• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.333-351
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• 2017

Objectives: This study examines the relationships between indoor radon concentrations and distribution from soil geological mapping in the Hwacheon and Jangsu areas. Methods: GIS and a pivot table were used for inquiries about indoor radon contents, soil characteristics, and geological differences. Results: The Hwacheon area was characterized by the presence of normal and reverse faults as a passage of runoff for radon, sufficient occurrences of minerals containing uranium within granite as a radon source, a high concentration of radon within the granite area and clear differences of radon concentrations between granitic and metamorphic areas. The Jangsu area was characterized by the presence of normal faults, wide distributions of alluvium, and ambiguities on radon concentrations indoors among areas of geological differences. Considering the granite area and alluvium surrounded with granite areas, the characteristics of radon concentrations within soils and indoors in the Jangsu area are similar to those of the Hwacheon area. High concentrations are found with entisol and inceptisol in the Hawcheon area, but with entisol, inceptisol, and ultisol in the Jangsu area. High radon concentrations are found in sandy loam and/or loam. High concentrations are found in recently constructed or brick buildings, but low concentrations in traditional or prefabricated houses showing a high possibility of outward flow. Conclusions: The overall results suggest that radon concentrations in the Hwacheon and Jangsu area are dominantly influenced by geological characteristics with additional artificial influences.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.381-386
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• 1998

This study was designed to observe the effects of the feeding Gentiana scabra Bunge var.buergeri Max. extract on the improvement of the blood glucose, lipids in the serum of streptozotcin(55mg/kg of body weight, I.P. injection) induced hyperglycemic rats (S.D. strain, ) fed the experimental diets for 4 weeks. Concentrations of blood glucose were significantly higher in the streptozotocin administration(I.P.) groups (group 2(streptozotcin+water), 3(streptozocin+Gentiana scabra Bunge extract), 4(streptozotocin+cholesterol+water), 5(streptozotocin+cholesterol+Gentiana scabra Bunge extract) than those in the control group(group 1(water)). Bolld glucose concentrations were rather lower in the group 3(streptozotocin+Gentiana scabra Bunge extract)than in the group 2(streptozotocin+water), and then those of the group 5 were rather lower than in the group 4. There was almost little significance among the groups. concentrations of total cholesterol in serum were lower in the group 5 than those in the group 4, and the group 3 were rather lower than in the group 2. Concentrations of LDL-cholesterol in serum were significantly lower in the group 3 than those 2. In the ratio of HDL-cholesterol concentrations to total cholesterol concentrations, Gentiana scabra Bunge extract administration groups were higher percentage than the other goups. Concentrations of free cholesterol and cholesteryl ester in serum were rather lower in the groups 3,5 than the other groups, and then those of the group were higher percentage than the other groups. concentrations of free cholesterol and cholesteryl ester in serum were rather lower in the groups 3,5 than the groups, and then those of the group 3 were significantly lower than in the group 4. Concentrations of triglyceride and phospholipid in serum were decreased in the group 3 than in the other groups. The activities of aspartate aminotransferase and alanine aminotransferase in serum were increased in the all experimental groups than in the control group. From the above research, the Gentiana scabra Bunge var.buergeri Max. extracts were effective on the improvement of the lipid compositions in serum of streptozotcin induced hyperglycemic and hypercholosterolemic rats.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.19 no.7
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• pp.861-869
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• 2010

The present study aims to evaluate the characteristics of atmospheric polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) pollution in roadside and residential areas of two Korean metropolitan cities (Seoul and Incheon) and a background area (Seokmolee). This purpose was established by analyzing temporal and spacial concentration distribution of total and 7 individual PAHs, which were extracted from ambient particulate matters, and by utilizing a multivariate statistical method (principal component analysis, PCA) for the qualitative determination of potential PAH sources. Target PAHs included benzo(a)anthracene (BaA), benzo(a)pyrene (BaP), benzo(b)fluoranthene (BbF), benzo(k)fluoranthene (BkF), chrysene (Chr), dibenzo(a,h)anthracene (DahA), and indeno(1,2,3-cd)pyrene (IcdP). For all surveyed sites, the concentrations of total PAHs were higher in winter season than in other seasons. However, the concentrations of individual PAHs varied with surveyed sites. In both residential and roadside sites of Seoul and Incheon, BbF revealed the highest atmospheric levels. For all 7 target PAHs, the ambient concentrations were higher in Seoul and Incheon than in a background area (Seokmolee). In both residential and roadside areas, the concentrations of 4 target PAHs (BaA, BbF, BkF, DahA) were higher in Incheon than in Seoul. However, both the residential and roadside Chr concentrations were comparable in Seoul and Incheon. In addition, the residential IcdP concentrations were higher in Incheon than in Seoul, whereas the roadside concentrations were higher in Seoul. The roadside and residential BaP concentrations exhibited the reverse result to the IcdP concentrations. An PCA analysis suggested that atmospheric PAHs in both residential and roadside areas would be due to combined effects of several potential sources such as gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles, coal/oil combustion, and waste incineration.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.845-861
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• 2021

