• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.306-312
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• 2000

Background : Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) are well known environmental pollutants. The measurement of PAH in ambient air is not commonly used, because it is quite difficult to perform and is unreliable. Using biomarkers of PAH can be an alternative approach to this problem. The PAH in ambient air is absorbed in particulate matter. Total suspended particulate(TSP) or particulate matter of less than $10{\mu}m$ in diameter (PM10) can be easily measured. Therefore, TSP or PM10 can be used as a surrogate measurements of ambient air PAH. Objectives : We investigated whether the urinary concentration of two biomarkers of PAH, 1-hydroxypyrene (1-OHP) and 2-naphthol, could reflect the total suspended particulate in the general population. Methods : In order to exclude the effects of occupational exposure and smoking, first grade middle school students were included in this study. Four middle schools within a one kilometer boundary of ambient air monitoring stations were selected. Total suspended particulate was regarded as the marker of airborne PAH. Diet and smoking data were collected by self administered questionnaires, and spot urine samples were collected. Urinary 1-OHP and 2-naphthol were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography. Results : The correlation between urinary 1-OHP, 2-naphthol and passive smoking was not statistically significant. The correlation between urinary 1-OHP and TSP indices was not statistically significant. The correlations between urinary 2-naphthol and TSP of two lag days, one lag day, and zero lag days were statistically significant. The statistical significance of two lag days was the strongest (p=0.001), one lag day was the next (p=0.0275), and zero lag days was the weakest (p=0.0349). Conclusion : Our results imply that the urinary concentration of 2-naphthol can be applied as a PAH exposure marker for the general population with low PAH exposure.

• Journal of environmental and Sanitary engineering
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.18-25
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• 2002

The comparison of the air quality with the evaluation of the environmental assessment before and after operations of the heat source and of the flue-gas desulfurization facilities were studied. First of all, several sites were selected for the representative sample points, and then they were examined air quality of the surroundings. The results were that TSP(total suspended particulate) analysis after an operation of the heat source facility was $74~81{\mu}g/m^3$, PM-10 was $31~94{\mu}g/m^3$, and $SO_2$concentration was 0.002~0.009ppm, respectively. As the result of examination to the concentrations of diffused pollutants, there was no relations between TSP concentration of sample points and the effect of air quality according to the heating source. When we compared the neighbored area of the heating source with the other area, the concentration of air pollutants after an operation of the facility of the heating source was similar to the heating source, the neighbored area, and the other area. So we concluded that there was no the effect of the air pollution by producted pollutants from the heating source.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.112 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2023

Urbanization and industrialization associated with rapid economic development have resulted in air pollution in urban areas, which adversely affects human health and the environment around the world. Growing awareness of the health effects of airborne particulate matter (PM) has led to the emergence of urban greening as a promising eco-friendly, nature-based solution to reduce the concentration of PM (especially PM_2.5) to which individuals are exposed, thereby promoting public health. In this review, we highlight fundamental insights about PM and recent research on the ability of urban greening to capture PM. Reports from the scientific literature on PM published from 1992 to 2021 were retrieved from Google Scholar. Here, we explore some of the main complex relationships between leaf traits and the ability to retain PM for research or management to optimize greenspaces.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Visualization
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.34-39
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• 2024

With the fine particulate matter (PM) poses a serious threat to public health and the environment. The ultrafine PM in particular can cause serious problems. This study investigates the effectiveness of a submicron dry fog system in removing fine PM. Two methods are used to create fine dust particles: burning incense and utilizing an aerosol generator. Results indicate that the dry fog system effectively removes fine dust particles, with a removal efficiency of up to 81.9% for PM₁₀ and 61.9% for PM_2.5 after 30 minutes of operation. The dry fog, characterized by a mean size of approximately 1.5 ㎛, exhibits superior performance in comparison to traditional water spraying methods, attributed to reduced water consumption and increased contact probability between water droplets and dust particles. Furthermore, experiments with uniform-sized particles which sizes are 1 ㎛ and 2 ㎛ demonstrate the system's capability in removing ultrafine PM. The proposed submicron dry fog system shows promise for mitigating fine dust pollution in various industrial settings, offering advantages such as energy consumption and enhanced safety for workers and equipment.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2015

The collection of fine particulate matter samples was made at Gosan site of Jeju Island, one of the background sites of Korea, during a year of 2013, and their water-soluble ionic species were analyzed in order to examine the chemical compositions and pollution characteristics. The concentrations of $nss-SO_4{^{2-}}$, $NH_4{^{+}}$, $NO_3{^{-}}$, and $K^+$ had occupied 66.0% of water-soluble ionic species in $PM_{10}$, especially 94.3% in $PM_{2.5}$ fine mode, however the $nss-Ca^{2+}$ and $Na^+$ showed high concentrations in $PM_{10-2.5}$ coarse mode. $NO_3{^-}/nss-SO_4{^{2-}}$ concentration ratios in $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{10-2.5}$ were 0.30 and 0.13, showing less significant effect from automobile and local pollution sources. The sulfate and nitrate compounds were presumed to be long-range transported to Gosan area by the relatively high SOR and NOR values. The trajectory cluster analysis showed the higher concentrations of the major secondary pollutants ($nss-SO_4{^{2-}}$, $NO_3{^{-}}$, $NH_4{^{+}}$) and $nss-Ca^{2+}$ when the air masses had moved from China continent and Korean peninsula into Gosan area.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.157-167
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• 2017

