• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.135-144
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• 1999

Environmental toxicities of priority water pollutants were evaluated by two selected bioassays, Lettuce seed germination/elongation test and Microtox acute toxicity test. Toxic chemicals (heavy metals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, and phenolic compounds) inhibited the germination rate and root elongation of Lettuce seed, as well as the bioluminescence of Microtox bacteria. When test biota were exposed to target chemicals, the sensitivity of Lettuce bioassay was relatively lower than that of Microtox bioassay. However, Lettuce bioassay may be a good candidate for prescreening the environmental toxicities of priority water pollutants, since the testing method with Lettuce seed was relatively easier and more economic than with Microtox bacteria. Toxicity tests were conducted to compare the validity and sensitivity of both bioassays for sediment from a small stream passed through urban area as well as leachate from a municipal solid waste landfill. From experimental results, we found that Lettuce test and Microtox test are compensated each other as a battery of bioassay for evaluating the environmental toxicities of field samples obtained from a small stream contaminated by pollutants.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.347-351
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• 2004

A battery of sediment bioassays was performed for the sediments from the intertidal flat zone along the middle west coast of Korea to assess their potential toxicity. In the bioassays, three crustaceans, Daphnia magna, Nitocra spines, and Hyalella aztec a were exposed to $16\%$ sediments (wet weight) collected from 14 sites. Immobility($\%$) was checked as an endpoint after 24- and 48-h exposure of Daphnia magna and after 96-h exposure of Hyalella azteca and Nitocra spines. Among the three bioassays, the 48-h Daphnia bioassay showed the most distinct differential sensitivity in relation to sediment contamination, while the Nitocra and the Hyalella bioassays failed to show the differential sensitivity properly among the sites classified as polluted. Significantly different levels of immobility ($\%$) were obtained between the sites classified as chemical/nutrient polluted and the sites classified as non-polluted in the Daphnia bioassays, but not in the Nitocra bioassay and the Hyalella bioassay. Some differences of toxic response to the same sediments among bioassays were observed, suggesting that there may be a chemical specificity of response sensitivity to sediment toxicity, due to differences in bio-availability of sediment toxicants among test species.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.169-188
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• 2016

Objectives: Although information on the toxicity of phthalate diesters is readily available, little is known about phthalate alternatives. The present article provides a summary of available information on the toxicity of phthalate diesters and their alternatives, with a special focus on estrogenicity and androgenicity. Methods: We collected a battery of in vitro and in vivo assay data from the literature to assess the estrogenicity/anti-estrogenicity and androgenicity/anti-androgenicity of 15 phthalate diesters and 21 phthalate alternatives. Results: A number of in vitro studies show that certain phthalate diesters can bind to estrogen receptors and have a weak estrogenic potential. However, this potential was not seen in in vivo studies. Phthalate diesters produced anti-androgenic effects in animals by reducing testosterone production. Among them, di-(2-ethyl-hexyl) phthalate (DEHP) was the most potent. While almost all phthalate alternatives have a lower toxic potential than does DEHP, evidence of reproductive toxicity and estrogenic potential were found in several substances. Conclusion: Significant data gaps exist for phthalate alternatives regarding reproductive endocrine disruption, requiring further investigation.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.574-583
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• 2008

The results of HAPs emission data using TRI (Toxic Release Inventory), SODAM (Source Data Management system) were investigated and the emissions of 7 heavy metals from their sources and emission processes were also analyzed. Questionnaire for source data analysis as well as the stack sampling were carried out for 17 factories among 6 selected industrial types. The annual amount of emissions was estimated based on the measured concentration and flow rates. All sources were operated with high efficiency control devices and the concentration levels of all heavy metals were shown to be below 0.1 to of regulation standard. The highest emission source of heavy metals was steel manufacturing industry with the annual emission of 342.9 kg/yr and followed by hazardous waste incinerator, paint manufacturing, nonferrous metal manufacturing, rolling & press goods manufacturing and storage battery manufacturing. In the case of Hg, the emissions were quite significant from electric acros of steel manufacturing industry, although the concentration level was below the emission standard, showing the necessity of specific care for its management.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Electrical and Electronic Material Engineers
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.256-261
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• 2019

