• Journal of Climate Change Research
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.291-302
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• 2015

Vulnerability due to climate change depends on the concentration of carbon dioxide emissions over several upcoming decades. The objective of this study is to estimate the concentration of greenhouse gases and air pollutants in 2100, while also accounting for expected socio-economic changes in Korea. First, we intend to prepare scenarios for possible socioeconomic changes in Korea: business as usual (BAU), high growth and low growth. Secondly, we aim to predict services demands in residential?commercial sector, transportation sector, industrial sector for each scenarios. Finally, the emissions of LLGHG and SLCP will be estimated on the basis of the predicted service demands. The study results project that in Korea, LLGHG emissions will be approximately $660Mt\;CO_2\;eq$. and SLCP emissions will be approximately 3.81 Mt, -including black carbon (BC) by 2100. The transportation and industrial sectors are the major source for LLGHG emissions, and the residential and commercial sector serve as the SLCP source. Later, additional studies on the cost and benefit of mitigation should be carried out by comparing the reduced use of materials that cause climate change as a result of reduction policies and the socioeconomic cost.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.2
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• pp.75-85
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• 2022

Background: Various types of semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) exist in the public's living environment. They occur in different forms in terms of their physical and chemical properties and partition coefficients. As a consequence, indoor exposure to SVOCs occurs via various routes, including inhalation of air and airborne particles, skin contact, and dust intake. Objectives: To propose a method for assessing human exposure to the SVOCs occurring in the air of an indoor environment, the concentrations of SVOCs in house dust and organic films measured in a real residential environment were estimated in terms of gas-phase concentration using the partition coefficient. Assessment of inhalation exposure to SVOCs was performed using this method. Methods: Phthalates were collected from samples of house dust and organic films from 110 households in a real residential environment. To perform an exposures assessment of the phthalates present in organic films, gas-phase concentration was calculated using the partition coefficient. The airborne gas-phase concentrations of phthalates from the house dust and organic films were estimated and exposure assessment was performed based on the assumption of inhalation exposure from air. Results: As a result of the exposure assessment for gas-phase phthalates from house dust and organic films, preschool children showed the highest level of inhalation of phthalates, followed by school children, adults, and adolescents. Conclusions: This study includes the limitation of not considering different SVOCs exposure pathways in the health impact assessment, including those of phthalates in the indoor living environment. However, this study has the significance of performing exposure assessment based on exposure to SVOCs present in indoor air that originated from organic films in the indoor residential environment. Therefore, the results of this study should be useful as basic data for exposure and health risk assessments of SVOCs associated with organic films in the indoor environment.

• Annals of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
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• v.35
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• pp.31.1-31.10
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• 2023

Background: With modernization, air pollution has become increasingly serious, and its effects on health have been revealed. As a result, public interest in environmental pollution has become critical for regulating air pollution. In our study, we aim to evaluate the impact of air pollution levels on public attention to environmental issues and examine whether awareness of the residential environment's impact on health acts as a mediator in this relationship. Methods: We conducted an analysis on 400 individuals surveyed in the preliminary feasibility study on adverse health effects in the Pohang Industrial Complex, to examine the relationship between particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5) and attention to environmental issues. Logistic regression analysis was performed, and mediation analysis was used to determine whether awareness of the residential environment's impact on health mediated the relationship. Results: The logistic regression analysis results showed that PM2.5 levels were associated with attention to environmental issues (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3-3.5; p = 0.003) and awareness of health impacts (AOR: 3.4; 95% CI: 1.6-7.1; p = 0.001). The PM2.5 levels showed 9.9% (95% CI: 5.4-14.0) increase in the prevalence of high attention to environmental issues, of which, only 1.0% (95% CI: 0.2-2.3) were mediated by health impact awareness. In the overall analysis, 10% of the total effect of PM2.5 on attention to environmental issues was mediated by health impact awareness. Conclusions: According to this study's results, there was a correlation between air pollution levels and attention to environmental issues. Awareness of the health impacts of air pollution partially mediated the effect of air pollution levels on attention to environmental issues. In future studies, it is recommended to identify other mediators to further understand this structure.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.469-480
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• 2012

