• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제30권
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• pp.14.1-14.7
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• 2015

Objectives Cigarette smoking is associated with carcinogenesis owing to the mutagenic and genotoxic effects of cigarette smoke. The aim of this study was to evaluate the mutagenic and genotoxic effects of Korean cigarettes using in vitro assays. Methods We selected 2 types of cigarettes (TL and TW) as benchmark Korean cigarettes for this study, because they represent the greatest level of nicotine and tar contents among Korean cigarettes. Mutagenic potency was expressed as the number of revertants per ${\mu}g$ of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) total particulate matter whereas genotoxic potency was expressed as a concentration-dependent induction factor. The CSC was prepared by the International Organization for Standardization 3308 smoking method. CHO-K1 cells were used in vitro micronucleus (MNvit) and comet assays. Two strains of Salmonella typhimurium (Salmonella enterica subsp. enterica ; TA98 and TA1537) were employed in Ames tests. Results All CSCs showed mutagenicity in the TA98 and TA1537 strains. In addition, DNA damage and micronuclei formation were observed in the comet and MNvit assays owing to CSC exposure. The CSC from the 3R4F Kentucky reference (3R4F) cigarette produced the most severe mutagenic and genotoxic potencies, followed by the CSC from the TL cigarette, whereas the CSC from the TW cigarette produced the least severe mutagenic and genotoxic potencies. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that the mutagenic and genotoxic potencies of the TL and TW cigarettes were weaker than those of the 3R4F cigarette. Further study on standardized concepts of toxic equivalents for cigarettes needs to be conducted for more extensive use of in vitro tests.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• 제57권2호
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• pp.108-119
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• 2024

Objectives: Abrupt changes in air pollution levels associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak present a unique opportunity to evaluate the effects of air pollution on influenza risk, at a time when emission sources were less active and personal hygiene practices were more rigorous. Methods: This time-series study examined the relationship between influenza cases (n=22 874) and air pollutant concentrations from 2018 to 2021, comparing the timeframes before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in and around Thailand's Khon Kaen province. Poisson generalized additive modeling was employed to estimate the relative risk of hospitalization for influenza associated with air pollutant levels. Results: Before the COVID-19 outbreak, both the average daily number of influenza hospitalizations and particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter of 2.5 ㎛ or less (PM_2.5) concentration exceeded those later observed during the pandemic (p<0.001). In single-pollutant models, a 10 ㎍/m³ increase in PM_2.5 before COVID-19 was significantly associated with increased influenza risk upon exposure to cumulative-day lags, specifically lags 0-5 and 0-6 (p<0.01). After adjustment for co-pollutants, PM_2.5 demonstrated the strongest effects at lags 0 and 4, with elevated risk found across all cumulative-day lags (0-1, 0-2, 0-3, 0-4, 0-5, and 0-6) and significantly greater risk in the winter and summer at lag 0-5 (p<0.01). However, the PM_2.5 level was not significantly associated with influenza risk during the COVID-19 outbreak. Conclusions: Lockdown measures implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic could mitigate the risk of PM_2.5-induced influenza. Effective regulatory actions in the context of COVID-19 may decrease PM_2.5 emissions and improve hygiene practices, thereby reducing influenza hospitalizations.

• 한국산업보건학회지
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• 제25권3호
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• pp.366-379
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• 2015

Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess airborne particulate matter(PM) pollution and its effect on health of residents living near Ansim Briquette Fuel Complex in Daegu metropolitan region. Methods: The California Puff(CALPUFF) dispersion model, version 5.8, which can estimate the dispersion direction and range of airborn $PM_{10}$ was used to determine the possible areas affected by $PM_{10}$ pollutants emitted from Ansim briquette fuel complex. The CALPUFF modeling with 200 m grid-cell resolution was performed based on $PM_{10}$ emissions estimated from the amount of coal consumption in the fuel complex for four months in 2012. The Weather Research and Forecasting(WRF) fields were processed using CALMET to produce CALPUFF-ready meteorological inputs. Also, the distance from Ansim Briquette Fuel Complex to the residence of each environmental pneumoconiosis patient was analyzed. In addition, the affecting region of the pollutants emitted from briquette factories in Ansim Briquette Fuel Complex was determined. Results: CALPUFF modeling results showed that the highest concentrations of $PM_{10}$ were found near around the fuel complex. The modeled $PM_{10}$ distributions were characterized by significant decreases in concentration with distance from the complex. Seasonally, the highest concentration of $45{\mu}g/m^3$ was calculated in October which was mostly due to the distinct variation of amount of emission. Additional modeling with the maximum $PM_{10}$ emission of about 88 tons per year in 1986 showed that the highest concentration in October was nearly increased by 8 times than the concentration modeled with emission of 2010. As a result of medical examination and interviews for the residents in Ansim Briquette Fuel Complex and its surroundings, 8 environmental pneumoconiosis patients were found. These patients do not have occupational exposure and history. These patients have lived 0.3~1.1 km area in Ansim Briquette Fuel Complex and its surroundings. Conclusions: Airborne particles emitted from Ansim Briquette Fuel Complex can contribute to significant increase in $PM_{10}$ concentration in residential areas near around the complex. Especially, the residents near fuel complex may exposed to the pollutants emitted from the factories in Ansim Briquette Fuel Complex.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• 제28권
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• pp.7.1-7.9
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• 2013

