• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.6 no.5
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• pp.436-443
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• 2012

Previous Korean total diet studies (KTDSs) have estimated dietary exposure to toxic chemicals based on 110-120 representative foods selected from over 500 foods appeared in the Korea National Health & Nutrition Examination Surveys (KNHANES), which would result in a possible underestimation. In order to find measures for a closer-to-real estimate of dietary exposure to heavy metals, this study examined the feasibility of mapping foods to the representative foods in the KTDS by comparing estimates. In mapping, those foods not analyzed in the 2009 KTDS (443 out of 559 foods appeared in the 2007 KNHANES) were mapped to the 114 representative foods used in the 2009 KTDS based on the closeness in regards to biological systematics and morphological similarity. Dietary exposures to total mercury and lead were re-estimated using the content of total mercury and lead in 114 foods analyzed in the 2009 KTDS, food intake, and individual's own body weight for respondents in the 2007 KNHANES instead of mean body weight of Koreans used in the 2009 KTDS. The re-estimates of exposure with mapping were approximately 50% higher than the original estimates reported in the 2009 KTDS. In addition, mapping enabled the comparison of percentile distribution of the exposure among populations of different age groups. In conclusion, estimates via mapping resulted in a more comprehensive estimation of dietary exposure to heavy metals present in foods that Koreans consume.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.38 no.3
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• pp.158-163
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• 2023

This study aimed to determine mercury (Hg), methylmercury (MeHg), and selenium (Se) levels in deep-sea fishes distributed in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. Concentrations of Hg, MeHg, and Se were measured by using a mercury analyzer and Inductively Coupled Plasma - Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS). The average content (mg/kg) in the seafood samples was as follows: Hg, 0.7647 (0.0182-5.3620), MeHg, 0.0764 (0.0096-0.8750), and Se, 0.4728 (0.1075-3.5100). All the levels of MeHg were below the recommended standards of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety i.e., <1.0 mg/kg. Recent studies have shown that Se prevents Hg toxicity. The average daily intake in humans was 3.3 ㎍/kg, which was lower than the recommended amount (50-200 ㎍/person/day). The weekly intake of Hg and MeHg was calculated to be 6.07% and 1.90%, respectively, of the provisional tolerable weekly intake (PTWI). This study showed that the weekly intake of Hg and MeHg from abyssal fish was less than the PTWI recommended by the Joint FAO/WHO expert committee on food additives. Therefore, the levels reported in this study are presumed to be adequately safe.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.67-74
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• 1983

An experimental study was carried out to determine the degree of contamination of cyanide and metals in each stork's (Ciconia c. boyciana) organ. The samples used for this experiment were gullet, respiratory tract, stomach content, rectum, lung, liver, heart, pancreas, gall, kidney, and muscles. Those samples were isolated by Conway microdiffusion method and determined by UV spectrophotometry for the cyanide, on the other hand, the samples for metals were dissolved by mercury digestion apparatus and analyzed by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The results are as follows: 1) The quantities of cyanide accumulated in each organ were from 0.05 to 2.57 ppm and concentration of those in tissues was in order of 2.57 ppm in stomach content, 2.13 ppm in lung, 1.58 ppm in kidney, 1.22 ppm in gall, 0.52 ppm in pancreas, 0.32 ppm in heart, 0.25 ppm in rectum, 0.20 ppm in gullet, 0.19 ppm in liver, 0.07 ppm in muscles and 0.05 ppm in respiratory tract. 2) The calcium content is in a range of 10.89-105.74 ppm, iron is 2.47-557.70 ppm, zinc is 2.37-23.62 ppm, cupper is < 0.1- 1.76 ppm and cadmium, nickel, cobalt and lead is beyond 0.5 ppm, respectively.

• Journal of the Korean Ceramic Society
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• v.50 no.5
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• pp.341-347
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• 2013

Kaolin-based membranes with a pore size of 0.30-0.40 ${\mu}m$ were successfully prepared by a simple pressing route using low-cost starting materials, kaolin and sodium borate. The prepared green bodies were sintered at different temperatures ranging between 900 and $1200^{\circ}C$. The sintered membranes were characterized by X-ray diffraction, mercury porosimetry, scanning electron microscopy, and capillary flowmetry. It was observed that the porosity decreased with an increase in both the sintering temperature and the sodium borate content, whereas the flexural strength increased with an increase in both the sintering temperature and the sodium borate content. The air flow rate decreased with an increase in the sodium borate content. The typical porosity, flexural strength, and specific flow rate of the kaolin-based membrane sintered with 5 wt% sodium borate at $1100^{\circ}C$ were 37%, 19 MPa, and $1{\times}10^{-3}L/min/cm^2$, respectively, at a p of 30 psi.