This study investigated the variations in monthly PM_2.5 concentrations and their characteristics at the sampling site (35.075°N, 129.080°E) around the Busan seaport area for six months (from August 2020 to January 2021). Monthly PM_2.5 concentrations in the filtered samples ranged from 8.4 to 42.3 ㎍/m³ (average=19.6±8.2 ㎍/m³, n=50) and were generally high in August, December, and January, and low in September, October, and November. The variations of monthly PM_2.5 concentrations showed similar patterns to those of the neighboring national air quality monitoring sites. The contents of Total Carbon (TC), Organic Carbon (OC), Elemental Carbon (EC), and OC/EC ratios in PM_2.5 showed large variability during the study period. The OC/EC ratios ranged from 4.2 to 34.4, suggesting that the relative contributions of OC and EC to the PM_2.5 concentrations changed temporally and might be related to their formation sources. Variations in the chemical components of and particle size distributions in PM_2.5 showed that high PM_2.5 concentrations were affected by various sources, such as sea salt and ship emission. The precursor gas concentrations were discussed in terms of monthly variations and their contributions to PM_2.5 concentrations. However, further research is needed to understand the characteristics and behaviors of PM_2.5 concentrations around the Busan seaport area.

• Journal of Korean Society on Water Environment
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.625-633
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• 2011

A long-term water quality monitoring in the Han River Basin reveals a consistent increasing trend for the concentration of refractory organic matter (R-OM) in major monitoring sites of the watershed. Because the determination of R-OM concentrations typically requires a long time of microbial incubation, it is essential to present the estimation indices for R-OM for an efficient watershed management. In this study, a number of surface water samples were classified into three groups, each of which were collected from Lake Paldang, rivers at rain and non-rain events, respectively. The corresponding R-OM concentrations were correlated with biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), chemical oxygen demand (COD), and total organic carbon (TOC) concentrations as well as ultraviolet and fluorescence intensities of the filtered samples. Among the traditional organic matter parameters, TOC exhibited the highest correlation coefficient with the R-OM concentrations regardless of the types of the sample groups. The equations for conversing TOC into R-OM concentrations were finally suggested as $0.43{\times}TOC+1.12$, $0.44{\times}TOC+0.61$, $0.24{\times}TOC+1.28$ for river samples at rain and non-rain events, and lake samples, respectively. TOC-BOD(C), the values of the TOC concentrations subtracted by carbon-converted BOD concentrations, was a good index for estimating the absolute concentrations of R-OM. UV absorbance at 254 nm was well correlated with R-OM concentrations of river samples while fluorescence intensities at 350 nm showed an excellent relationship with R-OM concentration of the lake samples. Our results suggests that simple spectroscopic parameters could be applied for in-situ monitoring tool techniques in watersheds.

• Animal Bioscience
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.692-700
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• 2021

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effect of dietary selenium (Se) from Se-enriched kale sprout (SeKS), selenomethionine (SeMet), and sodium selenite (SS) on performance, carcass characteristics and Se concentrations in the tissues, and to study the relationship between Se concentrations in muscle and feather in growing quails. Methods: The 320 quails (7 d of age) were divided into four treatments, according to a completely randomized design. The treatments were T1: control diet; T2, T3, and T4: control diets plus 0.2 mg Se/kg from SS, SeMet, and SeKS, respectively. The performance, carcass characteristics, and Se concentrations in the tissues of quails were determined. Results: The results indicated no effect (p>0.05) of Se supplementation on performance, carcass characteristics and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activity in breast muscle of quails. Supplemental Se from SS, SeMet, and SeKS increased greater (p<0.05) Se concentrations in breast muscle, liver, kidney, heart, and feather, compared to those of quails fed the control diet. Quails fed Se from SeMet had greater (p<0.05) Se concentrations in the tissues than quails fed Se from SeKS and SS. In addition, Se concentrations in breast muscle and feather of quails at 21 and 42-d-old were highly correlated (R2 0.714 to 0.756) (p<0.05). Conclusion: Performance, carcass characteristics and GSH-Px activity in breast muscle of quails were not affected (p>0.05) by dietary Se supplementation. The Se from SeMet was more effective in increasing Se concentrations in the tissues of quails than Se from SeKS and SS. Feather Se concentrations of 21 and 42-d-old quails can be used for assessment of Se bioavailability of Se sources.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.425-434
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• 2022

