• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.244-258
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• 2018

We performed this study to investigate the spatial, seasonal, and daily variations of the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Pohang, where large steel industrial complexes are located. Ambient air sampling was undertaken at 4 sites during 4 seasons. Each sample was taken for 4 hours continuously for 8 consecutive days per season at each site. Three sites were located within the Pohang city, but one as a control site in Gyeongju. A total of 72 individual VOCs were determined by thermal desorption coupled with GC/MS, including aliphatics, aromatics, carbonyls and halides. The most abundant VOC was toluene, being followed by ethylbenzene and xylenes. Benzene concentrations(c.a. 0.7 ppb) were found to be much lower than the national ambient standard of 1.5 ppb. Overall, the VOCs levels in Pohang appeared to be lower than other national industrial complexes in Korea such as Shiwha-Banwol, Yeosu-Gwangyang, Gumi, and Ulsan. This implies that steel industry may not give significant impacts on the atmospheric levels of VOCs as much as petrochemical, electronic, and/or textile industries, where large amounts of organic solvents are used.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.46-54
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• 2007

Concentrations of the principal volatile organic compounds, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, m,p,o-xylene, styrene, and chlorobenzene were measured at the solid waste treatment plants classified into four categories; municipal waste incinerator, municipal waste landfill site, industrial waste incinerator and industrial waste landfill site. The average concentration of VOCs in industrial waste treatment facilities was 33.43 ppb and was significantly higher than that measured at municipal waste treatment facilities (4.71 ppb). The average toluene concentrations measured at incinerators (13.05 ppb) were a little higher than those measured at landfill sites (11.54 ppb). The contribution of the waste treatment facilities to the concentration of benzene (0.35 ppb) and o-xylene (0.15 ppb) in the industrial area was relatively small. However, toluene measured in the industrial waste treatment facilities was the most abundant VOCs with the average concentration of 21.37 ppb. As a result of analyses of fingerprint, in cases of IISH and ILUS, a variety of compounds other than major VOCs were detected in high level. On the Pearson correlation analysis, the correlation was generally positive and some pairs of these VOCs were very strongly correlated (correlation coefficient > 0.75).

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.359-364
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• 2007

The aim of this study were to assess the personal exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and to estimate the personal exposure using time-weighted average model. Three target VOCs (benzene, toluene, xylene) were analyzed in personal exposure samples and residential indoor, residential outdoor and workplace indoor microenvironments samples in the iron mill 30 workers during working 5 days. Personal exposure to VOCs significantly correlated with workplace concentration p<0.05), suggesting workplace had strong source and major contribution to personal exposure. Personal exposure could be estimated with time activity pattern and time weighted average (TWA) model of residential indoor and workplace concentrations measured. Time weighted mean microenvironments concentrations were close approximately of personal exposure concentrations. Total exposure for participants can be estimated by TWA with microenvironments measurements and time activity pattern.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.456-461
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• 2007

This study was carried out two point view that reuse of sludge and adsorption of benzene, toluene and o-xylene of VOCs in cast, carbonized cast and activated carbon. The cation exchange capacity of cast and carbonized cast were 59.2, 112 meq/100g, respectively. The specific surface were 560, $800m^2/g$, respectively. The average removal rates of benzene by 50g cast of 50% hydrous cast, anhydrous cast, carbonized cast, activated carbon were 15.0, 41.2, 88.2, 99.4% in 60min of retention time. The average removal efficiency of toluene by 50 g cast of 50% hydrous cast, anhydrous cast, carbonized cast, activated carbon were 12.5, 34.2, 88.2, 99.5% in 60 min of retention time. The average removal rates of o-xylene 50 g cast of 50% hydrous cast, anhydrous cast, carbonized cast, activated carbon were 8.8, 28.5, 84.8, 98.1% in 60min of retention time. The adsorption efficiency of test absorbent was in order of Activated Carbon > Carbonized Cast > Cast.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.53-60
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• 2005

The concentrations of volatile organic compounds(VOCs) in the ambient air were measured at various point(Source, source boundary) in Seongseo industrial complex during May to November 2003. Air samples were collected in Silcocan canister $(1{\ell},\;6{\ell})$ and analyzed using a cryogenic preconcentration system and GC/MSD. We identified 37 species by the US EPA(TO-14 method). The result showed a variety distribution of the con­centration, Higher concentrations of BTX, Styrene, 1,3,5-Trimethylbenzene, 1,2,4-Trimethylbenzene were observed at the sampling sites. They seemed to be emitted from the facility of wastewater treatment, reaction tank of chemistry factory and facility of Tenter. The concentrations of VOCs contents in Seongseo industrial complex were generally higher than those in Yeosu complex and Ulsan complex, although those were similar in Sihwa­Banwol complex.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.11-21
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• 2012