• Journal of Environmental Impact Assessment
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.453-460
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• 2009

In order to provide fundamental data for developing high-grade(high-quality and low-pollution) Refuse Derived Fuel(RDF), we analyzed caloric value and HCl content by Municipal Solid Waste(MSW) type. The caloric value was analyzed using calorimeter and HCl content was analyzed using mercury(II) thiocyanate method. In case of paper type the caloric value was 3,060~3,608kcal/kg and the HCl content was 239~6,135ppm. In case of vinyl-plastics the caloric value was 5,946~9,888kcal/kg and the HCl content was 429~455,771ppm. According to the result of quality assessment by MSW type, the calroric value of vinyl-plastics type was showed higher than that of paper type and in case of HCl content the paper type was showed lower than vinyl-plastics type. So, We mixed paper and plastic wastes. The caloric value of mixed MSW(paper and plastics) was 5,046~9,125kcal/kg and the HCl content was 239~6,135ppm. Also, The caloric value of packaging waste(film-plastics) was 5,982~8,045kcal/kg. Therefore It is possible to develop high-grade Refuse Derived Fuel through suitable mixing of paper and plastic in municipal solid waste.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.217-221
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• 2017

BACKGROUND: For the food safety of cultivated mushroom, information on the safety of agricultural by-products imported as medium substrates for mushroom cultivation is urgently needed. Therefore, this study was performed to detect the presence of heavy metals, residual pesticides, and nutrient component in the imported medium substrates. METHODS AND RESULTS: Six kinds of medium substrates imported from nine countries from 2015 to 2017 were investigated. A mercury analyzer MA-2000 and an inductively coupled plasma spectrometer OPTIMA 7000DV were used to analyze mercury, lead, arsenic, copper, nickel and cadmium. All of these heavy metals were detected at lower level than heavy metal tolerance standard level of by-product fertilizer in Korea. When 246 kinds of residual pesticides were examined by GC and HPLC, imidacloprid, thiamethoxam and carbendazim were detected from Egyptian beet pulp, Indian cottonseed meal and cottonseed hull, respectively. The content of nutrient components (water, crude ash, crude fat, crude protein and crude fiber) varied among imported countries and the medium substrates. CONCLUSION:The presence of heavy metals and residual pesticides in imported medium substrates for mushroom cultivation was confirmed. For the safe production of mushroom, this study shows that imported medium materials for mushroom cultivation need to be managed through continuous monitoring.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.36 no.3
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• pp.276-282
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• 2003

Using Megabalanus rosa a sessile filterfeeder, its scope for growth (SFG) by analysis of energy budget were examined and free amino acids composition of whole body tissue were analyzed under the exposure to different concentrations of Hg Cu and Cd. The $96\;hr-LC_{50}$ of the barnacle after 96 hr exposure to Hg, Cu, and Cd were 0.220, 0.269 and $1.380\;mgL^{-1}$, respectively. Hg and Cu showed stronger toxicity than Cd, while Hg and Cu had similar influence on the survival of the barnacle. SFG of the barnacles exposed to sublethal concentrations of mercury was 18.936 $Jgdrywt.^{-1}hr^{-1}$ in control group and as increase of mercury concentration the SFG remarkably reduced to 0.041 $Jgdrywt.^{-1}hr^{-1}\;at\;0.1\;mgL^{-1}$ concentration of Hg. In the case of Cu, the SFG was 29.841 $Jgdrywt.^{-1}hr^{-1}$ in control group and as increase of concentration, the SFG remarkably reduced to -8.304 $Jgdrywt.^{-1}hr^{-1}\;at\;0.1\;mgL^{-1}$ concentration. In Cd the SFG was 15.852 $Jgdrywt.^{-1}hr^{-1}$ in control group, and as increasing concentration, the SFG remarkably reduced to -19.490 $Jgdrywt.^{-1}hr^{-1}\;at\;0.1\;mgL^{-1}.$ Content of free amino acid (FAA) of whole body tissue of the barnacle was 45084 $mgkg^{-1}$ in control group, but it was reduced remarkably to 28,130, 37,500 and 37,106 $mgkg^{-1}$ at 0.1 $mgL^{-1}$ concentration of Hg and Cu, and 0.4 $mgL^{-1}$of Cd, respectively. Sum of threonine + serine was 1,334 $mgkg^{-1}$ if control but reduced remarkably to 1,223, 849 and 888 $mgkg^{-1}$ at 0.1 $mgL^{-1}$ of Hg and Cu, and 0.4 $mgL^{-1}$ of Cd, respectively.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.254-264
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• 2005

