• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.183-190
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• 2001

The activity concentration of primordial radionuclides i.e., $^{238}U$ series, $^{232}Th$ series and $^{40}K$, in soil samples collected from Udagamandalam environment, have been measured by employing NaI (Tl) Gamma ray Spectrometer. The absorbed gamma dose rate has also been simultaneously measured by using both Environmental Radiation Dosimeter at each soil sampling location (ambient gamma dose) as well as from the gamma dose derived from the activity concentration of the primordial radionuclides. The results of activity concentration of each radio nuclides in soil, absorbed dose rate in air due to soil activity and possible cosmic radiation at each location along with human effective dose equivalent for Udagamandalam environment are presented and discussed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1998.12a
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• pp.115-122
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• 1998

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.68-76
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• 2023

Background: In the process of discussion on the possibility of using radionuclide-contaminated soil and debris generated by radiation disasters, a strategy for the proper management of radiation exposure protection while considering the source of the contaminated materials is necessary. Materials and Methods: The radiological protection criteria that are likely to be applied to the source-related approach based on the International Commission on Radiological Protection recommendations and the International Atomic Energy Agency safety standards are summarized. We proposed five interpretations of radiation protection to contribute to the promotion of discussion on the possibility of using a part of low-level-radionuclide-contaminated soil and debris in the post-accident rehabilitation. Interpretations I to III are based on the idea of "using a reference level to protect the public in post-accident rehabilitation," whereas IV and V are based on the idea of "using the dose constraint to protect the public in the post-accident rehabilitation when the sources are handled in a planned activity." The former idea is subdivided into three based on the definition of the source, which is managed by the reference level, and the latter idea is divided into two depending on whether or not additional dose from using contaminated materials is deemed acceptable. Results and Discussion: To confirm the applicability of the five interpretations presented, we suggested the concrete values of protection criteria via two feasible cases. In this case study, we proposed radiation protection by the dose constraint based on the Interpretation IV and chose 1 mSv/yr for the public and 20 mSv/yr for workers dealing with radionuclide-contaminated materials. Conclusion: We concretely and systematically demonstrated how the concept of radiation protection can be applied to the process of discussion on the possibility of using radionuclide-contaminated materials within the framework of an international system of protection. This study's findings can provide necessary information to discuss the possibility of using radionuclide-contaminated materials as an alternative option for recovery and reconstruction after a radiation disaster from the viewpoint of radiation protection.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.414-418
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• 2014

BACKGROUND: Benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene (BTEX), which are volatile aromatic hydrocarbons and main constituents of gasoline, are neuro-carcinogenic organic pollutants in soil and groundwater. Korea Ministry of Environment has established the maximum permissible level of BTEX in arable soil to 1, 20, 50 and 15 mg/kg, respectively. METHODS AND RESULTS: To understand an arable soil contamination by BTEX, we collected 92 samples from the arable lands around oil reservoir, and analyzed the BTEX residue using a GC-MS with head-space sampler. A linear correlation between BTEX concentration and peak areas was detected with coefficient correlations in the range of 0.9807-0.9995. The method LOQ of BTEX was 0.002, 0.014, 0.084, and 0.038 mg/kg, respectively. Recoveries of 0.5 mg/kg BTEX were found to be 73.7-96.9%. The precision was reliable since RSD percentage (0.7-7.5%) was below 30, which was the normal percent value. Also, BTEX in all samples were detected under the LOQ. CONCLUSION: These results showed that the investigated arable soils around airport and oil reservoir in Korea were not contaminated by oils.

• Journal of Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.63 no.3
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• pp.243-248
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• 2020

The long-chained perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), are a potential exposure risk in the environment, specifically for humans due to high levels of bioaccumulation, persistence, and toxicity. In the current study, the plant uptake factors (PUFs) of spinach and Welsh onion were investigated on the three different concentration levels of PFOA and PFOS in soil. Spinach and Welsh onion were divided into three residue groups, a control group and two levels of PFOA and PFOS. The PFAAs spiked soils were aged for six months and the extractable residue of PFOS in the aged soil was reduced to 30-59% of the initial spiked concentrations for PFOS, while PFOA showed almost the same initial spiked concentrations. The PUFs for PFOA and PFOS were 0.111-2.821 and 0.047-3.175 for spinach, and 0.203-0.738 and 0.035-0.181 for Welsh onion, respectively. The highest PUF values in both vegetable were displayed when the residual concentration of PFAAs were part-per-billion (ppb) or sub-ppb in soil.

• Current Research on Agriculture and Life Sciences
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• v.20
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• pp.77-82
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• 2002

This study was carried out in order to produce useful material for the forest multiple use and forest protection by physico-chemical soil analysis of studied area in Sokwang-ri Forest Genetic Resource Protection Forest which was divided into in standard plots include Tricholoma matsutake and Sarcodon aspratus production forest. The result of physico-chemical soil analysis represented as following. The soil type of T. matsutake production forest was Dry brown forest soil(B1), while on the other hand the soil type of S. aspratus production forest was Moderately moist brown forest soil(B3). Between T. matsutake and S. aspratus production forest did not result in significant changes in soil pH(5.22-5.60) and soil depth(47cm), but available phosphorus, carbon, and nitrogen contents were different results. CN ratio of the fairy ring of T. matsutake was quite lower than that in S. aspratus production forests, which indicated that T. matsutake production forest was built up in the relatively immature soils which contain little organic matter. Generally, it was predicted that Pinus densiflora for. erecta forest succeeded to deciduous tree forest in stable soil environments. To conserve these T. matsutake and S. aspratus production forest, the contents of available phosphorous and exchangeable cation should be increased by continuous soil environment management and it should be established the secondary growth forests of old aged Pinus densiflora for. erecta trees as soon as possible.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.101 no.3
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• pp.501-508
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• 2012

