• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.32 no.6
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• pp.500-506
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• 2017

Kimchi cabbage is one of the four major vegetable crops in Korea. The total annual production of kimchi cabbage, the main material of kimchi, was 20,559 tons in 2015. Kimchi cabbage is one of the majer crops produced by farmers which accounts for about 80% of the total leaf vegetable production in Korea. As the consumption of environmental-friendly agricultural products increases, food safety is one of the major public health concerns. We analyzed the biological hazards of kimchi cabbage produced by two types of cultivation methos such as organic farming and conventional farming using various culture media and microscopy. A total of 432 samples were analysed for presence of sanitary indicator microorganisms (aerobic plate count, coliform count, yeast & mold) and food-borne pathogens (Staphylococcus aureus, environmental Listeria, Bacillus cereus). The population of sanitary indicating microorganisms and food borne pathogens was under 5 Log CFU/g in all tested samples. The results of total microorganism numbers of leaf surface showed a positive correlation to those of soil samples. Additionally, we examined chemical factors such as pesticide residues and heavy metals in soil samples. All tested samples did not shown contamination levels higher than the standard limit.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.239-249
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• 2024

In this study, we investigated the concentrations of pesticide residues in agricultural products marketed in northern Seoul and assessed their potential health risks. A total of 1,737 samples were collected using the QuEChERS method, followed by LC-MS/MS and GC-MS/MS. Pesticide residues below the MRLs were detected in 560 samples of 72 items (32.2%), but 38 samples of 22 items had pesticide residues above the MRLs. Residual pesticides were detected in 53.8% of fruits, 33.0% of vegetables, 28.6% of herbs, 15.4% of beans, and 10.5% of rice samples. Most of the samples that exceeded the MRLs were vegetables, especially leafy, stalk, stem, and root vegetables; herbs and mushrooms also exceeded the permitted MRLs. Of the 105 pesticides investigated, dinotefuran, fluxametamide, chlorfenapyr, azoxystrobin, and carbendazim were the most frequently detected, whereas 23 pesticide residues, including terbufos, carbendazim, and fluxametamide, were detected above the MRL values. The hazard indices were calculated as 0.00003-1.31406%, which suggests that the investigated pesticide residues in the samples were within safe levels, but continuous monitoring of pesticides in agricultural products is needed to ensure the safety of consumers.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.265-269
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• 1999

Paralytic shellfish poison threatens public health most seriously from April to early May every year and gives adverse effects on export of these products. Major shellfish products exported were canned oyster, Crassostrea gigas and blue mussel, Mytilus edulis. Toxicities of canned shellfishes with toxin of low levels were mostly inactivated during the processing; in contrast, residual toxicity was of great concern with canned products from highly toxic shellfishes. This study was to provide basic data to establish food safety measure by evaluating the changes of toxicity during 2 year storage of canned products with toxic blue mussel and oyster. Any significant difference was not observed between two samples. Boiled can and smoked can showed inactivation of toxicity to some extent, whereas acidified can did not show reduction of toxicity even after 2 year storage. In case the initial toxicity of shellfish was high long term storage could not inactivate the toxicity of the canned product.

• Journal of Radiation Industry
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.1-5
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• 2013

Photostimulated luminescence (PSL) and thermoluminescence (TL) analyses were applied to identify the cookie molds mixed with 2 mg of 10 kGy-irradiated minerals according to cookie processing methods and sonication time (0~60 min) for mineral separation. PSL analysis showed that photon counts of cookies, dried or baked, ranged intermediate levels between the lower and upper threshold (700~5,000 counts/60 s), thereby showing its unsuitablility for screening of irradiated cookie. The TL glow curve intensities, measured according to mineral separation time (5, 10, 20, 40 and 60 mins) from the cookies using a sonicator, were high enough to identify irradiation status and significantly increased with the time in dried cookies. Those of baked cookies, however, were relatively low and not linearly increased with the time, but still possible to identify them (p<0.05).