This study was conducted to estimate the contents of heavy metals 'Hg, Cd, Pb, As, Zn, Cu, Cr, Mn' in some vegetables which were produced in Korea. The levels of heavy metals were determined using a mercury analyzer, an ICP(inductively coupled plasma spectrometer) and an AAS(atomic absorption spectrophotometer) after wet digestion. The values of heavy metals "mean(mini.~maxi.)" ppm(mg/kg) in some vegetables(raw of perilla leaf, chard, small water dropwort, water dropwort, kale, bud of aralia, pumpkin(round type) and pumpkin(long type) were as follows : Hg : 0.0021(0.0006~0.0054)mg/kg, Cd : 0.0035(ND*~0.0377)mg/kg, Pb : 0.0191(0.0023~0.0928)mg/kg, As : 0.0757(ND~0.5294)mg/kg, Zn : 2.6299(0.4478~6.8567)mg/kg, Cu : 1.0261(0.2046~8.9417)mg/kg, Cr : 0.1535 (0.0240~0.4982)mg/kg, Mn : 3.2476(0.3283~9.8280)mg/kg. This results showed that Mn was generally simillar to previous reports and Cd, Hg, Pb were lower than other reseaches, but As was little higher or Zn, Cu, Cr were higher than the levels of those reported contents in some vegetables on domestic supermarkets in Korea, Although tolerable limit of Hg and Cd is not in a regulation of WHO/FAO, these mean levels(Pb, As, Zn, Cu) are lower than recommended levels of WHO/FAO, Pb "0.1~2.0" mg/kg, As "1.0" mg/kg, Zn "5.0" mg/kg and Cu "0.1~50"mg/kg from vegetables in 'the tolerable contents of food' by the FAO/WHO, therefor some vegetables has set to evaluate their safeties.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.132-137
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• 2001

To know a degree of pollution in agricultural products cultivated around 4 unworked mines located in Chollanam-Do, we investigated a concentration of trace metal to provide the basic data for its residual limits. 28 samples of seven kinds of agricultural products (lettuce, onion. potato, radish, pepper. pumpkin, bean) collected from 4 unworked mines located in Chollanam-Do in 1999 were analyzed by Mercury Analyzer for mercury and Atomic Absorption spectrophotometer for Pb, As, Cd. Cu, Mn, and Zn. Hg contents were detected N.D. ∼trace level (0.01 ppm and less) and As contents were detected N.D. ∼ 0.038 ppm but most of samples were not detected. Cd contents were detected N.D∼0.101 ppm. The results of Hg, As, Pb and Cd content showed that for all the 7 species of agricultural products studied, none have accumulated levels dangerous enough to pose health problems. The average contents of Cu were 4.356∼10.624 rpm in bean. the Mn were 4.332∼24.385 ppm in lettuce and the Zn were 4.072 ∼ 20.715 ppm in bean, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.55 no.4
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• pp.431-436
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• 2022

For the safety assessment of microbiological and chemical hazards in katsuobushi, fifteen samples of katsuobushi were purchased from supermarkets. The contamination levels of total viable bacteria, coliforms, Escherichia coli, and nine pathogenic bacteria [Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp., Listeria monocytogenes, Bacillus cereus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Clostridium perfringens, Enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), Yersinia enterocolitica and Campylobacter jejuni/coli] were quantitatively or qualitatively assessed. Additionally, the heavy metals (total and methyl mercury) content, radioactivity (¹³¹ I, ¹³⁴ Cs⁺ and ¹³⁷ Cs) were quantitatively assessed. Microbial and chemical analyses were performed using standard methods in Korean food code. The contamination level of total viable bacteria was 2.70 (1.18-4.42) log CFU/g. Coliforms, E. coli and S. aureus were not detected in any samples. Other eight pathogenic bacteria were negative in all samples. The contamination levels of total and methyl mercury were 0.366 (0.227-0.481) and 0.120 (0.002-0.241) mg/kg, respectively. In addition, radioactivity was not detected in any samples. The results will be helpful in revitalizing domestic use and boosting exports of katsuobushi because the microbiological and chemical safety of katsuobushi has been assured. Furthermore, the results may be used as a basis for performing chemical and microbial risk assessments of katsuobushi.