• 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.

• Korean Journal of Weed Science
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.17-24
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• 2010

Field study to find appropriate species for phytoremediation and phytomonitoring with higher plants was carried out at four abandoned metalliferous mines. In order to know the tolerant degree of plant resources collected at heavy metal polluted sites, soil and plants were sampled at same sites and metal concentrations were determined. Most serious heavy metal polluted in the sites was As that showed range from 29.1 to 1372.2 mg $kg^{-1}$ in investigated area. The dominant species were Oenothera biennis, Commelina communis, Persicaria senticosa, Conyza annuus, Artemisia princeps, and Erigeron canadensis. These species were predominant species that were proliferated in any survey area. Compared with other sites, vegetational characteristics of Dal-Seong, a mine site abandoned early in 1973, showed higher diversity index and lower dominance index. Distributions of weed species according to life cycle indicated that the proportions of perennial plants were lowered in every investigated site. Although the polluted areas were distant from each other, similarity indices among these vegetation were relatively similar. These results means the vegetations of abandoned mine areas were beginning stage of vegetational succession, and the vegetations were adversely affected by disturbance with heavy-metals and lack of water in soil.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.123-132
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• 2014

This study aims to develop the diagnostic evaluation method of the riverine ecobelt for construction, conservation, and maintenance of the riverine ecobelt. The value indices in the proposed evaluation method are composed of total 5 fields and 19 elements. The 5 fields are flood control, environmental function, growth of plants, ecobelt function, and restoration potential. Flood control field is composed of total 3 elements such as length, width, and density of green area. Environmental function field is composed of 4 elements such as park use, landscape boundary and edge, microclimate control, non-point pollution control. Growth of plants field is composed of 6 elements such as species composition, forest height, stratum structure, vine plants, plant vitality, and succession of plants. Ecobelt function field is composed of 4 elements such as longitudinal connectivity, lateral connectivity, in-stream forest or habitat, roads on bank top. Restoration potential field is composed of 2 elements such as landform and land use of the immediate vicinity. The score system ranging 1~4 was adopted. The weighting parameters of elements were unified with each other. The final grade system ranging 1~5(1: very good~5: very bad) was adopted, and the final grade was evaluated by the mean values of each field. According to the test application of the diagnostic evaluation method of the riverine ecobelt, the final grades showed effectively the real condition of each site.

• 한국해양학회지
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.46-54
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• 1992

An investigation on the benthic polychaete community in Youngil Bay was conducted during four seasons of 1991. Polychaetes. the dominant macrofaunal group occupying 71.3% in total macro-faunal density, comprised a total of 72 species with a mean density of 1,485 indiv. m/SUP -2/. The highest species number of 54 spp. and density of 3,207 undiv. m/SUP -2/ was recorded in summer, while the lowest in autumn. The most abundant species was Spiophanes nombyx (37.5%), followed by Pseudopolydora sp.(8.4%), Lumbrineris longifolia(7.0%), Madden cristata(6.5%), Polydora ciliata(4.9%) and so on. Maldane cristata was dominated in winter, Polydora ciliata in spring and Spiophanes bombyx in summer and autumn. The density and species number of Polychaetes were high in the southeastern area of Youngil Bay, and poor near the mouth of Hyoungsan River. Based on the species composition, study area was divided into three regions. Each region sustained its specific benthic faunal assemblage; Maldane-Praxillella assemblage from the middle to the southeastern region of Youngil Bay, Spiophanes-Nephtys assemblage in the northwestern region, and Pseudopolydora-Polydora-Capitella assemblage from the mouth of Hyoungsan River to Pohang Hobour. Maldane Praxillella assemblage showed the highest species number of 55 spp.. and the highest species diversity and species richness indices. Spiophanes-Nephtys assemblage had the highest density of 2,675 indiv. m/SUP -2/ and the highest dominance index because of the predominance of Spiophanes bombyx with a density of 2,073 indiv. m/SUP -2/. Pseudopolydora-Polydora-Capitella assemblage was found in the polluted area and it was a specific assemblage mainly composed of the dominance of organic pollution indicator species. The dominant Polychaetes were Pseudopolydora sp., Polydora ciliata, Capitella capitata, and Dorvillea sp.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.406-425
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• 2019

