• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.21 no.6
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• pp.655-661
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• 2015

This study intends to evaluate the effect of nitric acid($HNO_3$) spill accidents on the marine ecosystem, while $HNO_3$ is known as one of the typical HNS. For this purpose, we performed (1) the growth inhibition test by using phytoplankton(Skeletonema costatum), (2) acute and chronic toxicity test by using invertebrate(Brachionus plicatilis and Monocorphium acherusicum), (3) fish(Cyprinodon variegatus) and (4) bacteria(Vibrio fischeri). In these tests, we observed the (1) pH changes induced by the nitric acid spill and (2) changes in nitrate($NO_3$) concentration disassociated from nitric acid after the accident, respectively. The toxicity test result on pH changes induced by $HNO_3$ shows that the no observed effect concentration(NOEC), lowest observed effect concentration(LOEC) and 50 % effect concentration($72h-EC_{50}$) values of M. acherusicum are pH 7 (0.3 mM), pH 5(1.1 mM) and pH 5.2(1.4 mM), respectively, indicating that M. acherusicum is the most sensitive species. The chronic toxicity test (population growth rate test) on $NO_3{^-}$ of B. plicatilis show that the NOEC, LOEC and $96h-EC_{50}$ are 5.9 mM, 11.8 mM and 32.6 mM, respectively, indicating that B. plicatilis is the most sensitive species. In conclusion, toxic effecst on the marine organism caused by the nitric acid spill accident is determined to be so slightly except for the most adjacent area of the ship in pH scale and such concentration of nitrate, to the extent of directly influencing the survival and reproduction of the marine organism, is determined practically not to be applicable in the typical accidents in the sea.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.206-212
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• 2008

The quorum sensing (QS) regulatory network has been the subject of extensive studies during recent years and has also attracted a lot of attention because it both positively and negatively regulates various putative virulence factors, although initially considered to be a specialized system of Vibrio fischeri and related species. In this study, to identify the novel materials which inhibit QS system of microorganisms, extracts of eighteen natural products were tested by bioassay using N-(3-oxohexanoyl)-$_L$-homoserine lactone and N-(3-oxooctanoyl)-$_L$-homoserine lactone synthesized in this experiment and an Agrobacterium tumefaciens NT1 biosensor strain containing a traI::lacZ fusion. The result indicated that the extracts of cabbage, leek, and onion exhibited the QS inhibition activity. Thus, materials contained in the extracts were isolated via recycling preparative HPLC and were purified via a JAIGEL-LS255 column. The common fraction corresponding to a peak of the 83 min point of them quenched the quorum sensing of A. tumefaciens NT1 biosensor strain in ABMM containing X-gal and was designated quorum sensing inhibitor-83 min (QSI-83). The QSI-83 exhibited the heat stability and did not inhibit the growth of A. tumefaciens NTl. Furthermore, thin layer chromatography (TLC) results suggested that these novel materials may be antagonists of N-acyl homoserine lactone or may inhibit the QS autoinducer synthesis by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Biology
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• v.23 no.2 s.58
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• pp.146-151
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• 2005

Recent studies indicated the utility of whole effluent assessment as a measure to control discharge of toxic effluents to receiving water in Korea. However, most studies have been focussed on acute lethal effects of toxic wastewater with little consideration of chronic sublethal impacts which are of growing concern in protecting aquatic ecosystem. We conducted acute and chronic toxicity tests with effluents discharged from five different dyeing plants in Gyeong-gi province using a marine bacterium Vibrio fischeri and a freshwater macroinvertebrate Daphnia magna to demonstrate the importance of assessing chronic sublethal effects. Various levels of acute and chronic toxicities were observed in many samples tested in this study. In 21-d chronic toxicity tests using D. magna all samples showed effects on reproduction and growth. Notable mortalities were also noted in three out of five effluents. The result of the Microtox assay indicated that acute microbial toxicity existed in effluents from two out of five plants and acute daphnid toxicity was observed in only one effluent. The result of this study clearly suggests chronic toxicity tests are more suitable to assess biological effects of effluents because it was shown from this study that even an effluent with no acute toxicity could cause chronically lethal and/or sublethal adverse effects on aquatic biota which may affect the population dynamics in aquatic ecosystem.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.21-29
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• 2007

