• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.1-11
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• 2017

This study was conducted to investigate the performance of four commercial chemical agents in stabilizing arsenic (As) in soil at the forest area near the former Janghang smelter site. After amending the stabilizing agents (A, B, C, and D) into As-contaminated soil samples, synthetic precipitation leaching procedure (SPLP) and solubility bioavailability research consortium (SBRC)-extractable As concentrations significantly decreased except for agent D, which is mainly composed of fly ash and calcium carbonate. Increase of SPLP and SBRC-extractable As concentrations in four soil samples (S1, S2, S3, and J2) was attributed to desorption of As adsorbed on iron oxides due to high pH generated by agent D. It is therefore necessary to consider application conditions according to soil characteristics such as pH and buffering capacity. Results of sequential extraction showed that readily extractable fractions of As in soil (i.e., sum of $SO_4-$ and $PO_4-extractable$ As in soil) were converted into non-readily extractable fractions by amending agents A, B, and C. Such changes in the As distribution in soil resulted in the decrease of SPLP and SBRC-extractable As concentration. A series of follow-up monitoring and management plan has been suggested to assess the longevity of the stabilization treatments in the site.

• Journal of agricultural medicine and community health
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• v.42 no.1
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• pp.13-23
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• 2017

Objectives: This study was conducted to evaluate a relationship between the blood concentrations of toxic metals and the blood pressure in people living near the copper smelter. Methods: The study included 570 adults living within 4km of the smelter. We compared systolic and diastolic blood pressure between tertiary groups for blood cadmium, mercury and lead levels, respectively. Multiple regression analysis was performed to identify risk factors affecting systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Results: In male subjects, there is a significant difference in the mean of systolic and diastolic blood pressure between tertiary groups of blood cadmium and mercury levels, but in women, there was no significant difference in the mean systolic and diastolic blood pressures in all tertiary groups of heavy metals. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that age, BMI, and cadmium concentration in men were risk factors for blood pressure. In women, age and BMI, drinking and smoking, and blood mercury were significantly influenced to blood pressure. Conclusions: Residents living near the Janghang smelter showed high concentrations of blood lead and cadmium, suggesting that they were exposed to high concentrations of heavy metals released from the smelter in the past. Such exposure may have caused some blood pressure increase. Especially, the concentration of cadmium in the case of men and the concentration of mercury in blood in the case of women were found to be significantly related to the increase of blood pressure. The local population should be advised to make efforts to reduce exposure to environmental contaminants, in order to minimize cardiovascular disease, and to pay close attention to any health problems possibly related to toxic metal exposure.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.333-339
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• 2013

This study was conducted to build up the inventories of Pb isotopic compositions of major Pb pollution sources in South Korea. Since non-ferrous metal smelters are one of major anthropogenic sources, two smelters for zinc, each one of smelter for lead and copper were selected for the study. The Pb concentrations and isotopic compositions of metal ores, wastewater, sludge, metal rod and produced sulfuric acid were analysed to understand the Pb isotopic patterns in environment. The isotopic ratio, $^{206}Pb/^{207}Pb$, of zinc ores from zinc smelter were in the range of 1.179~1.198 and the ratio of waste, flue gas and products samples were 1.105~1.147. This results implied that the isotopic patterns of output samples showed mixing patterns between two distinct metal ore soerces. In 2011, major importing countries of zinc ore were Australia, Peru and Mexico. Thus Pb isotopic patterns from zinc smelter is originated from the mixing patterns between less radiogenic Australian ores and more radiogenic South America's ores. Lead smelters also showed the same mixing patterns with those of zinc smelters. However copper smelter showed same Pb isotopic patterns with more radiogenic South America's ores.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.336-347
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• 1985

Soils and rice plants subject to smoke from the Jang-hang Smelter were samples at two depths to assess the nature and extend of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn contamination, particularly with respect to distance from pollution source. Soils at east site within 1km of the center of the smelter were highly contaminated with Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn. Metal levels in the smoke-polluted area were higher in surface soil than in subsurface soil, and decreased rapidly with distance reaching nearly background levels at 5km from pollution source. A position correlation was found between contents of total and 0.1 N HCl-extractable, or 1.0N $CH_3COONH_4$- extractable heavy metals in surface soils of pollution. Contents of heavy metals in soils were positively correlated with soil organic matter and cation exchange capacity. The contents of heavy metals in brown rice collected from the paddy field around the Jang-hang Smelter were in the range of 0.23-1.33 ppm for Cd, 2.39-6.25 for Cu, 0.95-8.32 ppm for Pb and 14.60-27.31 for Zn. The contents of Cd, Cu, and Zn in rice straw were positively correlated with those in the brown rice. Negative correlation was found between the contents of Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn in brown rice and the distance from the source.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.48 no.4
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• pp.236-243
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• 2022

Background: In the case of multiple exposures to different types of heavy metals, such as the conditions faced by residents living near a smelter, it would be preferable to group hazardous substances with similar characteristics rather than individually related substances and evaluate the effects of each group on the human body. Objectives: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the utility of factor analysis in the assessment of health effects caused by exposure to two or more hazardous substances with similar characteristics, such as in the case of residents living near a smelter. Methods: Heavy metal concentration data for 572 people living in the vicinity of the Janghang smelter area were grouped based on several subfactors according to their characteristics using factor analysis. Using these factor scores as an independent variable, multiple regression analysis was performed on health effect markers. Results: Through factor analysis, three subfactors were extracted. Factor 1 contained copper and zinc in serum and revealed a common characteristic of the enzyme co-factor in the human body. Factor 2 involved urinary cadmium and arsenic, which are harmful metals related to kidney damage. Factor 3 encompassed blood mercury and lead, which are classified as related to cardiovascular disease. As a result of multiple linear regression analysis, it was found that using the factor index derived through factor analysis as an independent variable is more advantageous in assessing the relevance to health effects than when analyzing the two heavy metals by including them in a single regression model. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that regression analysis linked with factor analysis is a good alternative in that it can simultaneously identify the effects of heavy metals with similar properties while overcoming multicollinearity that may occur in environmental epidemiologic studies on exposure to various types of heavy metals.