To observe the seasonal fluctuation of the meiobenthic fauna community around the coastal area of Jeju island, 20 stations were selected and seasonal surveys were conducted. Three-replicate meiobenthic samples were collected from each station in April, July, and November 2017; February, May, August, and November 2018; and February in 2019, in a total of eight months from 2017 to 2019. The total density of meiobenthos at each station ranged from 733 to 2,505 ind. 10 cm^-2. The month in which the highest habitat density appeared in most stations was April 2017 and the month in which the lowest habitat density was seen was February 2019. Nematodes were the most dominant faunal group among the representative 13 meiofaunal groups at all stations. The subdominant groups were benthic harpacticoid copepods and nauplius. The nematode/copepod (N/C) ratio, reflecting the health indices within the ecosystem, varied from 0.02 to 87.40 over the entire season and the average station values ranged from 2.00 to 16.80. The lowest N/C ratio value was found in April 2017 (0.02) and the highest N/C ratio was found at Station 11 in February 2019, which was 87.40, indicating the highest level of pollution. Seasonal and regional meiobenthos community structure similarity was divided into three groups through group analysis and multi-dimensional scaling (MDS) analysis, which showed that the meiobenthos community structure was affected by seasonal variations, rather than by regional differences.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.689-697
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• 2020

Hazardous and noxious substances (HNS) may cause maritime incidents during marine transportation, which are liable to lead to a large amount of spillage or discharge into the sea. The damage to the marine environment caused by the HNS spill or discharge is known to be much greater than the damage caused by oil spill. Particularly dangerous is HNS, which is deposited or buried in the seabed, as it can damage the organisms that live on, in, and near the bottom of the sea, the so-called "benthos," forming the benthic ecosystem. Therefore, it is vital that the HNS deposited on the seabed be recovered. In order to do so, procedures and equipment are required for accurate detection, stabilization treatment, and recovery of HNS in subsea sediment. Thus, when developing a mechanical recovery system, the performance requirements should be selected using performance indices, and the conceptual design of the mechanical recovery system should be based on performance requirements decided upon and selected in advance. Therefore, this study was conducted to arrive at a conceptual design for a mechanical recovery system for the recovery of HNS deposited on the seabed. In the design of the system, based on the fundamental scenario, the method of suction foundation with the function of self enclosing was adopted for recovering the HNS sediment in the subsea sediment. The mechanical recovery system comprises the suction foundation, pollution prevention, a pump system, control system, monitoring device, location information device, transfer device, and tanks. This conceptual design is expected to be reflected and used in the basic design of the components and shapes of the mechanical recovery system.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.11
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• pp.1407-1421
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• 2010

This study was carried out to elucidate the relation between water quality and structure of the aquatic ecosystem in the agriculture reservoir Otae-ji from January to December in 2009. The proportion of forest was 46.98%, which means that non-point sources are major contributor of water pollution in this area. The annual mean COD(Chemical Oxygen Demand) in Otae-ji was $3.6mgL^{-1}$, indicating, level II of environmental standards and the trophic state was mesotrophic. Although total phosporus concentration in the reservoir was high in August due to large inflow of nutrients from outside the reservoir during monsoon season, there was no break out of significant algal bloom in the summer. The seasonal succession of phytoplankton showed that the dinophyta dominated in the the spring, chlorophyta in the summer, chrysophyta and chlorophyta in the autumn and chrysophyta in the winter. In case of zooplankton, rotifers dominated in the most seasons, but cladoceran(Bosmina longirostris) dominated in June and copepod(Nauplii) in August. The macrophyte plants showed diverse species compositon consisted of 3 varieties, 24 species, 23 genera, 15 families and 14 orders. The macroinvertebrates also showed various FFG(Functional Feeding Groups) such as GC(Gathering-Collector), P(Predator), SH(Shedder), FC(Filter-Collector) and PP(Plant-Piercer). Ecosystem stability analysis using aquatic insects was classified as Group I, which has high resilience and resistance indices. A total of 14 species of fish was collected but exotic species such as Lepomis macrochirus and Micropterus salmoides were not found in Otae-ji. In conclusion, the preservation of healthy food wed in the reservoir ecosystem is closely related to water quality management as well as effective prevention of algal bloom by helping good material circulation in aquatic ecosystems.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.15 no.7
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• pp.2959-2964
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• 2014

