• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.293-301
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• 2005

We conducted several different leaching experiments for assessing the potential environmental risk when utilizing recycled concrete for stabilizing bridge pier. The methods include continuous batch leaching test (DIN 38414-S4), availability test (NEN 7341), pH-stat test (CEN/TC 292/WG6) and tank diffusion test (NEN 7345). The concentration ranges vary depending on the testing method. Nearly all the trace elements were low, some elements recording under detection limit. The maximum concentrations for trace elements leached throughout the whole tests are (as mg/L); Cd (0.029), Cu (0.437), Pb (0.14), Ni, Zn (0.95), Hg (0.005). Although the testing methods we used in this study are much more rigorous than other commonly adapted method including TCLP and domestic testing method for solid waste, the trace elemental concentrations are under the criteria for hazardous material set by the TCLP and domestic method. The result seems to suggest that applying the recycled concrete on stream water will be accepatable practice as for as trace elements are concerned. However, the influence of inorganics such as Ca, Mg, Ni and $SO_4^{2-}$ on aquatic ecology should be further examined.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.219-226
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• 2007

Glass is frequently encountered as types of materials that are submitted to forensic science laboratories as a result of trace evidence transfers. The repeatability and the reproducibility of trace element analysis were presented. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on laser ablation inductively coupled plasma spectrometric analyses of the fragments to identify the source. Pairwise comparisons were completed for all samples. In a pairwise comparison, each sample was compared to each other for a possible [n(n-1)/2] (n : numbers of the samples) total comparison to associate/discriminate samples using Tukey's HSD method. The aim of this study was to determine the utility of LA-ICP-MS for multi-element analysis of forensic samples. The 12 glass fragments from two manufacturers were collected and analyzed to identify the source. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on 31 elements in NIST 612 Trace elements in Glass. Elements were classified into four categories defined by the combination of precision and variation of inter-samples. We selected 11 elements, 209Bi, 90Zr, 121Sb, 178Hf, 59Co, 238U, 208Pb, 140Ce, 118Sn, 49Ti and 137Ba. 6 pairs out of 66 possible pairs were not distinguished when compared by 137Ba (p<0.05). However, all samples were distinguished using both 49Ti and 137Ba (p<0.05). In conclusion, multi-elemental analysis with LA-ICP-MS is a potential tecnique for the discrimination of forensic samples.

• Preventive Nutrition and Food Science
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.374-382
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• 2004

The concern of the antioxidant micronutrient status in normal healthy people, including antioxidant trace minerals such as Cu, Zn, Mn, Fe and Se is focused since systemic oxidation is involved in various chronic diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the concentration of trace minerals (Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe) which are considered as potential antioxidant minerals in plasma, red blood cells (RBCs) and urine in normal healthy Korean subjects. The 760 subjects (male 341, female 419; mean age 54.2 $\pm$ 18.9) were recruited from the rural, urban and metropolitan city in South Korea. Dietary intake was evaluated using 24-hours recall for general major nutrient intake assessment. The trace elements (Cu, Zn, Mn, and Fe) concentrations in plasma, RBCs, and urine were measured by inductively coupled plasma spectrophotometer (ICP) and atomic absorption spectrophotometer (AAS). Cu and Zn levels in plasma, RBCs and urine in normal healthy South Koreans were within the normal range of those mineral levels, but Mn and Fe levels were higher compared to the normal range of those mineral levels. None of the selected trace mineral levels in plasma and RBC's was lower than the normal range value. The results showed that Zn and Cu levels in plasma and RBC's in Korean were within the normal range, and plasma and urinary Mn and Fe levels were higher than the normal reference values. Potential antioxidant trace mineral (Cu, Mn, Zn and Fe) levels in Koreans are within or a bit higher than the normal range.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.533-544
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• 2002

In order to investigate the relative mobility (RM) of dissolved elements during processes controlling major and trace element content, the concentrations of major, minor and trace elements were reviewed from the previous data of $CO_2$-rich waters and granites from Kangwon Province. The relative mobility of elements dissolved in $CO_2$-rich waters is calculated from $CO_2$-rich water/granite ratio with normalizing by sodium. The results show that gaseous input of magmatic volatile metals into the aquifer is negligible in this study area, being limited by cooling of the rising fluids. Granite leaching by weakly acidic, $CO_2$-charged water is the overwhelming source of metals. Poorly mobile element (Al) is preferentially retained in the solid residue of weathering, while alkalis, alkaline earth and oxo-hydroxo anion forming elements (especially As and U) are mobile and released to the aqueous system. Transition metals display an intermediate behavior and are strongly dependent on either the redox conditions (Fe and Mn) or solid surface-related processes (adsorption or precipitation) (V, Zn and Cu).

