• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.14-27
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• 2006

The proper management of discarded electronic devices (often called electronic-waste) is an emerging issue for solid waste professionals throughout the world because of the large growth of the waste stream, and the content of toxic metals in them, most notably heavy metals such as lead. Notebook computers are becoming one of the major components of discarded computer devices and will continue to increase in the waste stream in the future. While the computers hold great promise for recycling, a substantial amount of this waste is often disposed in municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills. The toxicity characteristic leaching procedure (TCLP) is commonly used to simulate worse case leaching conditions where a potentially hazardous waste is assumed to be disposed along with municipal solid waste in a landfill with actively decomposing materials overlying an aquifer. The objective of this study was to examine leaching potential of lead from discarded notebook computers using the scale-up TCLP, other standard leaching tests such as California waste extraction test (Cal WET), and the synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) and actual landfill leachates as leaching solution. The scale-up TCLP is a modified TCLP (where the device was disassembled and leached in or near entirety) to meet the intent of the TCLP. The results showed that the scale-up TCLP resulted in relatively high lead found in the leachate with an average of 23.3 mg/L. The average level was less than those by the standard TCLP and WET (37.0 mg/L and 86.0 mg/L, respectively), but much greater than those by the SPLP and the extractions with the landfill leachates (0.55 mg/L and 1.47 mg/L, respectively). The pH of the leaching solution and the ability of the organic acids in the TCLP and WET to complex with the lead were identified as major factors that controlled the amount of lead leached from notebook computers. Based on the results obtained by a number of leaching tests in this study, notebook computers may present a potential leaching risk to the environment and human health upon land disposal. However, further investigation is still needed to assess the true risk posed by the land disposal of discarded notebook computers.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.157-167
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• 2023

Background: The most hazardous wastewater sources in the northern part of the Middle Nile Delta, Egypt; receiving a massive amount of agricultural, industrial, and sewage drainage are Kitchener drain which is one of the tallest drainage systems, and Burullus Lake which represents the 2nd largest Egyptian coastal lake. Results: The current work is to determine the abundance and frequency of cyanophytes, chlorophytes, and bacillariophytes and the correlation between them and environmental abiotic components. Among sixty nine microalgal species, 19 species are belong Cyanophyta, 26 belong Chlorophyta and 24 belong Bacillariophyta. Genus Scenedesmus (Chlorophyta) was the most abundant in the study area (13 species), followed by Genus Oscillatoria (9 species) and Genus Navicula (7 species). Nostoc muscorum and Chlorella vulgaris were the most common and recorded in all sites (100% of the locations) under study. The application of the two-way indicator species analysis (TWINSPAN) and detrended correspondence analysis revealed agglomerating of 4 groups (communities) at 4th level of classification and reasonable segregation between these groups. Zinc, cadmium and lead were showed the highest levels (0.26±0.03, 0.26±0.06, and 0.17±0.01 ppm, respectively). Conclusions: The correlation analysis between water and community variables indicated a high negative correlation of total algae richness with nickel (r = -0.936, p < 0.01). Cyanophyta and Bacillariophyta were correlated negatively (r = -0.842, p < 0.01). However, Chlorophyta showed a negative richness with each of Ni and Pb (r = -0.965, -0.873, respectively) on one hand and a high positive correlation was revealed (r = 0.964) with all environmental variables on the other hand.

• Clean Technology
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.228-236
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• 2020

Korea has an economy based on manufacturing industrial fields, which produce high amounts of hazardous wastes, in spite of few landfill candidates, and a significant concern for fine airborne particulates; therefore, traditional waste management is difficult to apply in this country. Moreover, waste collection and accumulation have recently been intensified by the waste import prohibitions or regulations in developing nations, the universalization of delivery services in Korea, and the global COVID-19 crisis. This study thus presents a domestic waste management strategy that aims to address the recent issues on waste. The contents of the strategy as the main results of the study include the (1) improvement of the compatibility of the classification codes between the domestic hazardous waste and the international ones such as those of the Basel Convention; (2) consideration of the mixed hazard indices to represent toxicity from low-content components such as rare earth metals often contained in electrical and electronic equipment waste; (3) management application based on risks throughout the life cycles of waste; (4) establishment of detailed material flow information of waste by integrating the Albaro system, Pollutant Release and Transfer Register (PRTR) system, and online trade databases; (5) real-time monitoring and prediction of the waste movement or discharge using positional sensors and geographic information systems, among others; and (6) selection and implementation of optimal treatment or recycling practices through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and clean technologies.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.301-311
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• 2015

