• KOREAN JOURNAL OF CROP SCIENCE
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.340-360
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• 1982

Because of the continuing rapid increase in pesticide usage in Taiwan, much attention has been focus on pesticide contamination of food and effect of pesticides on human and environmental health. The Plant Protection Center (PPC) conducts safety evaluation of pesticides usee! in Taiwan. The pesticides are classified into different groups based on their acute toxicities. Pesticides which are classified into extremely toxic group are not allow to used on short term crops or the continuously harvest crops. The acute toxicity of pesticides to the beneficial insects are also studied, special attention has been paid to the two predators of rice brown planthopper. 60% of cultivated land in Taiwan are paddy field; therefore, acute fish toxicity was taken into consideration when a pesticide was applied for registration to be used in the paddy. Fish toxicities were evaluated by the dangerous rating value which is the amount of pesticide residue in the field water over the TLM value. Mutagenicity of pesticides was continuously evaluated by using Arne's microbial testing method. Island wide survey of residual levels of pesticides of known pollutants such as chlorinated hydrocarbon . insecticides, mercurial compounds in soil, water and biological samples were carried out constantly. The potential of a new1y Imported esticides to pollute the environment were studied by using model ecosystem. Ecological magnification (EM) of a chemical was calculated from model ecosystem. A chemical was considered as a pollutant when its EM value over 5000. In order to ensure the levels of pesticides residue of the crop within the safety limit. The 'tolerance' of pesticides on different crop groupings were established base on 1) acceptable daily intake value of individual pesticides, 2) average daily consumption of each crop groupings by Chinese person, 3) Actual residues of pesticides. on different crops obtained from supervised trials. Total about 79 pesticides for which the tolerances have been established on different crop groupings. Because the intensive agricultural system was adopted in Taiwan. The phytotoxicity of pesticides to the non-target crops was therefore become one of the important factor in the safety evaluation of pesticide usage. These will include 1) direct injury, 2) injury caused by pesticide polluted irrigation water, 3) injury caused by the pesticide polluted soil, 4) reduction of growth caused by the effect of pesticide on the soil microorganisms. This paper will reviewed all the aspects mentioned in the previous .paragraphs. Most the works have done in Taiwan by the PPC.y the PPC.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.127-137
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• 2001

Polychlorinated biphenyls(PCBs) are halogenated aromatic compounds with the empirical formula $C_{12}$ $H_{10-n}$C $l_{n}$(n=1~10), and are a mixture of possible 209 different chlorinated congeners. PCBs were widely used as dielectric fluids for capacitors and transformers, plasticizers, lubricant inks and paint addirives. Once released into the environment, PCBs persist for years because they are so resistant to degradation. In addition to their persistence in the environment, PCBs in ecological food chains undergo biomagnification because of their high degree of lipophilicity. In 1970s, the worldwide production of PCBs was ceased and the import of PCBs was prohibited since 1983 in Korea. In spite of these actions, many PCBs seems to be still in use. The environmental load of PCBs will continue to be recycled through air, land, water, and the biosphere for decades to come. This study was conducted to measure the concentrations of PCBs in the serum samples of 112 women by GC/MSD and GC/ECD. The main results of this study were as follows. 1. PCBs were detected in all samples. The mean $\pm$SD levels of PCBs in the serum were 3.613$\pm$0.759 ppb, and median were 3.828 ppb. 2. The correlation coefficients of the concentrations of 13 PCB congeners were from minimum, 0.7913 to maximum, 0.9985, and all was significant(p=0.0001). The correlation coefficient between the concentrations of PCBs and p,p'-DDE was 0.9641(p=0.0001). 3. There was a positive association between age and PCBs' concentrations (simple linear regression ; $R^2$=0.86, $\beta$=0.08023, p<0.001). 4. There was a positive association between total lipids in the serum and PCBs' concentrations (simple linear regression ; $R^2$=0.7058, $\beta$=0.00486, p<0.001). 5. For possible predictors of PCBs and p,p' -DDE levels in the serum, age adjusted model (Y=$\beta$$_{0}$+$\beta$$_1$age+ $B_2$X) was applied. For BMI, major residential area, wether to eat caught fish by angling, where to eat caught fish by angling(by parents in the past), fish consumption, meat consumption, meat consumption, and dairy consumption, there was no association. For total conception frequency and lactation frequency and lactation period, there was negative association.ion.