• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.217-235
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• 2012

We evaluated the geochemical characteristics and their potential pollution of Asian Dusts in Daejeon, Korea during spring 2007. Compared with the chemical compositions of soils in source area of Asian Dust, those of aerosols in Daejeon were enriched with trace elements (ten to hundred fold), inferring that pollutants from China have affected on local environment in adjoining country such as Korea. Chemical analysis of aerosols during Asian dust showed that fine particles ($PM_{2.5}$) contained high contents of trace elements such as Cr, Cu, Pb, Zn, V, S, As, Cd, Co, Ni, Mo, Sb, Cs, Rb, Th, Sc and Y. In the case of TSP (Total Suspended Particle), Zr, Sr, Ba, Li, Th and U were contained much more than other trace elements. The contents of some elements (i.e. Li, Cs, Co, U, Cr, Ni, Rb, V, Th, Y, Sr and Sc) in aerosols collected in Asian Dust period, which are not likely enriched by air pollutants, were higher (2 - 4.2 fold) than those in Non Asian Dust period, indicating that these elements could be used as indicator elements for determining the occurrence of Asian Dust phenomena (especially, Sr, V, Cr & Li). In the case of Asian Dust coming through the big cities and/or industrial areas of China, the domestic aerosols had higher contents of trace elements (such as S, Cd, Zn, Pb, Cu, Mo and As) than those from Northeastern China via North Korea, indicating that the transportation courses of air mass are very important to determine the pollution degrees. Using the enrichment factors of trace elements in aerosols during Asian Dust and Non Asian Dust, we identified that some elements (i.e. S, Zn, Cu, Pb, As, Mo and Cd) were most problematic in terms of environmental hazard aspects, and these elements could affect adverse effects on human health as well as ecosystem and surface environment (soil and water) through long-lived precipitation.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.551-558
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• 2006

Effects of Pb and $CO_2$ on soil microbial community associated with Pinus densiflora were investigated using community level physiological profiles (CLPP) and 16S rDNA PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) methods. Two-years pine trees were planted in Pb-contaminated soils and uncontaminated soils, and cultivated for 3 months in the growth chamber where $CO_2$ concentration was controlled at 380 or 760 ppmv. The structure of microbial community was analyzed in 6 kinds of soil samples (CA-0M : $CO_2$ 380 ppmv + Pb 0 mg/kg + initial, CB-0M : $CO_2$ 380 ppmv + Pb 500 mg/kg + initial, CA-3M : $CO_2$ 380 ppmv + Pb 0 mg/kg + after 3 months, CB-3M : $CO_2$ 380 ppmv + Pb 500 mglkg + after 3 months, EA-3M : $CO_2$ 760 ppmv + Pb 0 mg/kg + after 3 months, EB-3M : $CO_2$ 760 ppmv + Pb 500 mg/kg + after 3 months). After 3 months, the substrate utilization in the uncontaminated soil samples (CA-3M vs EA-3M) was not significantly influenced by $CO_2$ concentrations. However, the substrate utilization in the Pb-contaminated soil samples (CB-3M vs EB-3M) was enhanced by the elevated $CO_2$ concentrations. The results of principal component analysis based on substrate utilization activities showed that the structure of microbial community structure in each soil sample was grouped by Pb-contamination. The similarities of DGGE fingerprints were 56.3 % between the uncontaminated soil samples (CA-3M vs EA-3M), and 71.4% between the Pb-contaminated soil samples (CB-3M vs. EB-3M). The similarities between the soil samples under $CO_2$ 380 ppmv (CA-3M vs CB-3M) and $CO_2$, 760 ppmv (EA-3M vs EB-3M) were 53.3% and 35.8%, respectively. These results suggested that the structure of microbial community associated with Pinus densiflora were sensitively specialized by Pb-contamination rather than $CO_2$ concentration.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.41 no.2
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• pp.201-210
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• 2008

The mixing treatment process using lime (CaO) and limestone ($CaCO_3$) as the immobilization amendments was applied for heavy metal contaminated filmland soils around Goro abandoned Zn-mine, Korea in the batch and pilot scale continuous column experiments. For the batch experiments, with the addition of 0.5 wt.% commercialized lime or limestone, leaching concentrations of As, Cd, Pb, and Zn from the contaminated filmland soil decreased by 70, 77, 94, and 95 %, respectively, compared to those without amendments. For the continuous pilot scale column experiments, the acryl column (30 cm in length and 20 cm in diameter) was designed and granulated lime and limestone were used. From the results of column experiments, with only 2 wt.% of granulated lime, As, Cd, and Zn leaching concentrations decreased by 63%, 97%, and 98%, respectively. With 2 wt.% of granulated limestone, As leaching concentration reduced from 135.6 to 30.2 ${\mu}g/L$ within 5 months and maintained mostly below 10 ${\mu}g/L$, representing that more than 46% diminution of leaching concentration compared to that without the amendment mixing. For Cd and Zn, their leaching concentrations with only 2 wt.% of limestone mixing decreased by 97%, respectively compared to that without amendment mixing, suggesting that the capability of limestone to immobilize heavy metals in the filmland soil was outstanding and similar to that of lime. From the column experiments, it was investigated that if the efficiency of limestone to immobilize heavy metals from the soil was similar to that of lime, the limestone could be more available to immobilize heavy metals from the soil than lime because of low pH increase and thus less harmful side effect.

