• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.79-89
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• 2007

This paper provides a comprehensive overview of the present status of several environmental problems caused by emerging toxic substances such as persistent organic pollutants (POPs), endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs), and arsenic in various environmental media in Vietnam. Monitoring data reported during the 1990s demonstrated elevated contamination of DDTs in most of these compartments in Vietnam. Studies in frame of the Asia-Pacific Mussel Watch Program revealed that fish, mussels and resident birds from Vietnam contained higher concentrations of DDTs as compared to other countries in region, suggesting the role of Vietnamese environment as a significant emission source of DDT in the Southeast Asian region. The estimated dietary intakes of PCBs and DDTs for Vietnamese were relatively high among Asian developing countries, suggesting potential risk for humans posed by thesechemicals. Widespread contamination of some endocrine active compounds such as alkylphenols and phthalates was observed at various sites along the coasts of northern and middle Vietnam. The presence of significant source of bisphenol-A along Red River estuary was revealed with the concentrations comparable to those reported for developed nations. A case study on seasonal variation of alkylphenols and phthalates in surface water of river delta and estuary of north and middle Vietnam indicated the differences in distribution of these compounds between dry and rainy seasons. Higher concentrations of alkylphenols and phthalates were found in dry season in estuary; while the contrasting pattern was observed in the river delta, showing elevated residues in rainy season. This result suggests the different behavior of alkylphenols and phthalates in river delta and coastal environment. From ecotoxicological perspectives, concentrations of bis-phenol A and di(2-ethylhexyl)phthalates [DEHP] in surface water from some locations in Vietnam exceeded the guideline values for Ecotoxicological Effects and the Environmental Risk Limit, respectively, suggesting potential for toxic implications on aquatic wildlife. Widespread and elevated arsenic contamination was discovered inour recent surveys in groundwater in a large area of suburban areas of Hanoi city, the capital of Vietnam. The most recent investigation in 4 villages showed about more than 50 % of groundwater samples contained As concentrations exceeding 50 g/L (the WHO and Vietnamese standard). In particular, in Son Dong villages, 58 % of samples analyzed contained As concentrations higher than 200 g/L. Good correlations were found in As concentrations in water and hair and urine of peoples in corresponding families, suggesting the chronic exposure to As by people living in As-contaminated ground water areas. In Son Dong village, As levels in hair (mean: 1.7 mg/kg dry wt) and urine (g/g creatinine) exceeding the reference values recommended by WHO, suggesting potential for human risk posed by long term accumulation of As in human body. Future studies should be focused on the time trends of POPs and EDCs in biota in Vietnam in order to predict future trend of contamination and to reveal new clues for understanding possible toxic impacts on aquatic organisms. The issues of arsenic contamination in groundwater and their chronic toxic implications on human health should be systematically investigated in the future.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.152-168
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• 2019

The element arsenic, which is abundant in the Earth's crust, is used for various industrial purposes including materials for disease treatment and household goods. Various human activities, such as the disposal of soil waste, metal mining and smelting, and combustion of fossil fuels, have caused the pollution of the environment with arsenic. Recently, guidelines for arsenic in rice have been adopted by the Korean ministry of food and drug safety to prevent health risks based on rice consumption. Because of the exposure to arsenic and its accumulation in the human body through various channels, such as air inhalation, skin contact, ingestion of drinking water, and food consumption, integrated multimedia risk assessment is required to adopt appropriate risk management policies. Therefore, integrated human health risk assessment was carried out in this study using integrated exposure assessment based on multimedia (e.g., air, water, and soil) and multi-route (e.g., oral, inhalation, and dermal) scenarios. The results show that oral uptake via drinking water is the most common pathway of arsenic into the human body, accounting for 57%-96% of the total arsenic exposure. Among various age groups, the highest exposures to arsenic were observed in infants because the body weight of infants is low and the surface areas of infant bodies are large. Based on the results of the exposure assessment, the cancer and non-cancer risks were calculated. The cancer risk for CTE and RME is in the range of 2.3E-05 to 6.7E-05 and thus is negligible because it does not exceed the cancer probability of 1.0E-04 for all age groups. On the other hand, the cancer risk for RME varies from 6.4E-05 to 1.8E-04 and from 1.3E-04 to 1.8E-04 for infants and preschool children, exceeding the excess cancer risk of 1.0E-04. The non-cancer risks range from 5.4E-02 to 1.9E-01 and from 1.5E-01 to 6.8E-01, respectively. They do not exceed the hazard index 1 for all scenarios and all ages.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2019