• Korean Journal of Food Science and Technology
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.235-239
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• 2012

This research was conducted to monitor ochratoxin A in wine, beer, $makgeolli$ and fermented alcoholic beverages to estimate the exposure to ochratoxin A in the assorted alcoholic beverages. The analytical method for ochratoxin A was based on immuno-affinity column clean up followed by HPLC-FLD. Ochratoxin A was detected in 30 samples of 177 wine (17%), 25 samples of 106 beer (23.6%), 11 samples of 74 $makgeolli$ (14.9%), and 7 samples of 74 fermented alcoholic beverages (9.5%). The average levels of ochratoxin A were 0.039 ng/mL in wine, 0.010 ng/mL in beer, 0.023 ng/mL in $makgeolli$, and 0.014 ng/mL in fermented alcoholic beverages. The daily dietary exposure level of ochratoxin A estimated by using the report on national health and nutrition survey were 0.039 ng/b.w.day from wine, 0.010 ng/b.w.day from beer, 0.023 ng/b.w.day from $makgeolli$, and 0.014 ng/b.w.day from fermented alcoholic beverage.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.394-399
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• 2022

This study was conducted to estimate hazardous heavy metal content, including lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) and mercury (Hg) in 120 collagen products currently marketed in Korea. Hg concentration was analyzed by a gold amalgamation method using a mercury analyzer, while concentrations of Pb, Cd, and As were analyzed by ICP-OES. The average Pb concentration was 0.097 mg/kg. For comparison, respective average concentrations were 0.108 mg/kg, 0.084 mg/kg, 0.131 mg/kg, and 0.149 mg/kg in functional health foods, other processed products, beverages, and fruit/vegetable processed products. The average concentration of Cd was 0.026 mg/kg. All products in which Cd was detected were functional health foods. The average concentration of As was 0.097 mg/kg, with respective average concentrations of 0.091 mg/kg, 0.133 mg/kg, and 0.086 mg/kg in functional health foods, other processed products, and fruit/vegetable processed products. The average Hg concentration was 0.0025 mg/kg, with respective average concentrations of 0.0012 mg/kg, 0.0028 mg/kg, 0.0013 mg/kg, and 0.0031 mg/kg in functional health foods, other processed products, fruit/vegetable processed products, and candies respectively. Heavy metal levels in beverages and candy products with set heavy metal standards were below the set standards. Even products without regulatory standards were found to be relatively safe compared with heavy metal standards set for domestic and foreign foods.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.36 no.6
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• pp.434-441
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• 2014

This study is purposed to measure airborne asbestos concentrations at demolition sites and surrounding areas of asbestos containing buildings in Seoul and examine whether the measurement results correspond with allowable exhaust standard for asbestos of the Asbestos Safety Control Act. The airborne asbestos concentrations for 37 sites were below the detection limit ($7fiber/mm^2$) in 101 (35%) out of 288 samples. The whole average airborne asbestos concentration in 37 sites was $0.003{\pm}0.002f/cc$(max 0.0013 f/cc) and almost the whole airborne asbestos concentrations were satisfied with allowable exhaust standard for asbestos, 0.01 f/cc, of the Asbestos Safety Control Act. So possibility of asbestos exposure is not yet a major concern at current levels for sites demolished of asbestos containing buildings in Seoul. Looking at each sampling point, the average airborne asbestos concentrations in boundary line of site, entrance of sanitation, around the workplace (in), around the workplace (out), negative pressure units, storage area for waste, outlet for waste and residential area of residents were respectively $0.002{\pm}0.002f/cc$, $0.004{\pm}0.002f/cc$, $0.004{\pm}0.002f/cc$, $0.004{\pm}0.002f/cc$, $0.004{\pm}0.002f/cc$, $0.005{\pm}0.004f/cc$, $0.005{\pm}0.003f/cc$ and $0.003{\pm}0.002f/cc$. As a result, all sampling points of study were satisfied with allowable exhaust standard for asbestos, 0.01 f/cc, of the Asbestos Safety Control Act.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.77-86
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• 2008

