• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.337-348
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• 2018

As the issue of microplastics (MPs) detection in tap water was raised in other countries in 2017, monitoring of MPs in drinking and source water, and sewage treatment plant (STP) effluents was initiated. This study intends to look into other studies on MPs in STPs at home and abroad, and review the characteristics of MPs and their removal efficiencies in the STPs, the risk and effect of MPs on watersheds, and management practices in order to help better understand MPs in STPs. To manage MPs effectively in STPs, it is necessary to investigate the detection of MPs discharged from STPs, do research on human health risk and control measures, and build a monitoring system including standardized analytical methods.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.305-317
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• 2015

The function failure of present major facilities is likely to lead to failure of related systems and/or whole facilities, increasing the necessity for protection of infrastructures, main structures, and major industrial facilities. In addition, safe and efficient management for urban infrastructure (waterworks and sewerage facilities, electricity, telecommunications, roads, etc) installed in the basement or on large cities grounds at various public areas is required. Recently in response to this demand, efforts for vitalizing asset management are being made such as enacting related laws and developing asset management system in the U.S., Australia, Europe and other advanced countries with the concept for a new maintenance. In our county, identifying maintenance system problems such as aging and rapid increasing of existing infrastructures and decision-making about updating maintenance is required for systematic and organizational maintenance. In this study, by comparing and observing the LOS(Level of Service) of each countries' waterworks and risk-based LOS, we suggest the direction of future urban water infrastructure management systems for more effective management.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.43 no.3
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• pp.194-201
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• 2017

Objectives: Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) are widely used in various commercial products, but they are exposed to the environment and can induce toxicity. In this study, we investigated the environmental fate and bioaccumulation of ZnO NPs in a microcosm. Methods: The microcosm was composed of water, soil (Lufa Soil 2.2) and organisms (Oryzias latipes, Neocaridina denticulata, Semisulcospira libertina). Point five and 5 mg/L of ZnO NPs were exposed in the microcosm for 14 days. Total Zn concentrations were measured using an Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometer (ICP-MS) and intracellular NPs were observed using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM). Results: In the initial stages of exposure, the Zn concentrations in water increased in all exposure groups and then decreased, while the Zn concentration in soil increased after three hours for the 5 mg/L solution. Zn concentrations also showed increasing trends in N. denticulata and S. libertina at 0.5 and 5 mg/L, and in O. latipes at 5 mg/L. Accumulation of NPs was found in the livers of O. latipes and hepatopancreas of N. denticulata and S. libertina. Conclusions: In the early stages of exposure, ZnO NPs remained in the water, and then were transported to the soil and test species. Unlike other species, total Zn concentrations in N. denticulata and S. libertina increased for both 0.5 mg/L and 5 mg/L. Therefore, ZnO NPs were more easily accumulated in zoobenthos than in fish.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.799-811
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• 2006

As an alternative measure to replace reactive stance with proactive one, a risk based management scheme has been commonly applied to enhance public satisfaction on water service by providing a higher creditable solution to handle a rehabilitation problem of pipe having high potential risk of leaks. This study intended to examine the feasibility of a simulation model to predict a recurrence probability of pipe leaks. As a branch of the data mining technique, probabilistic neural network (PNN) algorithm was applied to infer the extent of leaking recurrence probability of water network. PNN model could classify the leaking level of each unit segment of the pipe network. Pipe material, diameter, C value, road width, pressure, installation age as input variable and 5 classes by pipe leaking probability as output variable were built in PNN model. The study results indicated that it is important to pay higher attention to the pipe segment with the leak record. By increase the hydraulic pipe pressure to meet the required water demand from each node, simulation results indicated that about 6.9% of total number of pipe would additionally be classified into higher class of recurrence risk than present as the reference year. Consequently, it was convinced that the application of PNN model incorporated with a data base management system of pipe network to manage municipal water distribution network could make a promise to enhance the management efficiency by providing the essential knowledge for decision making rehabilitation of network.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.175-187
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• 1999

To investigate the risk perception of environmental issues, two consequtive surveys were conducted to environmental professionals using a standardized questionnaire from September to October in 1999. The number of subjects were 72 for the first survey and 68 for the second one. The questionnaire was consisted of items such as the degree of environmental pollution in Korea, risk perception of some issues on human health and ecosystem, and seriousness of the problems in the real situation in Korea. For the degree of environmental pollution in Korea, the average risk rating in the second test (7.4 point) was significantly higher than that in the first test (7.2 point). The risk perception on the general human health and ecosystem, and the seriousness in Korea situation were analyzed in the order of ′air pollution′, ′water pollution′,′soil contamination′,′waste′,′toxic chemical pollutants′,′food contamination′,′ocean contamination′, ′odor pollution′, and ′noise pollution′. Also ′toxic chemical pollutants′ problem was perceived to be the highest risk on general human health or ecosystem, and on present situation in Korea. ′Automotive vehicle exhaust′ problem was perceived to be the most severe environmental problems among specific 30 items. ′Industrial source air pollution′,′toxic air pollutants′, and ′domestic and industrial source pollutants to surface water′ were relatively severe environmental problems comparing to other problems. The pollution issues were classified into four categories by two aspects of perception; risk in general setting and seriousness in Korea situation. If the issues were highly serious in Korea and low risk perception in general setting then it is named "the Korea-specific group". Those that were all high score in two aspects, named "the Common group". Those that were all low in two aspects, named "the Nonsignificant group". And the issues were high risk perception in general setting and low seriousness in Korean situation, named "the Latent group".

• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.47 no.9
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• pp.789-799
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• 2014

This study presented how to evaluate the inland inundation risk considering the characteristics of inland flood. Fuzzy AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process), which can deal with the uncertainty or ambiguousness of the decision-making process, was used to estimate the inundation risk. The criteria used for inland inundation risk include the physical index, social index and inland flood. Each index contains three detailed indicators then total nine indicators were employed in this study. The inundation risk evaluation was carried out for each node (manhole) within the drainage system, not to the administrative extent, which enabled us to point out nodes with high risk. The proposed Fuzzy AHP was applied to Geoje district in Busan. The results indicated that the junction of Oncheoncheon and Geojecheon has high risk which is consistent with the fact that this junction has already experienced floods in the past. The proposed method can be used for evaluating inland inundation risk and preparing flood prevention plans in inland flood-prone urban areas.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.397-406
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• 2014

Objectives: Perchloroethylene (PCE) is a volatile chemical widely used as a solvent in the dry-cleaning and textile processing industries. It was evaluated as Group 2 "probably carcinogenic to humans" by the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) of the United State Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) in 2012. In order to provide a scientific basis for establishing risk management measures for chemicals on the national priority substances list, aggregate risk assessment was conducted for PCE, included in the top-10 substances. Methods: We conducted the investigation and monitoring of PCE exposure (e.g., exposure scenario, detection levels, and exposure factors, etc.) and assessed its multi-media (e.g., outdoor air, indoor air, and ground water) exposure risk with a deterministic and probabilistic approach. Results: In human risk assessment (HRA), the level of human exposure was higher in the younger age group. The exposure level through inhalation at home was the highest among the exposure routes. Outdoor air or uptake of drinking water represented less than 1% of total contributions to PCE exposure. These findings suggested that the level of risk was negligible since the Hazard Index (HI) induced by HRA was below one among all age groups, with a maximum HI value of 0.17 when reasonable maximum exposure was applied. Conclusion: In conclusion, it was suggested that despite low exposure risk, further studies are needed considering main sources, including occupational exposure.

• Spatial Information Research
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.39-48
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• 2015

In this study, we evaluated flood risk by applying calculation fomula considering practical risk calculated by inundation analysis information through 2D inundation analysis, suggested a plan that provides a standardized information system. Generally, we evaluated flood risk to people and classified four degrees by using inundation depth, velocity, Debris Factor and Flood Hazard Rating relationship because current flood risk assessment method based inundation depth and area was considered to not fully reflect the actual risk to people on flood. We simulated overflow and levee break scenarios according to 500 year and 200 year floods, respectively, by using Flumen which is a 2D flood inundation model for Geumho river basin in Daegu. The result of this study could contribute to inform practical risk information to people in expected flood area. This study can be useful for the fields of disaster estimatingsuch as information analysis, evaluation, planning by offering Risk information based on standardized information system.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.389-403
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• 2021

In this study, dual drainage system based runoff model was established for W-drainage area in G-si, and considering the various rainfall characteristics determined using Huff and Mononobe methods, the degree of flooding in the target area was analyzed and the risk was compared and analyzed through the risk matrix method. As a result, the Monobe method compared to the Huff method was analyzed to be suitable analysis for flooding of recent heavy rain, and the validity of the dynamic risk assessment considering the weight of the occurrence probability as the return period was verified through the risk matrix-based analysis. However, since the definition and estimating criteria of the flood risk matrix proposed in this study are based on the return period for extreme rainfall and the depth of flooding according to the results of applying the dual drainage model, there is a limitation in that it is difficult to consider the main factors which are direct impact on inland flooding such as city maintenance and life protection functions. In the future, if various factors affecting inland flood damage are reflected in addition to the amount of flood damage, the flood risk matrix concept proposed in this study can be used as basic information for preparation and prevention of inland flooding, as well as it is judged that it can be considered as a major evaluation item in the selection of the priority management area for sewage maintenance for countermeasures against inland flooding.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.31 no.12
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• pp.1151-1160
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• 2009

Perfluorinated compounds (PFCs) have been recognized as emerging environmental pollutants and are widely distributed all over the world. These compounds are hardly degradable and cause bioaccumulation and biomagnification during present for a long time in the environment: thereby after adversely biota and human bodies. It is difficult to remove PFCs using conventional water/wastewater treatment because of resistant property to photodecomposition, biodegradation and chemical decomposition. Moreover, domestic literature data on the pollution of PFCs in rivers and lakes are limited. In this paper, species, sources and risk of PFCs as well as behavior properties in drinking water/wastewater and treatment processes are demonstrated to encourage the domestic concern about PFCs.