Millions of People die every year from diseases caused by exposure to outdoor air pollution. Especially, one of the most severe types of air pollution is fine particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5). South Korea also has been suffered from severe PM. This paper analyzes regional risks induced by PM10 and PM2.5 that have affected domestic area of Korea during 2014~2016.3Q. We investigated daily maxima of PM10 and PM2.5 data observed on 284 stations in South Korea, and found extremely high outlier. We employed extreme value distributions to fit the PM10 and PM2.5 data, but a single distribution did not fit the data well. For theses reasons, we implemented extreme mixture models such as the generalized Pareto distribution(GPD) with the normal, the gamma, the Weibull and the log-normal, respectively. Next, we divided the whole area into 16 regions and analyzed characteristics of PM risks by developing the FN-curves. Finally, we estimated 1-month, 1-quater, half year, 1-year and 3-years period return levels, respectively. The severity rankings of PM10 and PM2.5 concentration turned out to be different from region to region. The capital area revealed the worst PM risk in all seasons. The reason for high PM risk even in the yellow dust free season (Jun. ~ Sep.) can be inferred from the concentration of factories in this area. Gwangju showed the highest return level of PM2.5, even if the return level of PM10 was relatively low. This phenomenon implies that we should investigate chemical mechanisms for making PM2.5 in the vicinity of Gwangju area. On the other hand, Gyeongbuk and Ulsan exposed relatively high PM10 risk and low PM2.5 risk. This indicates that the management policy of PM risk in the west side should be different from that in the east side. The results of this research may provide insights for managing regional risks induced by PM10 and PM2.5 in South Korea.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.50 no.3
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• pp.191-200
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• 2024

Background: Busan is a rapidly industrializing city with many mixed residential and industrial areas. Fine dust emissions from mobile pollution sources such as ships and vehicles are particularly high in Busan. Objectives: This study analyzed the spatial distribution of air pollutants over the past three years and identified the impact of air pollutants through mobile source data in Busan. Methods: We obtained air pollutant data on fine particulate matter (PM₁₀), ultrafine particulate matter (PM_2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO₂), sulfurous acid gas (SO₂), and ozone (O₃) for the last three years (source: airkorea.or.kr) and analyzed the spatial distribution using SAS 9.4 and Surfer 23. For the mobile pollutant data, we used CCTV data from major intersections in Busan to identify truck and car traffic, and visualized traffic density with QGIS. Results: The analysis of the concentration of air pollutants over three years (2020~2022) showed that all were lower than the annual environmental standards with the exception of PM_2.5. PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 were found to be highly concentrated in the western part of the area, while NO₂ was high in the port area of Busan and SO₂ was high in the western part of the area and near the new port of Busan. In the case of O₃, it was high in the eastern part of the city. The traffic volume of freight vehicles by intersection was concentrated in the West Busan area, and the traffic volume for all cars was also confirmed to be concentrated at "Mandeok Intersection" located in the West Busan area. Conclusions: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between air pollutants emitted from motor vehicles and the distribution of air pollutants in Busan. The spatial distribution of PM₁₀ and PM_2.5 correlates with traffic volume, while high concentrations of SO₂ and NO₂ near the port are associated with ship emissions.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.567-576
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• 1996

Air pollution has been recognized for many years as a factor which heightens the risk of cancer. Extractable polycyclic organic matters in air particulates have been recognized as to have carcinogenic effects. This study examined the health risks posed by organic substances of air particulates in Seoul based on methodelogies that have been developed for conducting risk posed by organic substances of sir particulates in Seoul based on methodologies that have been developed for conducting risk assessment of complex -chemical-mixture. The data used in this study was obtained from air samples collected in a heavy traffic area of Seoul (Shinchon) from 1986 to 1994. The mean concentration of total supended pariculates was 158.0.mu.g/m/msup 3/, 5% of which is consisted of organic matter. The excess cancer risk from benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) was estimated to be 3.48.times.10$^{-6}$ by applying BaP unit risk estimates to the mean concentration. 8.74ng/m BaP equivalents of potency method was 1.0.times.10$^{-3}$ . The calculated risk from EOM were comparably higher than that from benzo(a)pyrene and exceeded the acceptable risk level.

• Journal of Platform Technology
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.28-33
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• 2023

With the development of the beauty industry, the nail art industry is expanding, and through this, nail culture is becoming more popular. However, some products used in the nail art field may produce harmful substances, so great caution is required. In this paper, an air purification system was designed to reduce harmful air. The air purification system uses a harmful gas sensor to measure the level of pollution in the surrounding air and then turns the fan on/off to remove harmful gases and fine dust. Two types of filters and two fans can be driven and controlled respectively so that harmful gases are absorbed into the charcoal filter and fine dust is absorbed into the HEPA filter. In addition, filters, fans, and piping were appropriately placed to remove contaminated surrounding air as quickly as possible during nail procedures.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.73-84
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• 1990

The study was carried out to investigate the extent of indoor air pollution in living rooms of apartment houses(residential area) and offices(traffic area A : no smoking space, B : smoking space) in Seoul and to determine the health significance of indoor air pollution. Indoor and outdoor concentrations of major air pollutants were observed simultaneously from February 13 to 17, and July 24 to 28, 1988. The concentrations of carbon monoxide(CO), nitrogen oxides(NOx), sulfur dioxide($SO_2$), carbon dioxide($CO_2$) and total suspended particulate(TSP) in living room and offices were measured and the results were summarized as follows: 1. Both in summer and in winter, the indoor concentrations of CO, $CO_2$, and TSP in offices were higher than the outdoor concentrations, on the other hand, $SO_2$ was higher in the outdoors and NOx was lower than the outdoor concentration only in office A where smoking is not permitted. 2. The indoor and outdoor pollution of offices in winter was significantly higher than that in summer, and the concentrations of CO, NOx and $SO_2$ in indoor and outdoor air in living room in winter were also higher than those in summer. These results suggest that indoor levels of air pollutants are affected by smoking and winter heating systems.