This study attempted to provide reference materials for improving the behavior level in radiation safety managements by drawing a prediction model that affects the radiation safety management behavior because the radiation safety management of medical Cyclotrons, which can be used to produce radioisotopes, is an important factor that protects radiation caused diseases not only for radiological operators but average users. In addition, this study obtained follows results through the investigation applied from January 2 to January 30, 2008 for the radiation safety managers employed in 24 authorized organizations, which have already installed Cyclotrons, through applying a specific form of questionnaire in which the validity was guaranteed by reference study, site investigation, and focus discussion by related experts. The radiation safety management were configured as seven steps: Step 1 is a production preparation step, Step 2 is an RI production step, Step 3 is a synthesis step, Step 4 is a distribution step, Step 5 is a quality control step, Step 6 is a carriage container packing step, and Step 7 is a transportation step. it was recognized that the distribution step was the most exposed as 15 subjects (62.5%), the items of 'the sanction and permission related works' and 'the guarantee of installation facilities and production equipments' were the most difficult as 9 subjects (37.5%), and In the trouble steps in such exposure, the item of 'the synthesis and distribution' steps were 4 times, respectively (30.8%). In the score of the behavior level in radiation safety managements, the minimum and maximum scores were 2.42 and 4.00, respectively, and the average score was $3.46{\pm}0.47$ out of 4. Prosperity and well-being programs in the behavior and job in radiation safety managements (r=0.529) represented a significant correlation statistically. In the drawing of a prediction model based on the factors that affected the behavior in radiation safety managements, general characteristics, organization characteristics, and selfefficacy didn't show a significant path statistically in which the prosperity and well-being programs in job characteristics affected the behavior in radiation safety managements. Therefore, it is necessary to establish a strategy that improves the level of prosperity and well-being levels in job characteristics in order to increase the behavior in radiation safety managements. Thus, this study provides basic materials for the radiation safety management of Cyclotron through the full-scale investigation that is first applied in Korea.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.10-20
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• 2010

In recent studies, $PM_{2.5}$ has been reported to be more harmful to human health than $PM_{10}$ because it penetrates more deeply into the lung. We estimated $PM_{2.5}$ related health benefits in Seoul from implementing the World Health Organization (WHO)'s guidelines (annual average $10{\mu}g/m^3$, 24-hour average $25{\mu}g/m^3$) and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)'s National Ambient Air Quality Standard (annual average $15{\mu}g/m^3$, 24-hour average $35{\mu}g/m^3$). U.S. EPA's Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program was utilized for the analysis. It was predicted that the attainment of the WHO annual guideline and U.S. EPA's annual standard, relative to the concentration in 2006, would result in reduction of 2,333~2,895 premature deaths and 1,703~2,121 premature deaths, respectively. If the WHO and EPA's daily standard for $PM_{2.5}$ are attained, 1,211~1,394 and 1,012~1,165 premature deaths could be avoided, respectively. Sensitivity analyses indicated that the estimates were robust regardless of air quality simulation methods for attaining the $PM_{2.5}$ goals. This study provides a quantitative approach to evaluate health risks from air pollution as well as to assess the potential health benefits of improving atmospheric $PM_{2.5}$ concentration. Even considering the intrinsic limitations and uncertainties of the analysis, it is an important information to rationalize the enforcement of $PM_{2.5}$ management policies and measures in Seoul, Korea.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.293-299
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• 2014

Although the functional ingredient has been evaluated based on scientific evidence by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS), the levels of scientific evidence and consistency of the results might vary according to the emerging data. Therefore, a periodic re-evaluation may be needed in some functional ingredients. In this study, we re-evaluated the scientific evidence for the joint health of glucosamine as a functional ingredient in health functional food. Literature searches were conducted using Pubmed, Cochrane, KISS, and IBIDS databases with the search term of glucosamine in combination with osteoarthritis. The search was limited to human studies published in English, Korean and Japanese. Using the MFDS's evidence based evaluation system for scientific evaluation of health claims, 34 human studies were identified and reviewed in order to evaluate the strength of the evidence supporting the relation between glucosamine and joint health. Among the 34 studies, significant effects for joint health were reported in 28 studies, and their daily intake amount was 1.5 to 2 g. Eleven out of 34 studies were identified, excluding severe radiographic osteoarthritis, and ten from those eleven studies reported significant effects for joint health. Based on this systematic review, we concluded that there was possible evidence to support a relation between glucosamine intake and joint health.