Objectives We investigated the particle mass size distribution and chemical properties of air pollution particulate matter (PM) in the urban area and its capacity to induce cytotoxicity in human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells. Methods To characterize the mass size distributions and chemical concentrations associated with urban PM, PM samples were collected by a 10-stage Micro-Orifice Uniform Deposit Impactor close to nearby traffic in an urban area from December 2007 to December 2009. PM samples for in vitro cytotoxicity testing were collected by a mini-volume air sampler with $PM_{10}$ and $PM_{2.5}$ inlets. Results The PM size distributions were bi-modal, peaking at 0.18 to 0.32 and 1.8 to $3.2{\mu}m$. The mass concentrations of the metals in fine particles (0.1 to $1.8{\mu}m$) accounted for 45.6 to 80.4% of the mass concentrations of metals in $PM_{10}$. The mass proportions of fine particles of the pollutants related to traffic emission, lead (80.4%), cadmium (69.0%), and chromium (63.8%) were higher than those of other metals. Iron was the dominant transition metal in the particles, accounting for 64.3% of the $PM_{10}$ mass in all the samples. We observed PM concentration-dependent cytotoxic effects on BEAS-2B cells. Conclusions We found that exposure to $PM_{2.5}$ and $PM_{10}$ from a nearby traffic area induced significant increases in protein expression of inflammatory cytokines (IL-6 and IL-8). The cell death rate and release of cytokines in response to the $PM_{2.5}$ treatment were higher than those with $PM_{10}$. The combined results support the hypothesis that ultrafine particles from vehicular sources can induce inflammatory responses related to environmental respiratory injury.

• 한국해양학회지:바다
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• 제7권2호
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• pp.87-93
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• 2002

해양퇴적물 오염평가에 널리 쓰이는 단각류 Leptocheirus plumulosus를 이용하여 오염된 퇴적물에서 Ag을 축적하는데 있어서 각 매질(퇴적물, 공극수, 먹이)의 상대적 기여도를 조사하였다. 또한 퇴적물 중 중금속의 생물 이용도와 독성을 조절하는 인자로 잘 알려진 황화물(AVS)이 공극수 중 용존 Ag 농도와 생물내 흡수에 미치는 영향을 평가하였다. 연안 퇴적물을 임의로 4개의 농도구배(0.1${\sim}$3.3 ${\mu}$mol Ag/g)로 오염시킨 후, AVS농도를 40 또는 <0.5 ${\mu}$mol/g로 조절하여 실험생물을 35일 동안 노출시켰다. 실험생물이 배양되는 동안 Ag으로 오염된 것과 오염되지 않은 $TetraMin^{(R)}$을 보조 먹이로 공급하여 생물 체내 Ag축적 농도 차이를 비교하였다. 그 결과, L. plumulosus의 체내 Ag농도는 퇴적물 내 Ag의 농도와 양의 상관관계를 갖고 증가하였다($r^{2}$=0.87, p<0.001). 퇴적물 중 AVS의 함량은 공극수 중 용존 Ag의 농도를 조절하는 중요한 인자로 확인되었으나, AVS 농도는 L. plumulosus의 Ag축적에 거의 영향을 주지 않았다. Ag으로 오염된 먹이가 제공된 L. plumulosus는 오염되지 않은 먹이가 제공된 L. plumulosus보다 최고 1.8배 정도 높게 Ag을 체내에 축적하였다. 즉, Ag으로 오염된 퇴적물에서 L. plumulosus의 Ag축적은 공극수나 해수 중의 용존 Ag의 흡수보다는 퇴적물이나 먹이의 섭식을 통한 흡수가 주요 노출경로라는것을 시사한다.