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.447-467
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• 2000

This study was carried out geochemically and mineralogically to define how Kunsan shore sediments are related to their terrestrial source rocks in the region of Keum River Basin, western Korea. As a whole the chemical composition for major elements, trace elements and rare earth elements analysis from shore sediments and river bed sediments doesn't show the big difference, and especially rare earth elements chondrite normalized patterns are almost same. Heavy minerals of shore sediments are identified as hornblende, epidote, ilmenite, garnet, hematite, magnetite, sphene and rutile. Compared with Taean Area of Seo et al. (1998) and Byeonsan Area of Kwon et al. (1999), Kunsan shore sediments of this study area were origined mostly from Keum River Basin.

• Proceedings of the KWS Conference
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• 2002.10a
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• pp.752-756
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• 2002

Variable weld bead penetrations related to the base metal chemistry of stainless steels in GTA welding have been under constant investigations due to their industrial implications. It has been proposed that among other elements, the sulfur content of steels determines the weld pool geometry, particularly its penetration. It is suggested that the surface tension temperature gradient of steels becomes positive with appropriate dosing in sulfur and results in inward melt flow, propitious for deeper welds. However, the chemistry of industrial steels is complex due to the presence of multiple minor elements either deliberately added or remnant impurity traces. With this in view, investigations on 41 austenitic and nine martensitic stainless steels were carried to see if there existed any possible relation between the weld profile and some of the designated elements. The results suggest no direct correlation between sulfur or any other major or trace element and weld penetration. At first glance the results are contradictory to what is often asserted.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.64-71
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• 2002

Hair provides important information about the body's mineral status. Therefore, we have studied the trace elemental distribution in human hair under different inhalation and ingestion environment using neutron activation analysis (NAA). NAA is a powerful analytical method which can be used successfully to determine trace elements in environmental and biological materials. Total diet and six different herbal medicine were analysed to study ingestion environment. Airborne dust in foundry was analysed and compared with outdoor dust to study inhalation environment. Human hairs of common person, herbal medicine taker and foundry worker were analysed to estimate the trace elemental distribution of people under different inhalation and ingestion environment. Analytical results show that herbal medicines contain higher micronutrients such as Ca, Mg, Mn and Cu that total diet and airborne dust in foundry has high Cr. The concentration of Ca, Mg and Mn in hair of herbal medicine taker is two times higher than in hair of common person and Cr con-centration in hair of foundry worker is about three times higher than in hair of common person. These results show that NAA can be used importantly to monitor human health through biological and environmental samples.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.587-604
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• 2007

In order to investigate the vertical variations and speciations of trace elements, and their correlations in Hoidong reservoir, sediment cores (21-41 cm below surface) and interstitial water samples were collected from five sampling locations. The total average concentrations of trace metals in sediment core samples were $232{\pm}30.8mg/kg$ for Zn, $119{\pm}272mg/kg$ for Cu, $58.4{\pm}4.1mg/kg$ for Pb, $15.7{\pm}3.3mg/kg$ for Ni and $1.6{\pm}0.3mg/kg$ for Cd. The total concentrations of trace metals in core sediments generally decreased toward the center of the Hoidong reservoir. The total concentrations of Mn, Pb and Zn decreased with depth for all the sample locations, while Cu and Fe concentrations increased. The trace metal concentrations of interstitial water sample were in the order of Fe>Mn>Cu>Zn, but Cd, Ni and Pb were not detected. The concentrations of Zn, Cu, Fe and Mn in the interstitial water samples showed a tendency of increasing toward the bottom of the core, suggesting a possible upward diffusion. This migration of trace metals may lead to their transfer to the sediment-water interface. These trace elements would be subsequently fixed onto amorphous Fe and Mn-oxides and carbonates in the topmost layer of sediment. Based on the $K_D$ values, the relative mobilities of the studied metals were in the order of Mn>Cu>Zn>Fe. Geochemical partitioning confirmed that surface enrichment by trace metals mainly resulted from a progressive increase of the concentrations in the fractions II and III. Copper, Fe, Mn and Zn concentrations of interstitial water were closely correlated with their exchangeable fractions of sediments.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.40 no.3 s.184
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• pp.277-293
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• 2007

