• Journal of Korean Society of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.137-145
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• 2014

Objectives: The study examines the relation between urinary arsenic concentration and blood pressure, which is a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Materials: In this study, the urinary arsenic concentration, history of diagnosed disease, and blood pressure of 782 local residents in Gwangyang, Yeosu, and Hadong regions from May 2007 to July 2007. Results: The urinary arsenic concentration of total participants was $9.06{\mu}g/g-ct$. The logistic regression analysis of medical diagnosed history and urinary arsenic concentration, showed statistically significance (p<0.05) of high urinary arsenic concentration in participants with diagnosed hypertension. In addition, diagnosed hypertension it was observed that the high blood pressure was related with the pulse pressure. Conclusions: The arsenic concentration level was low in this study, but the exposure to low levels of arsenic has an effect on hypertension. Also, hypertension is related to pulse pressure and mean arterial blood pressure as well as being risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, close supervision of low -level arsenic exposure is needed.

• Analytical Science and Technology
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.423-427
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• 2000

Total arsenic in drinking water such as spring, small water-supply system and mineral water was determined by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The contents of total arsenic were analyzed after acidification by nitric acid to become 1% in water samples. According to the results, total concentration of arsenic in drinking water was below 30ppb.

• Journal of Preventive Medicine and Public Health
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• v.47 no.5
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• pp.245-252
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• 2014

Arsenic is a unique element with distinct physical characteristics and toxicity whose importance in public health is well recognized. The toxicity of arsenic varies across its different forms. While the carcinogenicity of arsenic has been confirmed, the mechanisms behind the diseases occurring after acute or chronic exposure to arsenic are not well understood. Inorganic arsenic has been confirmed as a human carcinogen that can induce skin, lung, and bladder cancer. There are also reports of its significant association to liver, prostate, and bladder cancer. Recent studies have also suggested a relationship with diabetes, neurological effects, cardiac disorders, and reproductive organs, but further studies are required to confirm these associations. The majority of research to date has examined cancer incidence after a high exposure to high concentrations of arsenic. However, numerous studies have reported various health effects caused by chronic exposure to low concentrations of arsenic. An assessment of the health effects to arsenic exposure has never been performed in the South Korean population; thus, objective estimates of exposure levels are needed. Data should be collected on the biological exposure level for the total arsenic concentration, and individual arsenic concentration by species. In South Korea, we believe that biological exposure assessment should be the first step, followed by regular health effect assessments.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.3183-3188
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• 2015

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of skin lesions, which is a health effect of chronic arsenic (As) exposure, and determine the hair/blood arsenic concentrations of people living in Kutahya villages who are using and drinking tap water with a high concentration of arsenic. Materials and Methods: A total of 303 people were included in the present cross-sectional study. A prepared questionnaire form was used to collect the participants' information and environmental history. Skin examination was performed on all participants. Hair, blood and water samples were analyzed using atomic absorption spectroscopy. The cumulative arsenic index (CAI) was calculated for all participants. Results: Villages were divided into two groups according to the arsenic level (<$20{\mu}g/L$, Group I; >$20{\mu}g/L$, Group II) in their water. The prevalence of skin lesions, hair and blood arsenic level, and CAI were found to be higher in the Group II participants. There was a positive association between body arsenic levels and CAI in the participants of each group. Conclusions: The number of skin lesions and arsenic concentrations in body samples were found to increase with the water arsenic level and exposure time. We hope that sharing this study's results with local administrators will help accelerate the rehabilitation of water sources in Kutahya.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.32 no.11
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• pp.3923-3927
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• 2011

A noble method for pre-concentration and speciation of ultra trace As (III) and As (V) in urine and whole blood samples based on dispersive liquid-liquid microextraction (DLLME) has been developed. In this method, As (III) was complexed with ammonium pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate at pH = 4 and Then, As (III) was extracted into the ionic liquid (IL). Finally, As (III) was back-extracted from the IL with hydrochloric acid (HCl) and its concentration was determined by flow injection coupled with hydride generation atomic absorption spectrometry (FI-HGAAS). Total amount of arsenic was determined by reducing As (V) to As (III) with potassium iodide (KI) and ascorbic acid in HCl solution and then, As (V) was calculated by the subtracting the total arsenic and As (III) content. Under the optimum conditions, for 5-15 mL of blood and urine samples, the detection limit ($3{\sigma}$) and linear range were achieved 5 ng $L^{-1}$ and 0.02-10 ${\mu}g\;L^{-1}$, respectively. The method was applied successfully to the speciation and determination of As (III) and As (V) in biological samples of multiple sclerosis patients with suitable precision results (RSD < 5%). Validation of the methodology was performed by the standard reference material (CRM).

• Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety
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• v.37 no.6
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• pp.385-393
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• 2022

The contamination level of inorganic arsenic, a human carcinogen, was investigated in 87 grains and 66 processed grain foods. Two inorganic arsenic species arsenite (As(III)) and arsenate (As(V)) and four organic arsenic monomethylarsonic acid, dimethylarsinic acid, arsenobetaine, arsenocholine were analyzed using HPLC-ICP/MS with high separation and sensitivity and ICP/MS was used to quantify total arsenic. Inorganic arsenic was detected in all grains. And the total arsenic in grains consists of about 70-85% inorganic arsenic and about 10-20% DMA. The concentration of inorganic arsenic was high in rice and black rice cultivated in paddy soil with irrigated water, while the miscellaneous grain in field was low. Mean concentration of inorganic arsenic in rice germ, brown rice and polished rice was 0.160 mg/kg, 0.135 mg/kg, 0.083 mg/kg, respectively, indicating that rice bran contains more arsenic. In processed grain foods, inorganic arsenic concentration varied according to the kind of ingredients and content, and the detection amount was high in processed food with brown rice and germ. The arsenic content of all samples did not exceed each standard, but the intake frequency is high and it is considered that continuous monitoring is necessary for food safety.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.6
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• pp.497-508
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• 2017

This study aimed to investigate correlations between concentrations of extractable Arsenic (As) with varying chemical solutions (0.1 M $Ca(NO_3)_2$, 0.1 M $(NH_4)2HPO_4$, 0.5 M EDTA, Mehlich 3, and 0.5 M $NaHCO_3$) and those of As in crops, and then to seek the most suitable soil extraction method for predicting the potential of As uptake in crops cultivated in soils contaminated with As. For a mesocosm experiment, pepper (Capsicum annuum L.), soybean (Glycine max L.), and rice (Oryza sativa L.) were cultivated for three months in pots containing soils taken from the arable areas near abandoned mines in Korea. Following the cultivation, soil pH and DOC significantly increased by treatments of lime and lime plus compost, respectively, while insignificant influences in changing total and all extractable As concentrations were found in all soils. Arsenic concentration in edible part of all crops considerably depended on the extractable As concentration in the soils, particularly with Mehlich 3. All extractable As concentrations in the soils of C. annuum and G. max were significantly correlated with As concentration in their edible parts. For O. sativa, the extractable concentrations of Mehlich 3 ($R^2$: 0.18 at p: 0.006) and EDTA ($R^2$: 0.11 at p: 0.036) showed only marked relationships with As concentration in the edible part. These results may indicate that the Mehlich 3 and EDTA are soil extractants to determine phytoavailable As in soil that provide better prediction for As transfer from soil to crop.

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.3.1-3.8
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the changes in growth, hematological parameters, and plasma components of juvenile starry flounder, Platichthys stellatus, following exposure to varying arsenic concentrations present at different water temperatures. P. stellatus (total length, $15.9{\pm}0.4cm$; body weight, $62.2{\pm}4.2g$) were exposed for 4 weeks to waterborne arsenic (sodium arsenite, As) at 0, 150, 300, and $600{\mu}g/L$ at temperatures of $12^{\circ}C$ and $18^{\circ}C$. Toxic effects of As exposure on P. stellatus were higher at the higher temperature and the growth and hematological parameters measured decreased with increasing arsenic concentration, while the concentration of plasma components measured increased. This indicates that waterborne As exposure and water temperature can cause toxic effects on growth, hematological parameters, and plasma components in Platichthys stellatus.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.50 no.2
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• pp.115-126
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• 2017

There is an increasing concern over arsenic (As) contamination in rice. This study was conducted to develope a prediction model for As uptake by rice based on the physico-chemical properties of soil. Soil and brown rice samples were collected from 46 sites in paddy fields near three different areas of closed mines and industrial complexes. Total As concentration, soil pH, Al oxide, available phosphorus (avail-P), organic matter (OM) content, and clay content in the soil samples were determined. Also, 1.0 N HCl, 1.0 M $NH_4NO_3$, 0.01 M $Ca(NO_3)_2$, and Mehlich 3 extractable-As in the soils were measured as phytoavailable As concentration in soil. Total As concentration in brown rice samples was also determined. Relationships among As concentrations in brown rice, total As concentrations in soils, and selected soil properties were as follows: As concentration in brown rice was negatively correlated with soil pH value, where as it was positively correlated with Al oxide concentration, avail-P concentration, and OM content in soil. In addition, the concentration of As in brown rice was statistically correlated only with 1.0 N HCl-extractable As in soil. Also, using multiple stepwise regression analysis, a modelling equation was created to predict As concentration in brown rice as affected by selected soil properties including soil As concentration. Prediction of As uptake by rice was delineated by the model [As in brown rice = 0.352 + $0.00109^*$ HCl extractable As in soil + $0.00002^*$ Al oxide + $0.0097^*$ OM + $0.00061^*$ avail-P - $0.0332^*$ soil pH] ($R=0.714^{***}$). The concentrations of As in brown rice estimated by the modelling equation were statistically acceptable because normalized mean error (NME) and normalized root mean square error (NRMSE) values were -0.055 and 0.2229, respectively, when compared with measured As concentration in the plant.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.345-354
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• 2001

The effects on arsenic geochemistry of indigenous microorganisms isolated from an area contaminated with high concentration of arsenic were investigated. Arsenite exerted higher inhibitory effects on the microbes' growth than arsenate. During incubation of the microbes in an arsenate-spiked medium over 24 hours, decrease in microbial growth was observed as arsenate content increased. Arsenate of 150 mM or over apparently inhibited cell growth. However, further incubation for up to 4 days in the high arsenate concentration medium resulted in cell growth, implying that the microorganisms adjusted their biochemical functions to detoxify arsenic and maintain growth. Two types of microbes were observed during 20 hours to reduce arsenate to arsenite in solution through a detoxification mechanism. As well, decrease in the total arsenic content occurred over a 4-day incubation with the same microbes in an arsenate-spiked medium. Therefore it is suggested that microorganisms can influence arsenic speciation in natural settings and this may be applied to efficient bioremediation of arsenic-contaminated sites.