Objectives: Operators of overhead traveling crane in a ship assembly factory perform work to transmit large vessel blocks to an appropriate working process. Hazardous matters such as metal dusts, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, loud noise and fine particles are generated by variable working activities in the factory. The operators could be exposed to the hazardous matters during the work. In particular, welding fumes comprised of ultra fine particles and heavy metals is extremely hazardous for humans when exposing a pulmonary through respiratory pathway. Occupational lung diseases related to welding fumes are increasingly on an upward tendency. Therefore, the objective of this study is to assess properly unknown occupational exposure to the welding fumes among the operators. Methods: This study intended to clearly determine an equivalence check whether or not chemical constituents and composition of the dusts, which existed in the driver's cab, matched up with generally known welding fumes. Furthermore, computational fluid dynamics program(CFD) was used to identify a ventilation assessment in respect of a contamination distribution of welding fumes in the air. The operators were investigated to assess personal exposure levels of welding fumes and respirable particulate. Results: The dust in an operation room were the same constituents and composition as welding fumes. Welding fumes, which caused by the welding in a floor of the factory, arose with an ascending air current up to a roof and then stayed for a long time. They were considered to be exposed to the welding fumes in the operation room. The personal exposure levels of welding fumes and respirable particulate were 0.159(n=8, range=0.073-0.410) $mg/m^3$ and 0.138(n=8, range=0.087-0.178) $mg/m^3$, respectively. They were lower than a threshold limit value level($5mg/m^3$) of welding fumes. Conclusions: These findings indicate that an occupational exposure to welding fumes can exist among the operators. Consequently, we need to be keeping the operators under a constant assessment in the operator process of overhead traveling crane.

• Proceedings of the KSEEG Conference
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• 2002.06a
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• pp.81-100
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• 2002

While most of regulatory communities in abroad recognize ' 'natural attenuation " to include degradation, dispersion, dilution, sorption (including precipitation and transformation), and volatilization as governing Processes, regulators prefer "degradation" because this mechanism destroys the contaminant of concern. Unfortunately, true degradation only applies to organic contaminants and short- lived radionuclides, and leaves most metals and long-lived radionuclides. The natural attenuation Processes may reduce the potential risk Posed by site contaminants in three ways: (i)contaminants could be converted to a less toxic form througy destructive processes such as biodegradation or abiotic transformations; (ii) potential exposure levels may be reduced by lowering concentrations (dilution and dispersion); and (iii) contaminant mobility and bioavailability may be reduced by sorption to geomedia. In this review, authors will focus will focul on "sorption" among the natural attenuation processes of hazardous inorganic contaminants including radionuclides. Note though that sorption and transformation processes of inorganic contaminants in the natural setting could be influenced by biotic activities but our discussion would limit only to geochemical reactions involved in the natural attenuation. All of the geochemical reactions have been studied in-depth by numerous researchers for many years to understand "retardation" process of contaminants in the geomedia. The most common approach for estimating retardation is the determination of distrubution coefficiendts ($K_{d}$) of contaminants using parametric or mechanistic models. As typocally used in fate and contaminant transport calculations such as predictive models of the natural attenuation, the $K_{d}$ is defined as the ratio of the contaminant concentration in the surrounding aqueous solution when the system is at equilibrium. Unfortunately, generic or default $K_{d}$ values can result in significant error when used to predict contaminant migration rate and to select a site remediation alternative. Thus, to input the best $K_{d}$ value in the contaminant transport model, it is essential that important geochemical processes affecting the transport should be identified and understood. Precipitation/dissolution and adsorption/desorption are considered the most important geochemical processes affecting the interaction of inorganic and radionuclide contaminants with geomedia at the near and far field, respectively. Most of contaminants to be discussed in this presentation are relatively immobile, i.e., have very high $K_{d}$ values under natural geochemical environments. Unfortunately, the obvious containment in a source area may not be good enough to qualify as monitored natural attenuation site unless owner demonstrate the efficacy if institutional controls that were put in place to protect potential receptors. In this view, natural attenuation as a remedial alternative for some of sites contaminated by hazardous-inorganic components is regulatory and public acceptance issues rather than scientific issue.

• Environmental Analysis Health and Toxicology
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• v.30
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• pp.4.1-4.11
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• 2015

Objectives: This survey was designed to conduct the first nationwide dietary exposure assessment on hazardous substances including the intakes of functional food and herbal medicine. In this paper, we introduced the survey design and the results of the dietary exposure status and internal exposure levels of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), and mercury (Hg). Methods: We selected 4867 subjects of all ages throughout Korea. We conducted a food survey, dietary survey, biomonitoring, and health survey. Results: Pb and Cd were the highest (median value) in the seaweed ($94.2{\mu}g/kg$ for Pb; $594{\mu}g/kg$ for Cd), and Hg was the highest in the fish ($46.4{\mu}g/kg$). The dietary exposure level (median value) of Pb was $0.14{\mu}g/kg$ body weight (bw)/d, $0.18{\mu}g/kg$ bw/d for Cd, and $0.07{\mu}g/kg$ bw/d for Hg. Those with a blood Pb level of less than $5.00{\mu}g/dL$ (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, reference value for those 1 to 5 years of age) were 99.0% of all the subjects. Those with a blood Cd level with less than $0.30{\mu}g/L$ (German Federal Environmental Agency, reference value for non-smoking children) were 24.5%. For those with a blood Hg level with less than $5.00{\mu}g/L$ (human biomonitoring I, references value for children and adults, German Federal Environmental Agency) was 81.0 % of all the subjects. Conclusions: The main dietary exposure of heavy metals occurs through food consumed in a large quantity and high frequency. The blood Hg level and dietary exposure level of Hg were both higher than those in the European Union.