This study was carried out to compare species diversity of soil bacteria from Baekdudaegan mountain forests (Bonghwa-gun, Mungyeong-si and Sangju-si) in Gyeongsangbuk-do and to analyze the effects of soil environments on diversity and population of soil bacteria. Soil bacteria were isolated from soil samples by streak plate method, and identified by DNA extaction and 16S rDNA sequence analyses. The population of soil bacteria from the soil samples of Bonghwa-gun was the highest with $5.1{\times}10^5cfu/g$, and followed by those from Mungyeong-si and Sangju-si with $1.9{\times}10^5cfu/g$ and $1.1{\times}10^5cfu/g$, respectively. The population of soil bacteria from surface layer soil was the highest, and then gradually decreased according to soil depth. The increase in population of soil bacteria from soil samples of different sites was correlated with the increase of the altitude of soil sampling site, depth of A horizon, liquid phase among three phases of soil, water content and bulk density of soil. Two hundreds and sixty eight bacterial colonies from Bonghwa-gun were classified into 10 species, 8 genera. One hundred and thirty four bacterial colonies from Mungyeong-si were classified into 15 species, 9 genera. Forty four bacterial colonies from Sangju-si were classified into 5 species, 2 genera. The dominant species (occupancy rate) from Bonghwa-gun and Mungyeong-si were Bacillus weihenstephanensis (36% and 40%, respectively), and Sangju-si was Bacillus cereus (39%). The relationships between soil environment and community structure of soil bacteria were analyzed statistically by using ecological indices. The diversity, evenness and dominance indices of soil bacteria were 6.30, 2.04 and 0.59 in Bonghwa-gun, 9.09, 2.94 and 0.51 in Mungyeong-si, and 4.55, 2.34 and 0.71 in Sangju-si, respectively. The diversity and evenness indices were increased by the increase of water content, drainage condition and gravel content of soil, while the dominance index was decreased.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.39 no.6
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• pp.348-355
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• 2017

Human activities have resulted in soil pollution problems to us. Human and ecological risk assessment have been suggested as an efficient environmental management strategy for protecting human and ecosystems from soil pollution. However, Korean environmental policy is currently focused on human protection, and fundamental researches for ecology protection are required for institutional frameworks. In this study, we developed a schematic frame of Korean soil ecological risk assessment, and suggested the basic information for its application. This study suggested a soil ecological risk assessment scheme consisting of 4 steps for derivation of Predicted-No-Effect-Concentration (PNEC): 1) ecotoxicity data collection and reliability determination, 2) data standardization, 3) evaluation of data completeness for PNEC calculation, and 4) determination of ecological-risk. The reliability determination of ecotoxicity data was performed using Reliability Index (RI), and the classification of domestic species, acute/chronic, toxicity endpoint, and soil properties was used for data cataloging. The PNEC calculation methodology was determined as low-reliability, middle-reliability, and high-reliability according to their quantitative and qualitative levels of ecotoxicity data. This study would be the introductory plan research for establishment of Korean soil ecological risk assessment, and it can be a fundamental framework to further develop guidelines of Korean environmental regulation.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.347-353
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• 2018

Red pepper is widely used as a spicy flavor ingredient in the food industry and many households. The objective of this study was to assess the total aerobic bacteria count, coliforms count and incidence of Escherichiacoli, Salmonella spp., Escherichiacoli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Bacillus cereus in red pepper and red pepper cultivated soil. The total aerobic bacteria number in red pepper and soil were in the range of 2.97 to 8.13 and 5.91 to 7.65 log CFU/g, respectively. The coliforms in red pepper and soil were in the range of 1.87 to 6.71 and 0.67 to 6.16 log CFU/g, respectively. E. coli was detected in 3 of 54 soil samples. In 3 out 63 red pepper and 53 of 54 soil samples, B. cereus was detected, while Salmonella spp., E.coli O157:H7, and L.monocytogenes were not detected. The results from this study provide an important basic information associated with the microbiological safety of fresh vegetables. Continuous caution is needed to prevent the contamination of pathogenic microorganisms during its farming.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.77-83
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• 2023

Background: The purpose of this study is to purify uranium (U[VI])-contaminated soil-flushing effluent using the precipitation-distillation process for clearance. Precipitation and distillation are commonly used techniques for water treatment. We propose using a combination of these methods for the simple and effective removal of U(VI) ions from soil-flushing effluents. In addition, the U concentration (Bq/g) of solid waste generated in the proposed treatment process was analyzed to confirm whether it satisfies the clearance level. Materials and Methods: Uranium-contaminated soil was decontaminated by soil-flushing using 0.5 M sulfuric acid. The soil-flushing effluent was treated with sodium hydroxide powder to precipitate U(VI) ions, and the remaining U(VI) ions were removed by phosphate addition. The effluent from which U(VI) ions were removed was distilled for reuse as a soil-flushing eluent. Results and Discussion: The purification method using the precipitation-distillation process proposed in this study effectively removes U(VI) ions from U-contaminated soil-flushing effluent. In addition, most of the solid waste generated in the purification process satisfied the clearance level. Conclusion: The proposed purification process is considered to have potential as a soil-flushing effluent treatment method to reduce the amount of radioactive waste generated.