• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
• /
• v.23 no.2
• /
• pp.222-227
• /
• 2002

Although there are a few reports concerning the side effects and toxicity of herbal medicines, there has not yet been any report concerning their causes, mechanisms or prevention. We investigated the internal reports concerning the side effects and toxicity of herbal medicines. In the findings, liver disorder (hepatic injury) was found in 7 cases, kidney disorders (nephropathy) were found in 12 cases, heart disorders were found in 4 cases and mineral-caused diseases were found in 2 cases. Besides, we found the major cause of the side effects and toxicity was drug abuse, such as over-dosage and long term medication. So, we hope this report brings more attention to the safety and toxicity of herbal medicines.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.20 no.7
• /
• pp.811-818
• /
• 2011

Daphnia Magna Stratus has been widely accepted as useful species for estimating the toxicity of chemicals to aquatic invertebrate and recommended as species for the testing chemicals from the international guideline as well as Korean guideline. The study was performed for the acute toxicity test by using water flea(D. Magna) for effluents from several wastewater treatment plants and drainage canals in GyeongBuk area. Five heavy metals, 1,4-Dioxane and Perchlorate were tested. Most Toxicity Units(TU) of Industrial wastewater effluents were less than 1 which means effluent was not toxic to D. Magna. However, effluents containing 1,4-Dioxane and Perchlorate were significantly toxic to D. Magna. Therefore, facilities should reduce the 1,4-dioxane since new regulations will force them after the year of 2011.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.199-208
• /
• 2000

Objectives : In order to investigate the toxicity of rats after oral administration of Eumcheonyijin-tang extract. Methods : The experimental animals were subdivided into control, short term administration group, and long term administration group. With changes of gross appearance, the histological changes of liver and kidney were observed. Blood chemical indexes used in this study were AST, ALT, total bilirubin, albumin, BUN and creatinine in serum. Results : In the long term administration group, histological changes were detected in the liver as centrolobular disposition of fatty tissue(adipose cell), and in serum test, AST, ALT increased at 21 days after administration group, serum total bilirubin were increased 21, 28 and 35 days after administration group. So it seems to induce toxicity. Kidneys of the long term administration group revealed histological changes : increasing of connective tissue and pyknosis of glomerulus cell were observed at 28 days after administration group, and in serum test, significant changes of albumin, BUN, and creatinine were admitted. So it seems to induce toxicity. Conclusions : In long term administration of Eumcheonyijin-tang toxicity was induced.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
• /
• v.16 no.4
• /
• pp.143-151
• /
• 2001

Six rivers were selected as preliminary screening sites to determine the test conditions of Microtox in assessing the toxicity of the sediment. In addition, a pH range of 6.0∼6.5 was established in testing pore water, aqueous extracts and organic extracts. Each extractable fraction of sediment showed different toxicities. Therefore, in order to properly examine the toxicity in the sediment, all extractable fractions of sediment samples needed to be tested with Microtox. Thus, sediment samples were additionally collected from at least 4 secondary sites within 50∼100ｍ area of the primary sampling site to reduce any variation or deviation in toxicity assessment. From all sediment toxicity data that was collected from this study, it was concluded that the Keumho river was the most polluted with the highest sediment toxicity of all the rivers analyzed and needed further detailed research on its pollution problem.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
• /
• v.11 no.9
• /
• pp.851-855
• /
• 2002

A comparison of Daphnia magna, Ceriodaphnia dubia and Simocephalus mixtus toxicity test was performed to study the relative sensitivities and discrimination abilities with both pore and elutriate water of Woopo wetland sediments. Sediment risk assessment has been done by standardized preparation method of pore and elutriate water described in the joint US EPA-US Army Crops of Engineers manual. Simocephalus mixtus which was obtained from Woopo wetlands in Korea was cultured and applied to sediment toxicity test. Water quality in Woopo wetland had great site and seasonal variations. S. mixtus was more sensitive than D. magna in heavy metal toxicity test. The toxicity results with S. mixtus reflected the water quality of elutriate and pore water. The results also suggested that S. mixtus could be used as a test organism in estimating potential risk of contaminated sediments.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.40 no.3
• /
• pp.251-256
• /
• 2009

Cordyceps bassiana is a parasitic fungus and used as a Chinese traditional medicine. It has been called as DongChungHaCho(summer-plant, winter-worm) in China. Acute oral toxicity was examined in male and female ICR mice. Butanol fraction from Cordyceps bassiana(BuCb) was administered orally at a dose of 2,500 mg/kg, 5,000 mg/kg, 10,000 mg/kg. No death and abnormal clinical signs were observed throughout the administration period. The acute toxicity test on mouse did not show any oversign in net body weight gain, food and water consumptions, organ weights, gross pathological findings by different doses of BuCb. Also, biochemical examination revealed no evidence of specific toxicity. These findings show that BuCb has wide margin of safety on acute toxicity with single exposure.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.259-266
• /
• 2003