• 한국환경과학회지
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• 제25권10호
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• pp.1349-1368
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• 2016

Concentrations of fine particulate matter ($PM_{2.5}$) and several of its particle constituents measured outside homes in Houston, Texas, and Los Angeles, California, were characterized using multiple regression analysis with proximity to point and mobile sources and meteorological factors as the independent variables. $PM_{2.5}$ mass and the concentrations of organic carbon (OC), elemental carbon (EC), benzo-[a]-pyrene (BaP), perylene (Per), benzo-[g,h,i]-perylene (BghiP), and coronene (Cor) were examined. Negative associations of wind speed with concentrations demonstrated the effect of dilution by high wind speed. Atmospheric stability increase was associated with concentration increase. Petrochemical source proximity was included in the EC model in Houston. Area source proximity was not selected for any of the $PM_{2.5}$ constituents' regression models. When the median values of the meteorological factors were used and the proximity to sources varied, the air concentrations calculated using the models for the eleven $PM_{2.5}$ constituents outside the homes closest to influential highways were 1.5-15.8 fold higher than those outside homes furthest from the highway emission sources. When the median distance to the sources was used in the models, the concentrations of the $PM_{2.5}$ constituents varied 2 to 82 fold, as the meteorological conditions varied over the observed range. We found different relationships between the two urban areas, illustrating the unique nature of urban sources and suggesting that localized sources need to be evaluated carefully to understand their potential contributions to $PM_{2.5}$ mass and its particle constituents concentrations near residences, which influence baseline indoor air concentrations and personal exposures. The results of this study could assist in the appropriate design of monitoring networks for community-level sampling and help improve the accuracy of exposure models linking emission sources with estimated pollutant concentrations at the residential level.

• 환경영향평가
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• 제29권3호
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• pp.210-218
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• 2020

대기 중의 미세먼지(PM₁₀) 농도가 꾸준히 저감되어 왔음에도, 미세먼지관리에 대한 대국민 인식은 악화되었다. 그 이유에는 첫째, 여전히 WHO기준을 상회하는 미세먼지 연평균 농도, 둘째, 환경기준(150 mg/㎥) 초과일수의 증가, 셋째, 체계적으로 지역 특성을 고려한 환경계획 수립 미비 등이 있으며, 이러한 현안을 보완하는 것이 시급하다. 특히, 국내 미세먼지의 관리는 배출원 저감에만 집중되어 있기 때문에, 지역별 미세먼지의 발생원인과 현상을 분석하고 차별성, 시급성, 적용 가능성 등을 복합적으로 고려하여 실효성 있는 환경계획을 수립하는 것이 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 2010년 이후 10년간 전국 69개 도시의 미세먼지의 농도변화 추세와 현재 수준을 고려하여 4가지 유형으로 분류하고, 각 유형별 미세먼지의 관리방향을 제시하였다. 특히 과거 10년 동안 미세먼지 개선정도가 미비하였던 관리유형 III(중부 내륙지역에 분포)과 IV(대도시, 남해·동해에 인접)를 중심으로 그린인프라 확충, 바람길 및 적응대책(노출의 제한) 도입 등의 보완 조치가 우선 필요함을 제안하였다. 본 연구에서는 미세먼지 발생 원인을 함께 고려하지 못하였지만, 과거의 경향에 기초하고 현재의 여건을 고려한 중·장기적 미세먼지 환경관리계획을 수립하는데 필요한 통계적 기법 제시와 방향을 제안하였다는 의의가 있다.

• 환경위생공학
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• 제18권3호통권49호
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• pp.100-109
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• 2003

Recently, Indoor air quality(IAQ) in workplace, residential environments and schools has been concern of people, scientists and related the public. And so in Seoul has recognized the healthy effect related to IAQ in schools. Therefore, the objective of this study reported in this article were to measure and compare the perception of IAQ of selected air pollutants at three different schools in Seoul. We performed a questionnaire survey of 400 students about their awareness for the importance of IAQ in our school. And we measured the IAQ of 3 schools considering as site region, construction year and studying level. The indoor air pollutants and parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, respirable particulate matter(PM10), formaldehyde(HCHO), total bacteria counts(TBC), carbon dioxide(CO$_2$), and noise were monitored in indoors. In results, all most response of occupant has recognized the awareness of IAQ at schools. The PMIO, TBC and Noise level of all schools were higher than the standard of the public 150 ${mu}$g/m$^3$ and 500CFU/m$^3$, the level formaldehyde(HCHO) was below 0.1 ppm of the healthy guideline of Korea And the concentration of CO$_2$ were investigated below 1,000 ppm of the standard implying ventilation in 2 schools except for 1 school(c school). Finally, the control of most important pollutants of IAQ in school were PM10, TBC and Noise. Therefore, it can be concluded that the indoor air quality of selected 3 schools studied was perceived as acceptable, it is recommended that the government related IAQ was suggested the guideline and control of IAQ problems in schools, and all member relating school need to be effort to reduce the exposure of sources to undesirable indoor pollutants such as Particlate and Noise.