This study was to analyze the characteristics of diurnal variation of high $PM_{2.5}$ concentration, $PM_{2.5}/PM_{10}$ concentration ratio by spatio-temporal wind system (wind speed and wind direction) for high $PM_{2.5}$ concentration (over the 24 hr environmental standard of $PM_{2.5}$, $50{\mu}g/m^3$) in the air quality observation sites (Jangrimdong: Industrial area, Jwadong: Residential area) that were measured for 3 years (2005. 12. 1-2008. 11. 30) in Busan. The observation days of high $PM_{2.5}$ concentration were 182 at Jangrimdong and 27 at Jwadong. The seasonal diurnal variation of hourly mean of high $PM_{2.5}$ concentration and of $PM_{2.5}/PM_{10}$ concentration ratio showed a similar pattern that had higher variation at dawn, and night and in the morning than in the afternoon. Durning daytime in summer at Jwadong, the $PM_{2.5}/PM_{10}$ concentration ratio increased because a secondary particulate matter, which was created by photochemical reaction, decreased the coarse particles of $PM_{10}$ more than the fine particles of $PM_{2.5}$ concentrations in ocean condition. We did an analysis of spatio-temporal wind system (wind speed range and wind direction) in each time zone. The result showed that high $PM_{2.5}$ concentration at Jangrimdong occurred due to the congestion of pollutants emissions from the industrial complex in Jangrimdong area and the transportation of pollutants from places nearby Jangrimdong. It also showed that high $PM_{2.5}$ concentration occurred at Jwadong because of a number of local residential and commercial activities that caused the congestion of pollutants.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.14 no.11
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• pp.1057-1062
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• 2005

The present study investigated runoff characteristics of non-point pollutants and discharge load amount according to the land utilization in Yeinam river basin. The land utilization of target basin was divided into paddy field, dry field, forest, residential area and composition area. The study on the runoff characteristics of non-point pollutants by rainfall-runoff process showed that COD, SS and T-P had the first-flushing effect with relatively high concentration in early-stage of the rainfall-runoff process, but the T-P revealed similar runoff characteristics. Event Mean Concentration(EMC) of BOD and COD according to the land utilization revealed the range of $3.11\~15.50mg/L$ and $3.37\~33.42mg/L$, and the highest concentration of EMC corresponding to BOD and COD was detected in the paddy field. The EMC of SS showed $1.7\~305.02mg/L$ and it's highest concentration was found in the dry field. The EMC of T-N and T-P represented the highest concentration in the paddy field and dry field with range of $0.91\~8.76mg/L$ and $0.02\~0.44mg/L$.

• Journal of Korean Society for Atmospheric Environment
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.406-417
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• 2018

In this study, $PM_{2.5}$ samples were collected during approximately 3 years in Chuncheon, a small residential and tourist city, in Korea. The average $PM_{2.5}$ concentration was $26.9{\mu}g/m^3$, exceeding the annual national air quality standard. $PM_{2.5}$ showed typical seasonal variation, having higher concentration in winter and lower concentration in summer. Sixteen metallic elements in $PM_{2.5}$ were also analyzed, and K was the highest contributor especially in late fall and winter. In addition, K considerably increased for the top 10% of $PM_{2.5}$ samples and showed the highest correlation coefficient with $PM_{2.5}$ among all other metallic elements. These results suggest that the combustion of agricultural residue and other biomass, the major source of K was likely to be important to high $PM_{2.5}$ concentration events in this city. Crustal elements including Al, Fe, Si, Ti, Mg showed high concentration in spring while Cr, Cu and Ni were relatively consistent throughout a year. Principal component analysis was used to trace the sources, and soil re-suspension, combustion of biomass and fossil fuels, and asphalt concrete production were identified as the main sources of $PM_{2.5}$.

• Journal of Radiation Protection and Research
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• v.45 no.3
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• pp.101-107
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• 2020

Background: An important lesson learned from the Fukushima accident is that the transition to the mid- and long-term phases from the emergency-response phase requires less than a year, which is not very long. It is necessary to know how much radioactive material has been deposited in an urban area to establish mid- and long-term countermeasures after a radioactive accident. Therefore, an urban deposition model that can indicate the site-specific characteristics must be developed. Materials and Methods: In this study, the generalized urban deposition velocity and the subsequent variation in radionuclide contamination were estimated based on the characteristics of the Korean urban environment. Furthermore, the application of the obtained generalized deposition velocity in a hypothetical scenario was investigated. Results and Discussion: The generalized deposition velocities of ¹³⁷Cs, ¹⁰⁶Ru, and ¹³¹I for each residence type were obtained using three-dimensional (3D) modeling. For all residence types, the deposition velocities of ¹³¹I are greater than those of ¹⁰⁶Ru and ¹³⁷Cs. In addition, we calculated the generalized deposition velocities for each residential types. Iodine was the most deposited nuclide during initial deposition. However, the concentration of iodine in urban environment drastically decreases owing to its relatively shorter half-life than ¹⁰⁶Ru and ¹³⁷Cs. Furthermore, the amount of radioactive material deposited in nonresidential areas, especially in parks and schools, is more than that deposited in residential areas. Conclusion: In this study, the generalized urban deposition velocities and the subsequent deposition changes were estimated for the Korean urban environment. The 3D modeling was performed for each type of urban residential area, and the average deposition velocity was obtained and applied to a hypothetical accident. Based on the estimated deposition velocities, the decision-making systems can be improved for responding to radioactive contamination in urban areas. Furthermore, this study can be useful to predict the radiological dose in case of large-scale urban contamination and can support decision-making for long-term measurement after nuclear accident.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.3
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• pp.279-291
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• 2021