• Journal of the Mineralogical Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.281-295
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• 2010

This paper deals with magnetic susceptibility, mineralogy, soil properties (pH, EC, CEC, loss on ignition), iron and manganese oxides, the content and partitioning of heavy metals (As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn), and their mutual relationship in the soil samples of an unpolluted, abandoned mine area, and industrial complex area. The various minerals derived from weathered bedrock were identified by X-ray diffraction in the unpolluted soil samples, except for the magnetic minerals. XRD analysis also revealed the existence of hematite and magnetite related to mine tailings and waste rocks in the abandoned mine area samples. The industrial complex area samples had carbonate minerals, such as calcite and dolomite, that might be due to anthropogenic deposition. The sum of the reducible, oxidizable, and residual fractions was over 80% for the abandoned mine area samples and over 50% for the industrial complex area samples using the sequential extraction method. The industrial complex area samples had a relatively high carbonate fraction that was associated with carbonate minerals. The content of aqua regia-extractable Fe, Mn, As, and Zn had a high positive correlation with the content of the dithionite-citrate-bicarbonate (DCB)-extractable method related to Fe/Mn oxide phases. The 54% and 58% of aqua regia-extractable Fe and As content, respectively, acted together with the concentrations of the DCB-extractable phases. Magnetic susceptibility values of total samples ranged from 0.005 to $2.131{\times}10^{-6}m^3kg^{-1}$. The samples including iron oxide minerals, such as hematite and magnetite, had a high magnetic susceptibility. The magnetic susceptibility showed a significant correlation with the heavy metals, Cd (r=0.544, p<0.05), Cr (r=0.714, p<0.01), Ni (r=0.645, p<0.05), Pb (r=0.703, p<0.01), and Zn (r=0.496, p<0.01), as well as Fe (r=0.608, p<0.01) and Mn (r=0.615, p<0.01). The aqua regia-extractable Fe and Mn content had a significant positive correlation with Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, and Zn. However, the DCB-extractable Fe and Mn content had a significant positive correlation with As and Ni, indicating that the heavy metals were associated with Fe and Mn oxide minerals.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.279-288
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• 2011

Objectives: This study investigated the levels and components of floor-settled dust in two elementary schools located at different sites (one near the Shihwa industrial complex and the other in a rural area) in order to evaluate the amounts of trace metal elements (As, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb and Zn) and microorganisms. Methods: Over twenty settled-dust samples were collected from the two elementary schools. Trace metal elements were extracted from the dust using hydrochloric acid and nitric acid, and the amounts were measured by ICP-OES. Microbiological analysis was performed by bacterial culturing using R2A medium and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Results: The results showed that the amounts of three metal elements (Cr, Pb, and Zn) were significantly different between the schools (${\alpha}$=0.05, p<0.04). In addition, microbial communities in each school were highly correlated with one another. Among the identified microorganisms, a number of potentially opportunistic microorganisms, including antibiotic-resistant bacteria such as Acinetobacter baumannii, were found. Conclusions: This study will provide preliminary data for assessing levels and types of chemical and microbiological agents in elementary schools and for further evaluating human health risks associated with the agents.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.504-513
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• 2009

In this study, the safety of commercial herbal medicines was evaluated by determining concentration of hazardous heavy metals. 3,152 samples (244 types) purchased by individual packing unit from market in Seoul, were analyzed using ICP-MS and mercury analyzer. As a result, the content (mg $kg^{-1}$) of Pb was higher in the above-ground part (0.92) than underground part (0.43). But in case of As and Cd contents, there is slightly higher in the underground-parts (0.26, 0.13) than the above-ground parts (0.18, 0.08). There were many herbal medicines exceeding regulatory limits of Cd comparing with other metals. The levels of Hg seemed to be different between above-ground part(0.009) and underground part (0.008) but there was no sample exceeding tolerance limits. In the comparison of imported samples with domestic herbal medicines, it was shown that Pb, As, and Hg were measured highly in the imported ones, Cd was not significantly different (t-test, p<0.05). The significant correlation was observed between Pb and As (r=0.386, p<0.01) but there was no difference in other parts. The heavy metal contamination of herbal medicines measured in total amount of respective heavy metals (mg $kg^{-1}$) was high in Flos (6.241) and Caulis (2.238), and decreased in the order of Cortex (1.634), Herba (1.154), Perithecium (0.861), Rhizoma (0.828), Radix (0.825), Fructus (0.475), and was low in Semen (0.422) (ANOVA-test, p<0.05).