This study was performed to select the effective plant for phytoremediation of heavy metal contaminated areas. After cultivation of fifteen Compositae plants on soil contaminated with heavy metals for 8 weeks, the growth response and accumulation ability of each parts for heavy metal, such as arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc were analyzed. Except Adiantum capillus-veneris, growth of Aster incisus, Coreopsis drumondii), Dendranthema indicum, Saussurea pulchella were relatively fine. Arsenic accumulation ability was the highest by Artemisia gmelini ($25.52mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ DW) in underground part, and D. sichotense ($3.35mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) in aerial part. Cadmium was the highest by Aster magnus ($2.50mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) in aerial part. Aerial and underground part of S. pulchella showed the highest copper accumulation (24.29, $99.92mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$). In lead, 1.43 (A. magnus)${\sim}5.00mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ (S. deltoides) were accumulated in aerial part among fifteen Compositae plants. Aster hayatae ($140.09mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$), Aster yomena ($109.07mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$), A. magnus ($100.21mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$) are absorbed more than $100mg{\cdot}kg^{-1}$ of Zinc. Therefore, they are considered to be phytoremediation material of zinc contaminated areas.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.28-38
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• 2024

Phytoremediation presents a low-carbon and eco-friendly solution for heavy metal-contaminated soils, which pose great health and environmental risks to humans and ecosystems. A hydroponic culture was used to quantitatively assess the phytoremediation potential of plant species to remediate As or Cd-contaminated soil in field application. This study examined the growth, uptake, and distribution of Cd in the roots and shoots of Phalaris arundinacea and Brassica juncea in hydroponic conditions with Cd concentrations ranging from 0 to 20 mg/L for 10 days. Additionally, Aster koraiensis and Pteris multifida were cultivated in hydroponic conditions containing As concentrations ranging from 0 to 40 mg/L for 10 days. The concentrations of Cd in the above-ground part and root tissues of P. arundinacea and B. juncea reached a maximum of 147.7 and 1926.7 mg/kg-D.W.(Dry Weight), and 351.6 and 11305.5 mg/kg-D.W., respectively. Bioconcentration factor (BCF) for P. arundinacea and B. juncea were 68.9 and 122.3, respectively. Both species exhibited a translocation factor (TF) of less than 0.1, indicating their eligibility for phytostabilization. Aster koraiensis exhibited significant As accumulation of 155.1 and 1306.7 mg/kg D.W. in the above-ground part and root, respectively. However, this accumulation resulted with substantial weight loss and the manifestation of toxic symptoms. P. multifida exhibited higher accumulation of As (345.1 mg/kg-D.W.) in the fronds than in the roots (255.4 mg/kg-D.W.), corresponding to BCF values of 18.6 and 7.6, respectively, and a TF greater than 1.2. A TF value greater than 1.0 indicates that P. multifida is a viable option for phytoextraction.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.251-258
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• 2017

This study was conducted to identify transition characteristics of arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb) and to calculate bio-concentration factors (BCF) in the three perennial root medicinal plants, namely Codonopsis lanceolata (Deoduck), Platycodon grandiflorum (Balloon flower) and Panax ginseng (Korean ginseng) grown in major medicinal plant producing districts in Korea. Average BCF values ranged from 0.009~0.029 in As, 0.334~1.453 in Cd, and 0.021~0.023 in Pb in three perennial root medicinal plants. The BCF values increased in the order of ginseng (0.029) > deodeok (0.012) > balloon flower (0.009) for As, balloon flower (1.453) > deodeok (0.685) > ginseng (0.334) for Cd, and ginseng (0.023) > deodeok (0.022) > balloon flower (0.021) for Pb. The BCF values calculated in this study will be useful for predicting the uptake of heavy metal (loid)s. Further study on uptake and accumulation mechanism of toxic metal (loid)s by agricultural products is required to assess the human health risk associated with soil contamination.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.365-372
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• 2002

The mineral medicines mean a sort of mineral or rock for medical treatment and natural material using their chemical components and physical properties. In this study, it was apprehended the mineralogical characteristics of As-bearing group mineral medicines. The extraction test is an vitro test system for predicting the bioavailability of the major and minor elements from mineral medicines and incorporates gastrointestinal tract parameters representative of a human(including stomach and small intestinal pH, stomach mixing time and velocity). The results of the extraction test are used for reaction path modeling in human body. Reaction path modeling in human body can predict digestion with gastric juice as well as bioavailability, speciation. Also, it can predict accumulation of arsenic as pH condition. As the results of the extraction test for digestion, the amounts of Fe extraction was the highest, followed by As, Ca, Ni. In addition, as the results of the reaction path modeling between arsenic compounds and gastric juice using thermodynamic data, when absorbed, major species are followed by H₃As₃S/sub 6/(aq), As₃S/sub 6/ (aq), AsO/sup +/, H₂As₃S/sup 6-/, H₂AsO/sup 3-/, HAs₃S6/sup 2-/, HAsO/sub 3//sup 2-/ and AsO/sub 3//sup 3-/. Specifically the concentration of H₃As₃S/sub 6/(aq) is the highest. As pH increases, the concentration of H₂AsO/sup 3-/, HAsO/sub 3//sup 2-/, HAsO/sub 3//sup 3-/, HAs₃S/sub 6//sup 2-/, H₂As₃S/sup 6-/, and H₃As₃S/sub 6/ increases, whereas the concentration of H₃As₃S/sub 6/ and AsO/sup +/ decreases. On the results of this study, it is able to find out effective and toxic components of poisonous arsenic group of mineral medicines and expected to be widely used for the development of new medicines.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.48-54
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• 2011

