• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.3-12
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• 1980

Certain heavy metals which may lead peoples to poisonous status are widely used in industry and their uses have been increasing along with rapid industrialization of this country. Such an increasement of metal uses aggravates the status of environmental pollution affecting foodstuffs which are the most important life supporting factor of animal and humanbeing. Concerning the safety measures to minimize food-borne transmission of such hazardous metals, surveillance is the backbone of them and probably more so with a potential problem such as intoxication. Theoretically, this surveillance should include the determination of levels of heavy metal toxicants in foods, the determination of food consumption patterns and typical total diet, and the estimation of total load of the metal contaminant from all sources of exposure including air, water, and occupational sources. In recent year, actually, such estimates on the total daily intake of some heavy metals from foods have been made in several developed countries and a wide variation of date by season, locality, and research method was recognized. Also in this country, this kind of research data is vitally needed to make up for the serious shortage or lack of references to estimate the total amount of heavy metal intake of the people. In this study, a modification model for estimation of the total daily intake of cadmium copper, nickel, zinc, and lead through foods was applied and concentrations of the above metals in crops cultivated in this country were measured with atomic absorption spectro photometer to get the following results. 1. Level of heavy metal concentration in crops Generally, the levels of such metals in essential crops such as rice, cucumber, radish. chinese cabbage, apple, pear, grape, and orange are similar or lower than those in Japan and other developed countries. By the way, a striking result on cadmium concentration was increasement of its concentration in rice from $0{\sim}0.035ppm$ in 1970 to 0.11ppm in this study. However, the value is still far below the. Japanese Permissible Lebel of 1.0ppm. 2. Estimation of total daily intake per capita from foods A new model for estimation was devised utilizing levels of metal concentration in foods, amount of food consumed, and other food factors. Based on the above method, the daily intake of cadmium was estimated to be $70.53{\mu}g/man/day$ in average which was as high as the Limit Value of ILO/WHO(up to $71.4{\mu}g/man/day$). Also, 3.89mg of Zinc, 1.65mg of cuppor, 0.32mg of lead were given as the total daily intake per capita by this research. 3. Efficacy of washing or skinning to decrease the amount of metals in crops After washing the crops sufficiently with commercial linear alkylate sulfonate, the concentration of heavy metals could be reduced to $50{\sim}80%$ showing decreasement rate of $20{\sim}50%$. Also, after skinning the fruits, decreasement rate of the heavy metal concentration shelved $0{\sim}50%$.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.184-189
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• 2013

In the present study, batch experiments were carried out for the utilizatioin of activated carbon as a potential adsorbent to remove a hazardous malachite green from an aqueous solution. The effects of various parameters such as temperature, contact time, initial concentration on the adsorption system were investigated. On the basis of adsorption data Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm model were also confirmed. The equilibrium process was described well by Langmuir isotherm model. From determined separation factor, the activated carbon could be employed as an effective treatment for removal of malachite green. From kinetic experiments, the adsorption process followed the pseudo second order model, and the adsorption rate constant ($k_2$) decreased with increasing both the initial concentration of malachite green and the adsoprtion temperature. Thermodynamic parameters like that activation energy, change of free energy, enthalpy, and entropy were also calculated to predict the adsorption nature. The activation energy calculated from Arrhenius equation indicated that the adsortpion of malachite green on the zeolite was physical process. The negative Gibbs free energy change ($\Delta$G = -3.68~-7.76 kJ/mol) and the positive enthalpy change ($\Delta$H = +26.34 kJ/mol) indicated the spontaneous and endothermic nature of the adsorption in the temperature range of 298~318 K.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.77-95
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• 1986