This study investigated the characteristics of selected volatile organic compounds(VOCs) in newly-finished residential buildings, before the occupants moved in. This investigation was carried out by measuring the indoor and outdoor concentrations of selected VOCs before the occupants moved in and by utilizing an indoor mass balance model. Among 25 target VOCs, five aromatics(benzene, ethyl benzene, toluene, m,p-xylene, and o-xylene) were detected in all samples of both indoor and outdoor air. Toluene was most abundant VOC in the indoor air of new apartments, with a median value of 168 mg $m^{-3}$. Unlike other VOCs, halogenated compounds would not be significantly emitted from building materials. The indoor air concentrations of all selected VOCs, except for 1,3,5-trimethyl benzene, exhibited significant correlations each other, while for outdoor air concentrations, five aromatics only were significantly correlated between them. The emission rate of toluene was higher for the current study(median value, 76.8 mg $m^{-2}\;h^{-1}$) than for a previous study, while the emission rates of limonene, a-pinene and b-pinene(geometric means of 2.4, 13.8 and 9.6 mg $m^{-2}\;h^{-1}$, respectively) were lower and the emission rates of m,p-xylene and 2-butanone(geometric means of 10.9 and 21.3 mg $m^{-2}\;h^{-1}$, respectively) were similar. Although there were a few exceptions, the emission strengths are likely proportional to indoor temperature, and appear to reversely proportional to air exchange rate.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.169-176
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• 2013

The present study was designed to examine the concentrations, emission rates, and source characteristics of a variety of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in 30 newly-constructed apartment buildings by measuring indoor and outdoor VOC concentrations over a 2-year period. For comparison, seven villa-type houses were also surveyed for indoor and outdoor VOC concentrations over a 3-month period. Indoor and outdoor air samples were collected on Tenax-TA adsorbent and analyzed using a gas chromatograph (GC)/mass spectrometer system or a GC/flame ionization detector system coupled to a thermal desorption system. The long-term change in indoor VOC concentrations depended on the type of VOCs. Generally, aromatic (except for naphthalene), aliphatic, and terpene compounds exhibited a gradual deceasing trend over the 2-year follow-up period. However, the indoor concentrations of the six halogenated VOCs did not significantly vary with time changes. Similar to these halogenated VOCs, the indoor naphthalene concentrations did not vary significantly with time changes over the 2-year period. Unlike the halogenated VOCs, the indoor naphthalene concentrations were much higher than the outdoor concentrations. The indoor concentrations of aliphatic and aromatic compounds were higher for the villa-type houses when compared to those of apartment buildings. In addition, four source groups (floor coverings and interior painting, household products, wood paneling and furniture, moth repellents) and three source groups (floor coverings and interior painting, household products, and moth repellents) were considered as potential VOC sources inside apartment buildings for the first- and second-year post-occupancy stages, respectively.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.380-386
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• 2015

In this study, the spatial and temporal distribution of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in an industrial shipbuilding complex was monitored, and the local characteristics estimated. The major VOC component measured at all of the sampling sites were almost the same as those found at an indoor painting facility, indicating that painting works conducted in the shipyards were a significant source of VOCs in the vicinity of shipbuilding areas. The main parameters affecting the VOCs distribution were the distance between the sampling site and painting work place, and the intensity of the painting works. A quite broad range of VOC concentrations were observed in all of the sampling sites, depending on the intensity of painting works in nearby areas suppressing the typical seasonal and temporal variation trends in VOCs observed in urban areas.

• Molecular & Cellular Toxicology
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.250-256
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• 2009

Toxicogenomics using microarray technology offers the ability to conduct large-scale detections and quantifications of mRNA transcripts, particularly those associated with alterations in mRNA stability or gene regulation. In this study, we developed the HazChem Human Array V2 using the Agilent Sure-Print technology-based custom array, which is expected to facilitate the identification of environmental toxicants. The array was manufactured using 600 VOCs and PAHs-specific genes identified in previous studies. In order to evaluate the viability of the manufactured HazChem human array V2, we analyzed the gene expression profiles of 9 environmental toxicants (6 VOCs chemicals and 3 PAHs chemicals). As a result, nine toxicants were separated into two chemical types-VOCs and PAHs. After the chip validations with VOCs and PAHs, we conducted an expression profiling comparison of additional chemical groups (POPs and EDCs) using data analysis methods such as hierarchical clustering, 1-way ANOVA, SAM, and PCA. We selected 58 genes that could be classified into four chemical types via statistical methods. Additionally, we selected 63 genes that evidenced significant alterations in expression with all 13 environmental toxicants. These results suggest that the HazChem Human Array V2 will expedite the development of a screening system for environmentally hazardous materials at the level of toxicogenomics in the future.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.32 no.9
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• pp.857-861
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• 2010

Recently photochemical smog has become a serious urban air pollution. And VOC is the major pollutant for it. With the advance of industrialization and urbanization, MSWI fly ash and sewage sludge and melting slag were generated. It is necessary to de-toxificate ashes, because they contain many toxic constituents and probably lead to contaminate the environment. The objective of this research was to prepare multi-functional brick which is able to remove VOCs in ambient air. The bricks were made of MSWI fly ash, sewage sludge and slag. The benzene adsorption experiment by brick was acted to evaluate its adsorptivity. And also photocatalyst material was coated to enhance its adsorptivity and the endurance on the brick. According to the result, the benzene showed 74~96%. The removal efficiency was increased and the breakpoint time was lengthened by coating a brick.