• 한국환경보건학회지
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• 제42권1호
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• pp.10-18
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• 2016

Objectives: Microcystin (MC) produced during cyanobacterial blooms is a worldwide problem presenting a serious health threats to humans and ecosystems. During July through October of 2013, the Ilwol Reservoir experienced a high biomass of phytoplankton (maximum $211.7mg/m^3$ of Chlorophyll-a) containing the toxigenic cyanobacterium Oscillatoria sp. The aim of this study is to analyze MC concentration in the reservoir water, as well as in representative fish species (Carassius cuvieri, Carassius auratus, Channa argus). We also evaluated the human health risk of exposure to MCs accumulated in the fish. Methods: Concentrations of MCs in the water and fish samples were analyzed by liquid chromatography with a triple quadrupole tandem mass spectrometer (LC/MS/MS) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: The total levels of four MC variants, including MC-LR, MC-RR, MC-YR and MC-LA were below the WHO drinking water guideline limit (1 ug MC-LR per liter) both for the dissolved and particulate fraction present in the water samples. The mean MC concentrations in the livers of all species were significantly higher than in the gills (p < 0.01) and muscles (p < 0.05). The values of estimated daily intake of MCs in muscles, the edible part of the fish, would be only $0.005-0.015{\mu}g/kg{\cdot}day$, much lower than WHO's provisional tolerable daily intake of $0.04{\mu}g/kg{\cdot}day$. Conclusion: This study suggests that, owing to the spatial distribution or temporal variation of MC, there is a need for careful monitoring of cyanotoxin in reservoir water and aquatic animals to protect public health.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• 제14권5호
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• pp.3243-3254
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• 2013

It is well known that increased incidences of lung, skin, and bladder cancers are associated with occupational exposure to PAHs. Animal studies show that certain PAHs also can affect the hematopoietic and immune systems and can produce reproductive, neurologic, and developmental effects. As a consequence, several studies have been attempted to investigate the fate of PAHs in atmospheric environment during the past decades. However, there is still a lack of information in regard to the atmospheric concentration of PAHs during the "Bon Fire Night". In this study, twenty-three polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and twenty-eight aliphatics were identified and quantified in the $PM_{10}$ and vapour range in Birmingham ($27^{th}$ November 2001-$19^{th}$ January 2004). The measured concentrations of total particulate and vapour (P+V) PAHs were consistently higher at the BROS in both winter and summer. Arithmetic mean total (P+V) PAH concentrations were $51.04{\pm}47.62$ ng $m^{-3}$ and $22.30{\pm}19.18$ ng $m^{-3}$ at the Bristol Road Observatory Site (BROS) and Elms Road Observatory Site (EROS) respectively. In addition arithmetic mean total (P+V) B[a]P concentrations at the BROS were $0.47{\pm}0.39$ ng $m^{-3}$ which exceeded the EPAQS air quality standard of 0.25 ng $m^{-3}$. On the other hand, the arithmetic mean total (P+V) aliphatics were $81.80{\pm}69.58$ ng $m^{-3}$ and $48.00{\pm}35.38$ ng $m^{-3}$ at the BROS and EROS in that order. The lowest average of CPI and $C_{max}$ measured at the BROS supports the idea of traffic emissions being a principle source of SVOCs in an urban atmosphere. The annual trend of PAHs was investigated by using an independent t-test and oneway independent ANOVA analysis. Generally, there is no evidence of a significant decline of heavier MW PAHs from the two data sets, with only Ac, Fl, Ph, An, 2-MePh, 1+9-MePh, Fluo and B[b+j+k]F showing a statistically significant decline (p<0.05). A further attempt for statistical analysis had been conducted by dividing the data set into three groups (i.e. 2000, 2001-2002 and 2003-2004). For lighter MW compounds a significant level of decline was observed by using one-way independent ANOVA analysis. Since the annual mean of $O_3$ measured in Birmingham City Centre from 2001 to 2004 increased significantly (p<0.05), it may be possible to attribute the annul reduction of more volatile PAHs to the enhanced level of annual average $O_3$. By contrast, the heavier MW PAHs measured at the BROS did not show any significant annual reduction, implying the difficulties of 5- and 6-ring PAHs to be subject to photochemical decomposition. The deviation of SVOCs profile measured at the EROS was visually confirmed during the "Bonfire Night" festival closest to the $6^{th}$ November 2003. In this study, the atmospheric PAH concentrations were generally elevated on this day with concentrations of Fl, Ac, B[a]A, B[b+j+k]F, Ind and B[g,h,i]P being particularly high.