In 1962 the governing bodies of FAO and WHO approved the establishment of a joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme, the creation of a jointly sponsored body to be known as the Codex Alimentarius commission to implement the Programme. It can reasonably be claimed that the Commission has assumad the leading role in establishing internation food standards throughout the world. The Codex Committee of Food Hygiene has received much advice and assistance from other international organization which have been working in this field for a number of years. In particular, it has received valuable background documentation from the International Commission on Microbiological Specifications for Foods(ICMSF) which was set up by the International Association of Microbiological Societies(IAMS), and also from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Nevertheless, in spite of the information supplied by governments and research bodies in this field, microbiological standards have proved to be a highly controversial subject from the point of view of Codex standards. When it is decided to establish a microbiological standard for a food or class of foods, the following technical and administrative aspects must be considered: 1) The standard should be based on factual studies and serve one or more of the following objectives: (1) to determine the conditions of hygiene under which the food should be manufactured; (2) to minimize the hazards to public health; (3) to measure the keeping quality and storage potential of the food 2) The standard should be attainable under practicable operating and commercial conditions and should not entail the use of excessive heat treatment or the additions of extra preservatives. 3) The standard should be determined after investigation of the processing operation. 4) The standard should be as simple and inexpensive to administer as possible, the number of tests being kept to a minimum. 5) Details of methods to be used for sampling, examining and reporting should accompany all published microbiological standards. 6) In establishing tolerance levels for the permissible number of defective samples, allowance should be made for sampling and other variations due to differences in the laboratory methods. The following additional points should be kept in mind: 1) It is not satisfactory to establish one set of microbiological standards for a miscellaneous group of foods, such as“frozen foods”or“precooked foods”. 2) Microbiological standards should be applied first to the more hazardous types of food on the basis of experience of expected microbiological levels, taking into account variations in composition, processing procedures, and storage. 3) When a standard is established, there should be a definite relationship between the standard and the hazard against which it is meant to protect the public. 4) The sensitivity, reliability, and reproducibility of the sampling and analytical methods should be compared in different laboratories and the methods to be used should be specified in detail as part of the standard. 5) Tolerances should be included in the standard to account for inaccuracies of sampling and analysis. 6) Standards should be applied on a voluntary basis before compliance is made mandatory.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.88-94
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• 1985

In order to investigate the pollution potential of soils after the construction of Onsan Industrial Complex(non-ferrous metal refineries), concentrations of hazardous heavy metals were analyzed for soil samples collected from paddy, upland, orchard and forest soils around the Complex during the period of March 1978 to May 1979. The results are summarized as follows. 1) The concentrations of heavy metals (air-dry basis) for cultivated soil samples from 46 sites were obtained in the range of trace-9.3 ppm As, trace-0.6 ppm Cd, 4${\sim}$22 ppm Cu, trace-0.37 ppm Hg, 6${\sim}$43 ppm Pb and 27${\sim}$93 ppm Zn, which were regarded as non-polluted when compared with the whole Korea data for non-polluted paddy soils. 2) When the heavy metal concentrations were compared with respect to paddy, upland and orchard soils, no significant difference was observed in As, Cd, Cu and Zn whereas significant difference was observed in Hg and Pb. When they were compared with respect to region surrounding the Complex, no significant difference was observed in As, Cd, Hg whereas significant difference was observed in Cu and Pb. 3) Soil samples from several sites near Korea Zinc Refinery were contaminated with Cd, Pb and Zn, due to the accidental emission during its testing operation. Any further contamination was not observed after regular operation of the Refinery.

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.201-205
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• 1998

In Korea, a small proportion of fishery products are contaminated with a considerable amount of potentially hazardous contaminants. So, there is generally a high risks to consumers. Inorganic contaminants with the greatest potential for toxicity are Sb, As, Cd, Pb, Hg, Se and the Sulfides. As appears to be much more variable than the others. This study was performed to assess the levels of the As in fisheries caught from the waters of the western coast of Korea. The samples included 26 kinds of fishes, 18 kinds of Mollusca, 3 kinds of Crustacea and 7 kinds of salted fishes. The Moisture content of molluscans was significantly higher than that of others (p<0.05). And the As contents of crustaceans were significantly higher than those of fishes, molluscans and salted fishes (p<0.05). The As content of Turban shell was 51.62 ppm, which was the highest among the samples. Also, the As contents of eel, cuttle fish and blue crab were found to be higher than in other fisheries. This variability offers a solution for the reduction of exposure to As through restricting the harvest of aquatic organism from the western coast of Korea.

• Proceedings of KOSOMES biannual meeting
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• 2006.05a
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• pp.65-70
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• 2006

The regulation of HNS has been intensified by the international trends including OPRC-HNS Protocol and '96 Convention which was driven by the high amounts of cargo. Due to the characteristics of HNS that would possibly bring potential damage with personnel and assets, effective management and prompt actions are required definitely. In order to respond effectively against HNS accidents, Korea Coast Guard (KCG) is in the process q development of HNS accident response manual and information system which allows On-Scene Coordinator(OSC) and personnels for rescue including an information for hazardous materials, sensitive area to be affected, solution methods and more. Furthermore, KCG is also building up establishment of national and local contingency plans for HNS in accordance with OPRC-HNS Protocol. It is also advised to proceed for the government to solve the anticipated obstacles that include protection equipments to get close to the site, experts allowing to manage accidents and organizations specialized for overall HNS related matters. The proposed issues described above are planned to conducted on basis of government.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Marine Environment & Safety
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.615-623
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• 2020