This study was performed to analyze the possibility of using Korean native Aster koraiensis Nakai for phytoremediation at various fields. A. koraiensis was cultivated at paddy, upland and forest soils contaminated with heavy metals. After 8 weeks of cultivation, and growth and its absorbing capacity of heavy metals were analyzed. The results showed that A. koraiensis was grown well even at the soil highly contaminated with heavy metals, which means it has a tolerance to heavy metals. As analysis results of arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead and zinc contents absorbed from various soils contaminated with heavy metals, heavy metal absorbing capacity of A. koraiensis was depending on the heavy metal contents in the soils and soil property. In case of arsenic, cadmium and copper, heavy metal accumulation capacities of Aster koraiensis were much influenced by contents of heavy metals in the soils. Absorbing capacity of plants was increased when heavy metal contents in the soils were high. Lead absorbing capacity was depending more on soil property than lead contents in the soil, and was great at sandy soil of forest. Zinc absorbing capacity was influenced by both soil properties and Zn contents in the soil, was increased at paddy soil contaminated with high concentrations of heavy metals and upland soils. In general, A. koraiensis had a tolerance to heavy metals and showed great absorbing capability of heavy metals. So A. koraiensis can be used as a good landscape material for phytoremediation at various soils contaminated with heavy metals.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.818-823
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• 2012

Tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) is an important cool season forage plant that is not well suited to extreme heat, salts, or heavy metals. To develop transgenic tall fescue plants with enhanced tolerance to abiotic stress, we introduced an alfalfa Hsp23 gene expression vector construct through Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Integration and expression of the transgene were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction, northern blot, and western blot analyses. Under normal growth conditions, there was no significant difference in the growth of the transgenic plants and the non-transgenic controls. However, when exposed to various stresses such as salt or arsenic, transgenic plants showed a significantly lower accumulation of hydrogen peroxide and thiobarbituric acid reactive substances than control plants. The reduced accumulation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances indicates that the transgenic plants possessed a more efficient reactive oxygen species-scavenging system. We speculate that the high levels of MsHsp23 proteins in the transgenic plants protect leaves from oxidative damage through chaperon and antioxidant activities. These results suggest that MsHsp23 confers abiotic stress tolerance in transgenic tall fescue and may be useful in developing stress tolerance in other crops.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.401-408
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• 2017

Organic amendments such as animal waste compost, lime-bordeaux mixture, and lime sulphur mixture contain heavy metal(loid)s which are toxic to human being, animal, and plant. The objective of this study was to compare heavy metal(loid)s contamination of soil between conventional and organic farm. Soil samples were collected from 10 conventional and 38 organic fruit farms. At each sampling point, top (0~15 cm) and sub soil (15~30 cm) were taken using hand auger. Total concentration for arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), copper (Cu), nikel (Ni), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in the collected soil were measured. The pollution index (PI) for heavy metal in organic farms indicated it was unpolluted area. However, mean value of PI for organic farms (0.143) was higher than that for conventional farms (0.122). High Geoaccumulation index (Igeo) for Cu, Pb, and Zn implied that grape farms were more polluted than others fruit farms because a lot of lime-bordeaux mixture and lime sulphur were applied in organic grape farms. Especially, top soils showed higher level of contamination than sub soil. Based on the above results, organic amendments might cause accumulation of heavy metals in soil. Therefore, particular attention should be paid for concentration of Cu, Pb, and Zn, when organic amendments are used in the organic fruit farms.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.1253-1264
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• 2015

This study assessed the fertilizing value of struvite deposit recovered from swine wastewater in cultivating Chinese cabbage. Struvite deposit was compared with commercial fertilizers: complex, organic and compost to evaluate the fertilizing effect of struvite deposit. Laboratory pot test obviously presented that the struvite deposit more facilitated the growth of Chinese cabbage than organic and compost fertilizers even though complex fertilizer was the most effective in growing Chinese cabbage. It was revealed that the growth rate of Chinese cabbage was simultaneously controlled by phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Also, the nutrients such as nitrogen (N), P, K, calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg) were abundantly observed in the vegetable tissue of struvite pot. Specifically, P was the most abundant component in the vegetable tissue of struvite pot. Meanwhile, the utilization of struvite as a fertilizer led to the lower accumulation of chromium ($Cr^{6+}$) than other pots, except for compost fertilizer pots, and no detection of cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As) and nickel (Ni) in the Chinese cabbage. The experimental results proved that the optimum struvite dosage for the cultivation of Chinese cabbage was 2.0 g struvite/kg soil. On the basis of these findings, it was concluded that the struvite deposits recovered from swine wastewater were effective as a multi-nutrient fertilizer for Chinese cabbage cultivation.