Although 'Cinnamon' has been widely used for the food and biophamacy in the world, it's toxicity was not screened completely. Major component of 'cinnamon' is CB-OH and CB-PH. CB-PH has been reported to have antimutagenic effect. To investigate the toxicity of 2-o-Benzoylcinnama-Idehyde (CB-PH), repeated dose (4 weeks) oral toxicity test performed in SD rats. Results of repeated dose oral toxicity tests for 4 weeks (CB-PH; 500, 1000, 2000 mg/kg/day) suggested that the CB-PH treated group showed no significant toxicological findings with body weights, organ weights, hematological and histopathological findings. Therefore, these data indicated that the maximum tolerated dose of CB-PH was 2000 mg above/kg/day in the rats.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
• /
• 1999.04a
• /
• pp.57-57
• /
• 1999

• YAKHAK HOEJI
• /
• v.43 no.2
• /
• pp.180-197
• /
• 1999

Acute and subacute oral toxicity of $HELIKIT^{TM}$ ($^{13}C-urea$) were carried out in Sprague-Dawley rats of both sex. The toxicity of $HELIKIT^{TM}$ was compared with urea($^{12}C-urea$ which is used for control). In acute toxicity studies, we daily examined number of deaths, clinical signs, body weights and pathological examination for 14 days after single oral administration of HELIKIT or urea($^{12}C-urea$) at a dose of 5000 mg/kg. The subacute oral toxicity was investigated in Sprague-Dawley rats treated with $HELIKIT^{TM}$ at a dose of 40, 200 and 1,000 mg/kg/day or $^{12}C-urea$ at a dose of 1,000 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks. In acute toxicity studies, $HELIKIT^{TM}$ and urea did not show any toxic effect in rats and oral LD50 value was over 5,000 mg/kg rats. In subacute toxicity studies, no death occured and no drug-related changes were found in clinical observations; body weight, food consumption, opthalmoscopy. auditory test, urinalysis, hematology, blood chemistry, gross pathological examination or organ weight between $HELIKIT^{TM}$, urea and control groups. In histopathological examinations, the slight thickening of mucosa of the limiting ridge in the stomach was noted in the animals treated with $HELIKIT^{TM}$ at a dose of 1,000 mg/kg/day and also the changes in urea group at a dose of 1,000 mg/kg/day was found, but all of these changes in the changes in ures group at a dose of 1,000 mg/kg/days was found, but all of these changes in the stomach regressed after withdrawal of the test article for 2 weeks and reversibility of the effect was revealed. These results indicate that the non toxic dose level of $HELIKIT^{TM}$ was 1,000 mg/kg/day in the 4 weeks-repeated dose study, suggesting that the substitution of $^{13}C$ for carbon in urea molecule has no effect on the toxicity of urea and changes in stomach are reversible.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
• /
• v.41 no.11
• /
• pp.318-327
• /
• 2017

Background: A typical sewage treatment plant is designed for organic and nutrient removal from municipal sewage water and not targeted to eliminate micropollutants such as pesticides, pharmaceuticals, and nano-sized metals which become a big concern for sustainable human and ecological system and are mainly discharged from sewage treatment plant. Therefore, despite contaminant removal by wastewater treatment processes, there are still remaining environmental risks by untreated pollutants in STP (sewage treatment plant) effluents. This study performed aquatic toxicity tests of raw wastewater and treated effluents in two sewage treatment plants to evaluate toxicity reduction by wastewater treatment process and analyze concentration of contaminants to reveal potential toxic factors in STP effluents. Methods: Water samples were collected from each treatment steps of two STPs, and acute and chronic toxicity tests were conducted following USEPA (United States Environmental Protection Agency) and OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) guidelines. Endpoints were immobility for mortality and reproduction effect for estrogenicity. Results: Acute $EC_{50}s$ (median effective concentration) of influents for Seungki (SK) and Jungnang (JN) STPs are $54.13{\pm}32.64%$ and $30.38{\pm}24.96%$, respectively, and reduced to $96.49{\pm}7.84%$ and 100%. Acute toxicity reduction was clearly correlated with SS (suspended solids) concentration because of filter feeding characteristics of test organisms. Chronic toxicity tests revealed that lethal effect was reduced and low concentration of influents showed higher number of neonates. However, toxicity reduction was not related to nutrient removal. Fecundity effect positively increased in treated wastewater compared to that in raw wastewater, and no significant differences were observed compared to the control group in JN final effluent implying potential effects of estrogenic compounds in the STP effluents. Conclusions: Conventional wastewater treatment process reduced some organics and nutritional compounds from wastewater, and it results in toxicity reduction in lethal effect and positive reproductive effect but not showing correlation. Unknown estrogenic compounds could be a reason causing the increase of brood size. This study suggests that pharmaceutical residues and nanoparticles in STP effluents are one of the major micropollutants and underline as one of estrogenic effect factors.