• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.3.1-3.11
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• 2023

Background: Studies on the risk of mercury (Hg) in Korean fishery products focus primarily on total Hg levels as opposed to methylmercury (MeHg) levels. None of the few studies on MeHg in tuna investigated tuna from Japanese restaurants. Few have evaluated lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) in tuna. Thus, this study aimed to conduct a risk assessment by evaluating heavy metal concentrations in tuna from Japanese restaurants. Methods: Thirty-one tuna samples were collected from Japanese restaurants in the Republic of Korea. They were classified according to region and species. The concentration of heavy metals in the samples was analyzed using the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety Food Code method. The rate of exceedance of maximum residue levels (MRLs) and the risk compared to the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI) set by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (%PTWI) were evaluated for risk assessment. Results: The mean of MeHg, Pb, Cd and As concentrations were 0.56 ± 1.47 mg/kg, 33.95 ± 3.74 ㎍/kg, 14.25 ± 2.19 ㎍/kg and 1.46 ± 1.89 mg/kg, respectively. No sample exceeded the MRLs of Pb and Cd, but 9.7% of the samples exceeded the MRL of MeHg. The %PTWIs of MeHg, Pb, Cd and As were 4.2037, 0.0162, 0.0244 and 1.1627, respectively. The %PTWI of MeHg by age group and sex was highest among men aged 19-29 years (10.6494), followed by men aged 30-49 years (7.2458) and women aged 19-29 years (4.8307). Conclusions: We found that 3 out of 31 samples exceeded the MRL of MeHg. The %PTWI of MeHg showed significant differences based on age and sex, and the value was likely to exceed a safe level depending on individuals' eating behaviors. Therefore, improved risk management for MeHg is required.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.27 no.12
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• pp.1179-1193
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• 2018

The purpose of this study at water quality pollutants to propose proper management method for the Osu-A unit watershed which is the influent tributary located upstream of the Sumjin -river among the 13 unit watersheds in the Sumjin-river water system. Analyzed the correlation between flow-pollution loading and the correlation between land use type, BOD and TP items, and analyzed 8-day intervals Cumulative Flow Duration Curve (CFDC) and Load Duration Curve (LDC) to evaluate water quality damage. As a result, both BOD and TP were larger than 1 and the concentration of water pollutants increased with increasing flow. BOD was positively correlated with Urban and Field, and TP was positively correlated with Field with 0.710. As a result of the LDC, BOD was analyzed that the target water quality was achieved with the excess rate of less than 50%, and TP exceeded the target water quality by 50.1%. BOD usually exceeded the standard value (exceedance probability 50%) at low flow zone and On the other hand, TP usually exceeded the standard value at high flow zone. Monthly BOD (April to June) and TP (May to August) exceeded the standard. Sewage Wastewater treatment and non-point pollution control is Osu-A unit watersheds are effective in improving BOD and TP.