Objectives: This study investigated the association between air pollutant levels and medical usage rates for environmental disease in a general residential area during the period 2015-2017. Methods: Air pollutant (PM₁₀, PM_2.5, SO₂, NO₂, CO, O₃) data were collected from Air-Korea. Medical usage data on environmental disease (asthma, allergic rhinitis, atopic dermatitis) for the period 2015-2017 in a general residential area in Gyeongsangnam-do Province were provided by the National Health Insurance Corporation. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis were conducted to investigate the association between air pollutant levels and medical usage rates (SAS 9.4). In the multiple regression analysis, environmental disease was set as the dependent variable and air pollutants were set as independent variables and analyzed using the General Linear Model. Results: Except for PM_2.5, the average concentration of air pollutants in the surveyed area was below than the air environment standards of Korea. NO₂ was higher than Korea's national average, but CO was similar. The others were lower than the Korea's national average. The daily medical usage rates for environmental disease were 1.38‰ for asthma, 9.90‰ for allergic rhinitis, and 0.32‰ for atopic dermatitis. As a result of correlation analysis, PM₁₀ and SO₂, NO₂ and CO were significantly correlated with asthma, PM₁₀ and NO₂ and CO were correlated with allergic rhinitis, and PM₁₀ and PM_2.5, SO₂, NO₂ and CO were correlated with atopic dermatitis. As a result of multiple regression analysis, PM₁₀ and SO₂ were found to have a higher effect on asthma, PM₁₀ and NO₂ on allergic rhinitis, and SO₂ and NO₂ on atopic dermatitis, compared to other air pollutants. Conclusion: According to these results, air pollutants such as PM₁₀ and SO₂ and NO₂ were associated with the medical usage rates of environmental disease even in relatively low concentrations. Therefore, continuous monitoring will be required for general residential areas.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.190-204
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• 2003

The PM (particulate matter) concentration data sets exceeding the Daily Air Quality Guidance Levels (i.e., established by the Korean Ministry of Environment) were selected from 31 air qality monitoring stations in Seoul from 1990 to 2000. (For reference, the 24hr environmental standard values of PM$_{10}$ and TSP are 150 and 300${\mu}$g/m$^{3}$, respectively.) When the data sets were compared between land use types, both PM fractions were exceeded most frequently in residential areas. However, the highest TSP concentration was measured at industrial areas (351.0${\pm}$35.9${\mu}$g m$^{3}$), while the highest PM$_{10}$ concentration was measured in residential areas (182.9${\pm}$42.4${\mu}$g m$^{3}$). When the temporal distribution patterns of the exceedance data sets were compared to those measured routinely (without any discrimination based on exceedance criteria), large differences were present. It was demonstrated that the occurrences of exceedance data sets increased rather significantly in recent years.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.237-244
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• 2019

Background: Street vendors spend relatively more time near roadways and are vulnerable to air pollution related health disorders. However, there is limited information on the quality of the air they breathe. The objectives of this present study were to calculate the mass concentration of atmospheric particulate matter (PM) in eight size fractions ($PM_{0.4-0.7}$, $PM_{0.7-1.1}$, $PM_{1.1-2.1}$, $PM_{2.1-3.3}$, $PM_{3.3-4.7}$, $PM_{4.7-5.8}$, $PM_{5.8-9.0}$, and $PM_{9.0--0{\mu}m}$) at commercial (CML) and residential site (RSL) in Dehradun city from November 2015 to May 2016. To estimate the corresponding respiratory deposition dose (RDDs) in alveolar (AL), tracheobronchial (TB), and head airway (HD) region on street vendors working at CML and RSL. To find the association of atmospheric PM with RDDs and the incidence of respiratory related disorders among street vendors. Methods: Andersen cascade impactor was employed for calculating the PM mass concentration. Questionnaire based health survey among street vendors were carried out through personal interview. Results: A significant difference (p < 0.05; t-test) between the mean $PM_{0.4-10{\mu}m}$ mass concentration at CML and RSL was observed with ($mean{\pm}SD$) $84.05{\pm}14.5$ and $77.23{\pm}11.7{\mu}g\;m^{-3}$, respectively. RDDs in AL, TB and HD region at CML was observed to be 9.9, 7.8, and 7.3% higher than at RSL, respectively. Health survey revealed 1.62, 0.96, 0.04, and 0.57 times higher incidence of cold, cough, breathlessness, and chest pain, respectively with street vendors at CML compared to RSL. Conclusion: The site characteristics plays a major role in the respiratory health status of street vendors at Dehradun.