The use of military lithium batteries in this field accelerates the generation of internal pressure because the active materials, lithium and the electrolyte, react to form sulfur dioxide gas. This also reduces the amount of electrolyte. In this condition, batteries can 'vent' or 'explode' especially when completely discharged. Such venting and explosion can be regarded as a safety accident, as toxic gases and shrapnel are ejected from the batteries which can harm the user. A DTaQ was carried out in 2017 as a quality problem solution project to solve this safety issue. A protection circuit was thereby developed, which included a micro controller unit (MCU) which can stop battery usage when in an over-discharging state by sensing its low-voltage condition. In 2018, this concept was expanded to lithium batteries for the remote controlled ammunition system. This paper reports results of the improved performance.

• Clean Technology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.105-112
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• 2024

Globally, the demand for electric vehicles has surged due to greenhouse gas regulations related to climate change, leading to an increase in the production of used batteries as a consequence of the battery life issue. This study aims to selectively leach and recover valuable metal lithium from the cathode material of spent LFP (LiFePO₄) batteries among lithium-ion batteries. Generally, the use of inorganic acids results in the emission of toxic gases or the generation of large quantities of wastewater, causing environmental issues. To address this, research is being conducted to leach lithium using organic acids and other leaching agents. In this study, selective leaching was performed using the organic acid methane sulfonic acid (MSA, CH₃SO₃H). Experiments were conducted to determine the optimal conditions for selectively leaching lithium by varying the MSA concentration, pulp density, and hydrogen peroxide dosage. The results of this study showed that lithium was leached at approximately 100%, while iron and phosphorus components were leached at about 1%, verifying the leaching efficiency and the leaching rates of the main components under different variables.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.123-133
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• 2023

Wastewater generated in the secondary battery production process contains lithium and high-concentration sulfate. Recently, as demand as demand for high-Ni precursors with high-energy density has surged, nickel emission is also a concern. Lithium and sulfate are not included in the current water pollutant discharge standard, so if they are not properly processed and discharged, the negative effect on future environment may be great. Therefore, in this study, the ecotoxicity of lithium, nickel, and sulfate, which are potential contaminants that can be discharged from the secondary battery production process, was evaluated using water flea (Daphnia magna) and luminescent bacteria (Aliivibrio fischeri). As a result of the ecotoxicity test, 24-hour and 48-hour D. magna EC₅₀ values of lithium were 18.2mg/L and 14.5mg/L, nickel EC50 values were 7.2mg/L and 5.4mg/L, and sulfate EC₅₀ values were 4,605.5mg/L and 4,345.0mg/L, respectively. In the case of D. magna, it was found that there was a difference in ecotoxicity according to the contaminants and exposure time (24 hours, 48 hours). Comparing the EC₅₀ of D. magna for lithium, nickel, and sulfate, the EC₅₀ of nickel at 24h and 48h was 39.6-37.2% compared to lithium and 0.1-0.2% compared to sulfate, which was the most toxic among the three substances. The difference appeared to be at a similarlevelregardless of the exposure time. The EC₅₀ of sulfate was 253.0-299.7% and 639.5-804.6%, respectively, compared to lithium and nickel, showing the least toxicity among the three substances. The 30-minute EC₅₀ values of luminescent bacteria forlithium, nickel, and sulfate were 2,755.8mg/L, 7.4mg/L, and 66,047.3mg/L,respectively. Unlike nickel, it was confirmed that there was a difference in sensitivity between D. magna and A. fischeri bacteria to lithium and sulfate. Studies on the mixture toxicity of these substances are needed.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.163-168
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• 2007

Ecological risk assessment(ERA) to 5 abandoned mine drainage was investigated by using chemical measurement and bioassay experiment. From the results of chemical analysis, the high concentration of heavy metals are detected in most area. The Arsenite were mostly detected in Songcheon, Nakdong, and Dukum abandoned mine area, and various heavy metals were highly dispersed in Nakdong area. The study area have also high biological toxicity, resulted from the bioassay based on WET(Whole Effluent Toxicity) test by using Vibrio fisheri, Selenastrum copricornutum, and Daphnia magna. The maximum toxicity was shown in the point where the mine waters start to flow. The sensitivity of toxicity by S. capricornutum was relatively high considering the values of toxicity in all samples, from 1.3 to 32.0 TU. The different sensitivities of toxicity recommends the use of battery system, resulted from at least two test species for bioassay or ecological risk assessment of mine drainage. Besides, the results showed high hazard quotient(i.e., greater than 1 HQ value indicating potentially significant toxic risks) with regard to abandoned mine drainage area in this study. On the other hand, the biological toxicity results were sharply decreased by attenuation along further distance from discharging of mine waters. Therefore, environmental parameters including the dilution factor, dissolved organic matter, and hardness should be considered when the remediation and ERA of abandoned mine drainage is planned.