In Korea, we assign the chemical substances of 535 types as toxic substance. Only 10% of the 535 toxic substances are being managed by the Ministry of Environment related with water quality standard. Tar color is also one of chemical substances, but we have the lacks for the information of tar colors about the environmental effects of aquatic ecosystem. This study performed the test of bioassay using Water Fleas and Luminescent Bacteria. The tar has 7 types of colors allowed as the edible color and we evaluate the toxicities of 5 tar colors out of 7 colors and we would like to provide the informations for further study as we perform the toxicity test for the samples of 5 tar colors. We did the toxicity test of using Water Fleas From the results, we obtained the magnitudes of toxicity in order of Red No.2, Yellow No.5, Red No.3, Yellow No.4, Blue No.1. As the result based on Microtox Acute Toxicity Test using Luminescent Bacteria with the standard of 15min-EC50, we obtained in order of Yellow No.5, Food Red No.3, Red No.2, Yellow No.4, Blue No.1. We could expect the tar colors may have different effects on the aquatic ecosystem, respectively and it may influence to the aquatic ecosystem and the human, because of bioconcentration by food chain when toxicity of the tar colors overflow in the aquatic ecosystem.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.198-205
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• 2005

This study was carried out to investigate the removal of TNT (2,4,6-trinitrotoluene) in the batch and continuous type microcosm systems consisting of marsh and pond. First, the batch reactor study showed that TNT (10 mg/L) was completely removed in the marsh and pond system within 20 days. The major reductive metabolites of TNT include 4-amino-2,6-dinitrotoluene (4-ADNT), 2-amino-4,6-dinitrotoluene (2-ADNT), 2,4-diamino-6-nitrotoluene (2,4-DANT), and 2,6-diamino-4-nitrotoluene (2,6-DANT). These metabolites concentration also decreased during further treatment. The continuous reactor systems combining marsh and pond indicated the similar pattern of TNT degadation and the metabolites production. Among the continuous reactor combinations, marsh-pond system showed more stable TNT removal and metabolites production. The toxicity of the effluent from the continuous system was examined by Microtox Assay using Vibrio fischeri. The result showed that the effluent toxicity was reduced below toxicity endpoint ($EC_{50}$) after continuous marsh pond system, indicating that metabolites of TNT are less toxic than TNT itself. Based on the results, TNT contaminated wastewater can be efficiently treated using marsh and pond wetland systems.

• The Sea:JOURNAL OF THE KOREAN SOCIETY OF OCEANOGRAPHY
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.112-120
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• 2008

A series of experiments were conducted to establish a marine ecotoxicological standard method using marine primary producers, Skeletonema costatum, Heterosigma akashiwo, Prorocentrum micans, Isochrysis galbana, Tetraselmis suecica as candidate test species. Marine diatom, S. costatum was selected as standard test species in terms of the ecological roles and international uses as test species. Test methods and test acceptability criteria are as follows; $72{\sim}96$ hr population growth inhibition $EC_{50}$ as endpoint. Static non-renewal method, and population growth rates over 0.04/hr in control as test acceptability criterium. S. costatum is widely distributed in the world ocean and used for standard species of marine toxicity test method by ISO (International Standardization Organization). Possible salinity ranges for this test method are $20{\sim}35\;psu$, and reproducibility and interlaboratory test results were consistent through the calibration tests. Sensitivity of the test method was comparable or better than other toxicity tests such as rotifer neonate mortality, bioluminescent bacterial inhibition, seaweed sporulation and sea urchin fertilization tests.