While several reproductive and lifestyle-related factors are already well-known as established risk factors for breast cancer, environmental factors have attracted attention only recently. The objective of the current study was to assess the association between the breast cancer incidences in females, the mortality rate and the number of motor vehicles on the one side and the consumption of gasoline which could work as a major source of air pollution at the other side. The breast cancer incidences and the mortality trends were compared with various indices of westernization like dietary patterns or industrialization with 10 years lag of time. Geographical variations with 10, 15 and 20 years lag of time were assessed between the breast cancer incidence in 2010 and the number of motor vehicles as well as the consumption of gasoline. The upward trend of motor vehicle numbers proved to be comparable to those of breast cancer incidence and mortality. However, the consumption of gasoline started to decrease since the mid-1990s. The geographic distribution of motor vehicle numbers and gasoline consumption in 1990 is in a positive correlation with the breast cancer incidence rates in 2010 and the 20-year lag time ($R^2$ 0.379 with the number of motor vehicles and 0.345 with consumption of gasoline). In a linear relationship between the breast cancer incidences in 2010 and the log transformed number of motor vehicles, the log transformed consumption of gasoline in 2000 also showed a positive relationship ($R^2$ 0.367 with the number of motor vehicles and 0.329 with consumption of gasoline). The results of the current study indicate that there may be a positive relation between the number of vehicles, gasoline consumption and the incidence of breast cancer from the aspects of long-term trends and geographical variation.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.233-240
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• 1982

Some environmental parameters on the shell-fish farms in Deukryang and Gamagyang Bays during summer in 1981 were determined to find an eutrophication level for the conservation of the farm. Chlorophyll-a content in the seawater in the Deukryang Bay in September was $1.0{\sim}5.0{\mu}g/l$ with an average of $2.5{\mu}g/l$ In the superficial bottom muds, contents of COD were 5-10 mg/g, ignition loss $5-9\%$, phaeophytin pigment $2{\sim}5{\mu}g/g$, and sulfide 0.1-0.3 mg/g dry mud in both bays. High contents of both organic matters and sulfide were found in the innermost area of the Deukryang Bay and in the north western part of the Gamagyang Bay. All quantities including chlorphyll-a in the water are little less than or similar to those of Hansan-Geoje Bay, one of the most productive shellfish farms in the southern coastal waters in Korea . Eutrophication on both water and bottom mud was under way like other shellfish farms but pollution indices on the bottom mud calculated from the data of CODs and phaeophytin pigments shelved 6-11, which is much lower than those of Jinhae Bay and of the Hansan-Geoje Bay. This means that the bottom muds are in an early stage of eutrophication, unlike the Jinhae and Hansan-Geoje Bays though the water, similar to the other bays, shows a middle stage of eutrophication.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.111-116
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• 1981

Economic development of Korea brought rapid progress and expansion of her industries. Accordingly, number of workers who have been exposed to hazardous metals are increasing. For better understanding the significance of on the job human metal pollution, a total of 22 solderers among autoworkers and 28 controls among medical students was purposively selected as samples of the study. From their blood, concentrations of cadmium and lead were measured with atomic absorption spectrophotometer, and to compare with statistical indices of controls those of solderers were sumarized as follows. 1. Each frequency distribution of cadmium and lead concentration in blood of solderers was more positively skewed showing non-Gausian distribution. 2. Interindividual variation of lead concentration in blood of solderers was markedly revealed. 3. Each mean of cadmium and lead concentration in blood of solderers was higher than that of controls(Cd;p<0.01, Pb;p<0.01). 4. Relative ratio of cadmium concentration in blood of solderers to that of controls was 1.36 by arithmatic mean and 1.39 by geometric mean. Relative ratio of lead concentration in blood of solderers to that of controls was 1.53 by arithmatic mean and 1.30 by geometric mean. 5. It was shown that concentration of lead is slightly correlated with that of cadmium both in solderers and controls(solderers; p<0.1, controls;p<0.1).