In order to prevent the dangers of major marine accidents, it is very important to be aware of in advance through marine incidents in the background of Heinrich's law, formulated by the safety pioneer who is credited with focusing on workplace safety with emphasis on the human element. At least 11 cases of collision accidents occurred in the Busan VTS area from January 1st to December 31st, 2019, and 24 cases of VTS marine incidents were reported during the same period. According to Heinrich's law, there could be many more potentially risky situations besides the 24 reported cases. In this study, the criteria for VTS marine incidents were established through advanced research and a survey of VTS operators, and analysis of 24 cases of VTS marine incidents in the Busan VTS area. Traffic surveys were conducted for three days to identify potentially hazardous situations. According to the survey, there were 216 cases of VTS marine incidents, and within a year, it is estimated there could be about 26,280 cases. Even if conditions such as "missing VHF communication feedback" which is an important cause of marine incidents, are not reflected, there are many potential risks in the VTS area. Thus, it is vital to strengthen the VTS marine incident reporting system.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.293-301
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• 2005

We conducted several different leaching experiments for assessing the potential environmental risk when utilizing recycled concrete for stabilizing bridge pier. The methods include continuous batch leaching test (DIN 38414-S4), availability test (NEN 7341), pH-stat test (CEN/TC 292/WG6) and tank diffusion test (NEN 7345). The concentration ranges vary depending on the testing method. Nearly all the trace elements were low, some elements recording under detection limit. The maximum concentrations for trace elements leached throughout the whole tests are (as mg/L); Cd (0.029), Cu (0.437), Pb (0.14), Ni, Zn (0.95), Hg (0.005). Although the testing methods we used in this study are much more rigorous than other commonly adapted method including TCLP and domestic testing method for solid waste, the trace elemental concentrations are under the criteria for hazardous material set by the TCLP and domestic method. The result seems to suggest that applying the recycled concrete on stream water will be accepatable practice as for as trace elements are concerned. However, the influence of inorganics such as Ca, Mg, Ni and $SO_4^{2-}$ on aquatic ecology should be further examined.

• Korean Chemical Engineering Research
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• v.46 no.2
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• pp.376-382
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• 2008

There are many accidents such as fire and explosion in laboratories that have caused a great loss to lives and property in spite of the effort to the enhancement of laboratory safety level for years. Development of laboratory safety management system is a necessary to improve safety level because the accidents of similar types have periodically occurred in laboratories. The laboratory safety management system may reduce many accidents and a serious loss in laboratory. In this study, we summarized major items for a risk management and safety improvement based on the analysis results of various accidents in the laboratories. And then the laboratory safety management system was developed containing a laboratory safety management manual, a laboratory management system, a education management system, a MSDS (material safety data sheet) management system and a laboratory safety audit system. It may have a potential application for the laboratory safety management in the chemical laboratories.

• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.245-253
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• 2006

We evaluated the relations among exposure and urinary levels of Cr, folate, vitamin $B_{12}$ and Hcy levels in the workers chronically exposure to Cr. Subjects were 104 male employees, 65 workers exposed to Cr in 9 electroplating plants and 39 office workers who had never been occupationally exposed to hazardous substances including Cr. The geometric mean(GM) of Cr in workplace was $0.069{\pm}0.101mg/m^3$ and urinary Cr was $0.483{\pm}0.394mg/g$ creatinine and airborne Cr concentration was significantly correlated to the urinary concentration of Cr(r=0.900, p=0.000). The geometric mean concentration of urinary Cr in control group was $0.301{\pm}0.255mg/g$ creatinine. In comparing the workers exposed to Cr with controls, significantly higher mean plasma levels were found of Hcy($11.3{\pm}4.9$ vs $9.4{\pm}4.7{\mu}mol/{\ell}$, p=0.05), but vitamin $B_{12}$ levels ($181.8{\pm}68.7$ vs $216.0{\pm}64.3nmol/{\ell}$, p=0.01) was significantly decreased. Hcy concentrations correlated positively with airborne Cr concentrations(r=0.287, p=0.004) and urinary Cr concentrations(r=0.244, p=0.015) but folate concentrations correlated negatively with airborne(r=-0.234, p=0.020) and urinary Cr concentrations(r=-0.640, p=0.090), respectively. No correlations were observed between vitamin $B_{12}$, airborne and urinary Cr concentrations. Also, Hcy concentrations correlated positively with vitamin $B_{12}$(r=0.295, p=0.0020 and negatively with folate concentrations(r=-0.196, p=0.046). The various biological(i.e. age and serum indicates) or lifestyle factors(i.e. medication, smoking, alcohol and coffee intake), also taken into account as potential confounders, did not influence the correlations found. Thus, this study found evidence that Cr might be associated with elevated plasma levels of Hcy. Furthermore, elevated plasma levels of Hcy were significantly associated with folate and vitamin $B_{12}$ concentration.