioning planning, and the worker's safety. But it is very difficult to measure the surface contamination of the floor and wall in the highly contaminated facilities. In this study, the poly(styrene-ethyl acrylate) [poly(St-EA)] core-shell composite polymer for measurement of the radioactive contamination was synthesized by the method of emulsion polymerization. The morphology of the poly(St-EA) composite emulsion particle was core-shell structure, with polystyrene (PS)as the core and poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA) as the shell. Core-shell polymers of styrene (St)/ethyl acrylate (EA) pair were prepared by sequential emulsion polymerization in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SOS) as an emulsifier using ammonium persulfate (APS) as an initiator. The polymer was made by impregnating organic scintillators, 2,5-diphenyloxazole (PPO) and 1,4-bis[5-phenyl-2-oxazol]benzene (POPOP). Related tests and analysis confirmed the success in synthesis of composite polymer. The products are characterized by IT-IR spectroscopy, TGA that were used, respectively, to show the structure, the thermal stability of the prepared polymer. Two-phase particles with a core-shell structure were obtained in experiments where the estimated glass transition temperature and the morphologies of emulsion particles. Radiation pollution level the detection about under using examined the beta rays. The morphology of the poly(St-EA) composite polymer synthesized by the method of emulsion polymerization was a core-shell structure, as shown in Fig. 1. Core-shell materials consist of a core structural domain covered by a shell domain. Clearly, the entire surface of PS core was covered by PEA. The inner region was a PS core and the outer region was a PEA shell. The particle size distribution showed similar in the range 350-360 nm.

• Particle and aerosol research
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.97-105
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• 2018

Recently, people's interest in particulate matter (PM) has been increasing, due to its hazardous health effects. The purpose of this study was to investigate the concentrations and as well as the inhaled weight of PM, correlated with person's heart rate in subway, bus, vehicle and bicycle in the major public transportation (Sadang - Jamsil and Nowon - Dongdaemun) in Seoul. The concentration of $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ were measured from each of transportation means and calculated the average concentrations which were 87.2 and $57.8{\mu}g/m^3$ for subway, 62.8 and $42.5{\mu}g/m^3$ for vehicle, 61.5 and $36.8{\mu}g/m^3$ for bus and 53.0 and $29.4{\mu}g/m^3$ for bicycle in $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ respectively. Inhalation dose for $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ were estimated at 248.1 and $139.4{\mu}g$ for bicycle, 56.7 and $39.3{\mu}g$ for vehicle, 49.4 and $29.9{\mu}g$ for bus and 44.3 and $29.1{\mu}g$ for subway, respectively. Even though subway had the highest concentration, the highest inhalation dose was the bicycle. It was due to the long travel time-exposure and breathing rate which leads to maximum of $PM_{10}$ 5.6 and $PM_{2.5}$ with 4.8 times inhalation dose comparing with other modes of transportation. With regards to future studies, the amount of inhalation in each transportation means should be considered in risk assessments of PM.

• Korean Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.41 no.4
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• pp.431-440
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• 2008

Turbid water or suspended sediment is associated with negative effects on aquatic organisms; fish, aquatic invertebrate, and periphyton. Effects of turbid water on fish differ depending on their developmental stage and a level of turbidity. Low turbid water may cause feeding and predation rates, reaction distance, and avoidance in fish, and it could make fish to die under high turbidity and long period. Therefore, it is very important to find out how turbid water or suspended sediment can affect fish in domestic watersheds. The objectives of this study were 1) to introduce international case studies and their standards to deal with suspended sediment, 2) to determine acute toxicity in 4 major freshwater fishes, and 3) to determine in relation to adverse effect of macroinvertebrates and fish. Impacts of turbid water on fish can be categorized into direct and indirect effects, and some factors such as duration and frequency of exposure, toxicity, temperature, life stage of fish, size of particle, time of occurrence, availability of and access to refugia, etc, play important role to decide magnitude of effect. A review of turbidity standard in USA, Canada, and Europe indicated that each standard varied with natural condition, and Alaska allowed liberal increase of turbidity over natural conditions in streams. Even though acute toxicity with four different species did not show any fatal effect, it should be considered to conduct a chronic test (long-term) for more detailed assessment. Compared to the control, dominance index of macroinvertebrates was greater in the turbid site, whereas biotic index, species diversity index, species richness index, and ecological score were smaller in the turbid site. According to histopathological analysis with gills of macroinvertebrate and fishes, morphological and physiological modification of gills due to suspended sediments can cause disturbance of respiration, excretion and secretion. In conclusion, in order to maintain good and healthy aquatic ecosystem, it is the best to minimize or prevent impact by occurrence of turbid water in stream and reservoir. We must make every effort to maintain and manage healthy aquatic ecosystem with additional investigation using various assessment tools and periodic biomonitoring of fish.

• Corrosion Science and Technology
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.119-124
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• 2008

Steel is generally not corrosion resistant to water with formation of non protective rusts on its surface. Rusts are composed of iron oxides such as $Fe_3O_4$, $\alpha-$, $\beta-$, $\gamma-$and ${\delta}-FeOOH$. However, steel, particularly weathering steel containing small amounts of Cu, Ni and Cr etc., shows good corrosion resistance against rural, industrial or marine environment. Its corrosion rate is exceedingly small as compared with that of carbon steel. According to the exposure test results undertaken in outdoor environments, the atmospheric corrosion rate for weathering steel is only 1 mm for a century. Atmospheric corrosion for steels proceeds under alternate dry and wet conditions. Dry condition is encountered on steel surface on fine or cloudy days, and wet condition is on rainy or snowy days. The reason why weathering steel shows superior atmospheric corrosion resistance is due to formation of corrosion protective rusts on its surface under very thin water layer. The protective rusts are usually composed of two layer rusts; the upper layer is ${\gamma}-FeOOH$ termed as lepidocrocite, and inner layer is nano-particle ${\alpha}-FeOOH$ termed as goethite. This paper is aimed at elucidating the atmospheric corrosion mechanism for steel in comparison with corrosion in bulky water environment by use of empirical data.The summary is as follows: 1. No corrosion protective rusts are formed on steel in bulky water. 2. Atmospheric corrosion for steel is the corrosion under wetting and drying conditions. Corrosion and passivation occur alternately on steel surface. Steel, particularly weathering steel with small amounts of alloying elements such as Cu, Ni and Cr etc. enhances forming corrosion protective rusts by passivation.