Seasonal and spatial variations in the concentrations of trace elements, pH and Eh were found in a creek watershed affected by mine drainage and leachate from several waste rock dumps within the As-Pb-rich Indae mine site. Because of mining activity dating back to about 40 years ago and rupture of the waste rock dumps, this creek was heavily contaminated. Due to the influx of leachate and mine drainage, the water quality of upstream reach in this creek was characterized by largest seasonal and spatial variations in concentrations of Zn(up to $5.830 mg/{\ell}$), Cu(up to $1.333 mg/{\ell}$), Cd(up to $0.031 mg/{\ell}$) and $SO_4^{2-}$(up to $173 mg/{\ell}$), relatively acidic pH values (3.8-5.1) and highly oxidized condition. The most abundant metals in the leachate samples were in order of Zn($0.045-13.909 mg/{\ell}$), Fe($0.017-8.730mg/{\ell}$), Cu($0.010-4.154mg/{\ell}$) and Cd($n.d.-0.077mg/{\ell}$), with low pH(3.1-6.1), and high $SO_4^{2-}$(up to $310 mg/{\ell}$). The mine drainage also contained high concentrations of Zn, Cu, Cd and $SO_4^{2-}$ and remained constantly near-neutral pH values(6.5-7.0) in all the year. While the leachate and mine drainage might not affect short-term fluctuations in flow, it may significantly influence the concentrations of chemicals in the stream. The abundance and chemistry of Fe-(oxy)hydroxide within this creek indicated that the Fe-(oxy)hydroxide formation could be responsible for some removal of trace elements from the creek waters. Spatial and seasonal variations along down-stream reach of this creek were caused largely by the influx of water from uncontaminated tributaries. In addition, the trace metal concentrations in this creek have been decreased nearly down to the background level at a short distance from the discharge points without any artificial treatments after hydrologic mixing in a tributary. The nonconservative(i.e. precipitation, adsorption, oxidation, dissolution etc.) and conservative(hydrologic mixing) reactions constituted an efficient mechanism of natural attenuation which reduces considerably the transference of trace elements to rivers.

• Asian Journal of Atmospheric Environment
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.234-243
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• 2012

The wintertime high loading for atmospheric pollutants is certainly expected in the Byunsan Peninsula of Korea because of a great-scale reclamation project having construction of 33 km tidal sea dike impounding an area of over 40,000 ha and long-range transport. The goal of this study is to trace the origin of this wintertime burden for ambient particulate matter (hereafter called "PM") in the Byunsan Peninsula of Korea. The size-segregated (i.e., cutoff size from 0.01 ${\mu}m$ to 4.7 ${\mu}m$) PM sampling was conducted at a ground-based site of Byunsan Peninsula located in the west coast of Korean Peninsula during the height of dike constructing. Data archived in this study are the mass concentrations of ionic, elemental, and carbonic components in size-fractioned PM. The elemental mass of individual submicrometer particles was also analyzed. The sum of 5-source (i.e., elemental carbon, organic materials, inorganic secondary pollutants, crustal matter, and sea-salts) concentrations shows the bimodal distribution (major and minor peaks formed around $D_p$, 0.65 ${\mu}m$ and $D_p$, 4.7 ${\mu}m$, respectively) by border with 0.19 ${\mu}m$ of cutoff size. The concentrations of EC in $PM_{1.1-0.01}$ in winter and spring times were 4.62 ${\mu}g\;m^{-3}$ and 3.74 ${\mu}g\;m^{-3}$, respectively. Elemental masses of submicron individual particles are classified into two groups, i.e., the major elements (Cl, Al, Si, S, and P) and the minor trace elements. Cluster analysis differentiated the elements in submicron individual particles into 4-cluster. Among them, three clusters are in agreement with the major (Al, Si, S, and P), minor (Fe, Ca, and K), and trace compositions of coal burning. Meanwhile, Cl classified as an independent cluster has different source profile which was mainly due to the Saemangeum seawall project. Some highly toxic elements (e.g., Cr, Mn, and As (and/or Pb)) were also detected in some part of submicron individual PM. As a consequence, the combination of the Saemangeum project and winter monsoon played a considerable part in the double aggravation of wintertime air pollution in the Byunsan Peninsular.