Objectives: This study analyzes TVOC concentrations in root industry workplaces in order to prevent probable occupational disease among workers. Root industry includes all the infrastructure of manufacturing, such as casting and molding. Methods: Real-time TVOC sensors were deployed in three root industry workplaces. We measured TVOC concentrations with these sensors and analyzed the results using a data-analysis tool developed with Python 3.9. Results: During the study period, the mean of the TVOC concentrations remained in an acceptable range, 0.30, 2.15, and 1.63 ppm across three workplaces. However, TVOC concentrations increased significantly at specific times, with respective maximum values of 4.98, 28.35, and 26.65 ppm for the three workplaces. Moreover, the analysis of hourly TVOC concentrations showed that during working hours or night shifts TVOC concentrations increased significantly to higher than twice the daily mean values. These results were scrutinized through classical decomposition results and autocorrelation indices, where seasonal graphs of the corresponding classical decomposition results showed that TVOC concentrations increased at a specific time. Trend graphs showed that TVOC concentrations vary by day. Conclusions: Deploying a real-time TVOC sensor should be considered to reflect irregularly high TVOC concentrations in workplaces in the root industry. It is expected that the real-time TVOC sensor with the presented data analysis methodology can eradicate probable occupational diseases caused by detrimental gases.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.1211-1218
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• 2014

Higher concentrations of ammonia ($NH_3$) and carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) in animal barns can negatively affect production and health of animals and workers. This paper focuses on measurements of summer concentrations of ammonia ($NH_3$) and carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) in a naturally ventilated laying henhouse located at an egg production facility in Bursa region, western Turkey. Also, indoor and ambient environmental conditions such as temperature and relative humidity were measured simultaneously with pollutant gas concentrations. The average $NH_3$ concentrations during summer of 2013 was 8.05 ppm for exhaust and 5.42 ppm for inlet while average $CO_2$ concentration was 732 ppm for exhaust and 625 ppm for inlet throughout summer. The overall minimum, average and maximum values and humidity were obtained as $16.8^{\circ}C$, $24.72^{\circ}C$, and $34.71^{\circ}C$ for indoor temperature and 33.64%, 63.71%, and 86.18% for relative humidity. The lowest exhaust concentrations for $NH_3$ and $CO_2$ were 6.98 ppm and 609 ppm, respectively. They were measured in early morning at the maximum diurnal ventilation rate in July 2013 and August 2013. The highest concentrations were 10.58 ppm for $NH_3$ and 904 ppm for $CO_2$ recorded in the afternoon when the ventilation rate was the lowest in June 2013.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.132-140
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• 2007

Concentrations of atmospheric fine particles in Chungnam were measured at 7 sampling sites during 2005. The daily average concentrations of PM 10, PM2.5, and PM1 ranged from 14.9 to $136.5{\mu}g/m^3$, 8.2 to $113.2{\mu}g/m^3$, and 5.7 to $107.5{\mu}g/m^3$, respectively, and the highest levels were observed at Yeongi site. The lowest concentrations for the all size fractions of particulate were observed at Taean located at the west end of the peninsula. The daily average PM10 concentrations were below the current National Standard at all sites, while the daily average PM2.5 concentrations frequently exceeded the US Standard at Cheonan, Dangjin, Boryeong, and Yeongi sites. The frequencies of PM2.5 concentrations exceeding the US standard at Cheonan, Dangjin, Boryeong, and Yeongi were 10.8%, 6.7%, 6.7%, and 26.7%, respectively. In addition, $68{\sim}80%$ of PM10 was in the PM2.5 fraction indicating that fine particles were the major component of atmospheric particles in Chungnam.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.25 no.8
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• pp.1177-1189
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• 2016

In order to prepare the information needed to construct a reduction system for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) exhausted from ship-block paint-booths in a giant shipyard, VOCs in paint-shop airs were analyzed and compared to the components in paint thinners. Aromatic hydrocarbons containing eight and nine carbon atoms are known to be major VOC compounds found in shipyard paint-shops. The total hydrocarbon (THC(C7)) concentrations calibrated using toluene gas, were measured in block paint-shops with two photo-ionization detector (PID) meters, and the resulting THC(C7) data were converted to THC(C1) concentrations according to the Standard Methods for the Measurements of Air Pollution in South Korea. THC(C1) concentrations near the spray site ranged from 10 to 2,000 ppm, but they were less than 400 ppm near the walls of the paint-booth. The measurements of THC concentrations, based on the height of the monitoring sites, were related to the height of the target to which the spray paints were applied. The maximum concentrations occurred at almost the same height as the spray targets. When painted blocks had been dried-by warming with no spraying, the THC concentrations were 80~100 ppm.