• Proceedings of the KIEE Conference
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• 1995.07c
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• pp.1394-1397
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• 1995

In the hazardous areas where explosive gases, vapor or mists exist, electrical apparatus and installations must be of explosion-proof construction to prevent or limit the danger of the ignition of potentially explosive atmosphere. In Korea, nine types of protection have been specified in the government regulations at present: flameproof enclosure, pressurization, oil immersion, increased safety, intrinsic safety, non-incendive, sand filling, encapsulation, and special types. Among these types, the intrinsic safety has the construction which limit or by-pass igniting the electric energy using electronic devices. This type has lots of merits but at the same time requires a high-degree of technology. In this paper, we investigated several dominating factors which affect the minimum ignition energy: this energy plays a very important role in design and evaluation of the intrinsic safety type electrical apparatus. Eletrode material, which is one of the most important factors, was intensively studied for the five sorts of material(Al, Cd, Mg, Sn, and Zn) with performing experiment in a low-voltage inductive circuit using IEC-type spark apparatus. The experimental results show that the minimum ignition energy of electrode material is varied: highest in Cd and lowest in Sn. We also confirmed the effect of eletrode make-and-break speed and magnetic field magnitude.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Manufacturing Technology Engineers
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.300-306
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• 2009

Welding technology is applicable in many kinds of fields, with the help of its advantages such as easy operational procedure and structural simplification. However, in the process of welding, hazardous materials and fumes cause huge fire broke-outs, explosions, and health-conscious problems. Also, as heavy metals in fumes have a harmful effect on the environment, recently, this has emerged as a urgent social issue. This study has been aimed at the recommendation of the most environment-friendly, among materials currently used in plumbing welding, and it has been done at the result of the analysis of amount, ingredient, and size in collected fumes created in the experiment of welding five rods to galvanized steel pipes and steel pipe ones. At the test result, due to the effect of Zn-coating, galvanized steel pipes, when welded to rods, created more fumes than steel pipe ones. In the mean time, when it comes to welding rods, among five, WR-03 produced fumes the least. Therefore, a combination of the test results clearly indicates that the case of welding WR-03 to cast-iron pipes turned out to be the most environment-friendly.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.453-457
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• 2004

The welders and car painters are frequently exposed to heavy metals such as lead, zinc, cadmium and chromium, and those are a major source of heavy metal poisoning. This study was carried out to investigate the relationship of the heavy metal level in blood by age, working duration, and smoking status among 105 industrial workers and 88 general people in Gyeongnam province from October 2003 to October 2004. The heavy metal level in blood was analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometer. Mean blood lead level in exposed group and control group was 8.40±4.67μl/dl, 1.82±1.35μl/dl, respectively. Mean blood zinc level in exposed group and control group was 9.43±5.38 ㎍/ml, 2.89±1.79㎍/ml, respectively. Mean blood cadmium level in Exposed group and control group was 1.53±1.05μl/dl, 0.60±0.49 μl/dl, respectively. Mean blood chromium level in exposed group and control group was 0.89±0.76μl/dl, 0.68±0.63μl/dl, respectively. Lead, zinc, cadmium and chromium level in blood of exposed group was significantly higher than that of control group. In the comparison of smoking status, lead, zinc and cadmium level of smoker's was significantly higher than that of non-smoker's. Comparison of heavy metal level by age, lead, zinc, cadmium level in 40's, 50's (exposed group) in blood significantly higher than that of 20's, 30's. In exposed group, working duration has no significant difference. In conclusion, smoking was the most hazardous factor to elevate in blood heavy metal levels.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.631-636
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• 1997

This study was conducted to increase the adorption capacity of microporous carbon which is widely used as an adsorbent. After increasing the adsorption capacity of microporous carbon by heat-treatment, chromium($Cr^{+6}$) solution, which is the one of hazardous heavy metals, was selectively adsorbed on microporous carbon. Optimum temperature range for the heat-treatment of microporous carbon was $340{\sim}350^{\circ}C$, and the average specific surface area was measured as $1380m^2/g$ by BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller) method. The weight loss was about 10 percents during the heating to optimum temperature. However, It became a qualitative adsorbent due to a larger specific surface area. Removal of chromium($Cr^{+6}$) in solution by heat-treated microporous carbon was successfully carried out.