• 대한예방의학회:학술대회논문집
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• 1994.02a
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• pp.549-559
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• 1994

A subgroup or workers from a secondary lead smelter was defined to include those with blood lead levels not exceeding $80{\mu}g/100\;ml$ and with no pest history of elevated blood lead. Central nervous system symptoms (tiredness, sleeplessness, irritability, headache) were reported by 55% of the group and muscle and joint pain by 39%. Zinc proteporphyrin (ZPP) levels were elevated in 71% or cases. Low hemoglobin levels (less than 14 gm/l00 ml) were round in more than a third of the workers. While BUN and creatinine were mostly in the normal range, there - nevertheless n correlation between ZPP and both BUN and creatinine. Reduced nerve-conduction velocities were present in 25% or the group; this was not significantly different from findings in Ii control group. The data indicate that n blood level of $80{\mu}g/100\;ml$ is an inappropriate biological guide in the prevention or lead disease.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.31-38
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• 1998

Hydrometallugical process was developed to produce the purified lead nitrate from lead dust mainly composed of lead s sulfate generated from lead-acid battery smelter as by-product. This process consisLed of carbonation process with carbonate s salts, leaching and purification processes. FmaJJy crude lead nitrate purified to produce high-purity product with over 99% Pb $(NO_3)_2$.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.40-48
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• 2016

A siderophore-producing bacterium (i.e., Pseudomonas aeruginosa) capable of chelating Fe³⁺ from its mineral form (i.e., iron oxides) was used to enhance As uptake by plants. Since As in soil is mainly associated with iron oxides, siderophore can play an important role in As mobilization through the dissolution of As-bearing iron oxides. A series of pot experiment using Pteris cretica showed that As removal by P. cretica with siderophore-producing bacteria addition increased more than three times compared to that without bacteria addition. Competition between indigenous bacteria and introduced bacteria (i.e., P. aeruginosa) was also observed, but such competition seemed not to be significant. This study suggests that enhanced-phytoremediation by siderophore-producing bacteria addition could be a visible option for longterm As removal in the forest area at the former Janghang smelter site.

• Journal of Environmental Science International
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.103-116
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• 2022

Heavy metal contaminations were investigated in fishes inhabiting the basins of Andong, Imha and Yeongju dam basins along the upper stream of the Nakdong river. The characteristics of heavy metals contamination in fish were investigated based on sampling sites located in the Andong dam basin. The muscle tissue was analyzed for 267 objects of 26 species from the Andong dam, 50 objects of 17 species from Imha dam, 38 objects of 9 species fromYoungju dam basin.The type and amount of heavy metals concentrated in the body of the fishes was found to be species-dependent. The heavy metal species which contamination increase through the Seokpo smelter are chromium, zinc, cadmium, and lead, and these are very likely the influence of the smelter. The concentration of eight heavy metals in fish from the Andong dam basin was higher than that in fish from the Imha and Youngju dam basins; the values for zinc, arsenic, and cadmium were significantly higher. However, mercury and lead exhibited high values in the Imha and Yeongju dam basins, respectively.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.131-141
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• 1994

To investigate differences in Cd and Zn contents in paddy soils and rice plants polluted by aerial emissions from the Janghang smelter, soil samples in the different directions and at the surface (0-15cm) and subsurface (15-30cm) in 1982 and 1990, and rice plants at the corresponding sampling sites in 1990 were collected from the Janghang Smelter Area. Soil samples were extracted with $4M-HNO_3$ and plant samples were digested with a mixture of $HNO_3$ and $HClO_4$for analyzing by atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The Cd and Zn contents in soils ranged from 0.09 to 4.42 and from 16.0 to 959.5mg $kg^{-1}$, respectively. The average contents of Cd and Zn in 1990 were higher than those in 1982. The Cd and Zn contents of soils near the center of the smelter were higher than those of soils farther from the center and also decreased in the order of east > north-north east > north east > north. The Cd and Zn levels in surface soils were higher than those in subsurface soils. The contaminated areas of Cd and Zn were within 4km in the east, and within 3km in the north-north east and the north east. Metal contents in brawn rice were the lowest in rice plants. The Cd content of brown rice was one sixth of that in leaf blade and in leaf sheath. The Cd content of leaf blade, stem and panicle axis were significantly correlated with the levels of Zn, Cu and Pb in soils, and Zn content of stem was significantly correlated with the levels of Cu and Pb. The Cd and Zn content in brown rice ranged from 0.05 to 0.25mg $kg^{-1}$ and from 10.5 to 30.9㎎ $kg^{-1}$ in the smelter area, respectively.