• Journal of the Society of Cosmetic Scientists of Korea
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• v.39 no.3
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• pp.241-249
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• 2013

This study was aimed to provide the fundamental data about oxidized hair color products. For this reason, we collected 125 oxidized hair color products, which were distributed in domestic market from January to October, 2012, and measured the heavy metal concentrations of lead, arsenic, cadmium, chromium, manganese, nickel, copper in the samples. Results were compared by domestic, foreign, henna, type and color. The average metal concentrations were as follows; 0.211 ${\mu}g/g$ for lead, 0.008 ${\mu}g/g$ for cadmium, 0.051 ${\mu}g/g$ for arsenic, 0.954 ${\mu}g/g$ for chromium, 6.250 ${\mu}g/g$ for manganese, 0.591 ${\mu}g/g$ for nickel and 0.544 ${\mu}g/g$ for copper. In case of lead and arsenic, the concentrations were much less than the regulated amount (20 ${\mu}g/g$ and 10 ${\mu}g/g$, respectively) suggested by MFDS (Ministry of Food and Drug Safety). In henna (p < 0.05), the concentrations were significantly higher than those of other domestic and foreign oxidized hair color products as follows; 1.264 ${\mu}g/g$ for lead, 0.267 ${\mu}g/g$ for arsenic, 0.025 ${\mu}g/g$ for cadmium, 4.055 ${\mu}g/g$ for chromium, 72.044 ${\mu}g/g$ for manganese, 3.076 ${\mu}g/g$ for nickel and 4.640 ${\mu}g/g$ for copper. Statistically, it showed that the heavy metal concentrations were quite different for the different types of hair color products. The cream and liquid type products had the highest average concentration in chromium (0.708 ${\mu}g/g$, 0.478 ${\mu}g/g$, respectively). On the other hand, powder type products showed the highest concentration in manganese (60.041 ${\mu}g/g$). In addition, the concentrations of heavy metals and the color of products are not quite correlated. It was shown that average concentrations of lead and chromium were higher for yellow, chromium for red and pink, manganese for brown and black, and nickel for green.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.130-138
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• 2017

This study examined chemical characterization in commercial dark-fleshed fish (mackerel Scomber japonicus, Japanese Spanish mackerel Scomberomorus niphonius, and Pacific herring Clupea pallasii) to determine their suitability for use as raw materials for seafood products. The volatile basic nitrogen (VBN), heavy metal, radioactivity, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), benzo[a]pyrene, and histamine concentrations were measured. The VBN in all of the dark-fleshed fish was less than 20 mg/100 g, which is the limit for raw materials for seafood processing. Except for mackerel based on the lead (Pb) standards of the European Union (EU), Taiwan, and CODEX, and all fish based on the cadmium (Cd) standards for China and the EU, the commercial dark-fleshed fish were free from total mercury (Hg), Pb, and Cd based on domestic and foreign standards. The radioactivity, polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB), benzo[a]pyrene, and histamine concentrations of the commercial dark-fleshed fish all adhered to the domestic and foreign standards. The commercial dark-fleshed fish tested could all be used as raw materials for seafood products, except for some exported products.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Crop Science Conference
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• 2017.06a
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• pp.144-144
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• 2017

Micronutrients such as zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) have important roles for development and growth in plants but it also have roles in animals and humans. In previous studies, a Korean weedy rice, KH2J was selected to have tolerance to heavy metal, lead (Pb) compared with a cultivar, Milyang23. To identify QTLs for micronutrients concentration in grain, an F2 population (120 plants) were developed from a cross between KH2J and an indica rice cultivar, Milyang23. To measure the concentration of eight ions, Zn, Fe, Mn, Pb, calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As), grains were collected and digested with 65% nitric acid, and the ion contents were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. A total 27 putative quantitative trait loci (QTLs) were detected on 12 chromosomes by single point analysis and 22 putative QTLs were detected by composite interval mapping. The co-locations of QTL for Zn, Fe and Mn were observed on chromosome 5. The QTLs for Cd, Cu and Zn were co-localized on chromosome 10, and QTLs for Zn, As and Mn was on chromosome 12. The Zn concentration in F2 generation showed significant correlation with concentrations of As (r = -0.4), Cu (r = 0.5) and Fe (r = 0.2) (P < 0.01). Also, the Ca concentration was significantly related with Mn and Fe concentrations (P < 0.01). Fine mapping of these QTLs is underway to analyze their functional relationship.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 1979

A bacterial strain which showed a remarkable tolerance against cadmium was isolated from waste water and identified as a member of Staphylococcus aureus. Heavy metal ions, at the concentration of 10 ppm and other than cadmium, inhibited at least by 30 per cent of turbidometric growth of the organism. The organism exhibited a normal pattern of growth with increasing concentration of cadmium up to 50 ppm. However, they were unable to grow in the concomitant presence of cadmium higher than 500 ppm. In spite of the drastic growth inhibition of cadmium, the organism was able to grow even in the concomitant presence of 500 ppm cadmium when it was previously cultivated for 15 hours with exposing to 10 ppm cadmium or lead.