• The Korean Journal of Pesticide Science
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.335-342
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• 2013

Sophorae radix extract (SRE) has been registered as an environment-friendly organic material that is widely used in the cultivation of crops in Korea. Matrine, the active ingredient in SRE, was reported as a toxic substance in the nervous system in mice. However, no information is available on its toxic effects in other organisms. Therefore, antimutagenicity and two kinds of genotoxicity tests (bacterial reverse mutation and chromosome aberration test) of two samples of SRE were investigated in this study. Antimutagenicity test was experimented by using bacterial reverse mutation test. In the reverse mutation test, Salmonella Typhimurim TA98, TA1535 and TA1537 were used to evaluate the mutagenic potential of SRE. Bacterial reverse mutation test was also performed on positive and negative control groups in the presence of the metabolic activation system (with S-9 mix) and metabolic non-activation system (without S-9 mix). In the chromosome aberration test, Chinese hamster lung cells were exposed to SRE for 6 or 24 hours without S-9 mix, or for 6 hours with S-9 mix. Negative and positive control groups were experimented for chromosome aberration test. As a result, the number of mutated colonies induced by 4-NQO were reduced by SRE treatment in all strains, indicating that SRE may have antimutagenic effects. Reverse mutation was not shown at all concentrations of SRE, regardless of application of the metabolic activation system. In the chromosomal aberration test, one of the SRE sample gave a suspicious positive result at 250 ${\mu}g/ml$ in the presence of S-9 mix. For the more adequate evaluation of the genotoxic potential of SRE samples, other in vivo genotoxicity study is needed.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.79-85
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• 2005

Purpose: With the recent boom in 'eating healthy', many adults are interested in dieting to prevent future diseases. However only well trained experts can distinguish between what are edible vegetables and herbs from their poisonous look-alikes. In cases where a patient unknowingly ingests a poisonous herb, is caught off guard by the poisonous side effects that occur because of their lack of knowledge of what they have ingested. This paper will focus on the need to educate the public about the risks involved with ingesting wild vegetables and herbs and study the emergency diagnosis and treatment of poisoned patients that enter the emergency room. Method: This study was done in the spring of 2004 (from March to May) in the Kangwon Young-Seo districts of Korea. 15 subjects used in this study, entered the emergency room showing signs of toxic symptoms. Data was collected by examining subject's records. Additional data was collected by collaborating with physicians in the hospital that diagnosed and treated the subjects. Identifying the poisonous vegetable or herb is the first step to proper diagnosis and treatment. Subjects admitted to the emergency room, underwent a battery of tests: laboratory examination, ECG, radiological exam and etc. Results: The demographics of the study encompassed subjects with the average age of $50{\pm}19$ years old. There were 10 men and 5 women. Common symptoms of this study included; gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, epigastric pain and so on. In the case of Caltha palustris ingestion, additional symptoms were present; bradycardia and hypotension which lasted for a long time. While cases that ingested Scopolia parviflora had little effect on vital signs but manic episodes lasted for about three days. Veratrum patulum ingestion showed signs of bradycardia and hypotension but contrary to Caltha palustris recovery was shorten by treating with dopamine. However, dizziness, headache and paresthesia of the extremities continued for a long time. Finally Sium ninsi ingestion showed visual disturbance, paresthesia of the extremities, dizziness as their initial symptoms. Conclusion: The risks involved with ingesting wild plants without the proper knowledge can lead to serious side effects and steps need to be taken to educate the public. In addition, all emergency physicians need to have a working knowledge of the symptoms and signs associated with ingesting toxic wild plants and need to treat accordingly.