• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.27 no.5
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• pp.603-610
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• 2013

According to industrialization, increased toxic chemicals discharge has been causing water pollution. Especially domestic sewage is a major source of water pollution. Sixty percent of the total wastewater discharged is domestic sewage. Self-purification capacity of rivers and streams is drastically reduced by the emission of domestic sewage, industrial wastewater and livestock wastewater. Although domestic sewage is managed by implementing standards and regulations, toxicity effect of domestic sewage to humans and the environment is not yet clearly understood. In this study, by using daphnia magna, the ecotoxicity of domestic swage was assessed. Cl, Cu, Pb, COD, T-N, DO, pH and residual chlorine were investigated as background concentrations. The experiments were conducted with water samples obtained from three local sewage treatment plants. The experiment results indicated that higher level of toxicity corresponds to the higher pollution concentrations. The higher level of combinations of background concentrations such as heavy metals leads to the worse ecotoxicity. Especially, the Cu concentration affects the TU value.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.272-278
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• 2018

Recently, the use of hazardous chemicals has been continuously increasing. Therefore, the international trade volume is growing and chemical accidents have increased. Nowadays, the safety awareness of the public has increased. As a result, the management and supervision of hazardous chemicals have been strengthened. However, the port policy of Korea has focused on increasing the volume of cargo through facility development. Thus, the port management of hazardous chemicals has been relatively neglected. For national economic growth and society, the port management of hazardous chemicals should be considered to efficiently ensure safety and economic growth. Therefore, this study assumed scenarios where hazardous materials were moved in a dangerous container, not only on appropriate wharfs but also in ports that were close to a big city. The BTX substances were selected among the toxic chemicals with large import and export volumes, and the risk distance and damage effects were predicted using various risk assessment programs. It is expected that this could be used to improve a port safety management system and could be utilized to determine the safety distance in case of an accident.

• Journal of Environmental Health Sciences
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• v.47 no.6
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• pp.505-512
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• 2021

Background: The occurrence of environmental disease is known to be associated with chronic exposure to toxic chemicals, including waterborne contaminants, air/indoor pollutants, asbestos, ingredients in humidifier disinfectants, etc. Objectives: In this study, we reviewed toxicological studies related to environmental disease as defined by the Environmental Health Act in Korea and toxic chemicals. We also suggested a direction for future toxicological research necessary for the prevention and management of environmental disease. Methods: Trends in previous studies related to environmental disease were investigated through PubMed and Web of Science. A detailed review was provided on toxicological studies related to the humidifier disinfectants. We identified adverse outcome pathways (AOPs) that can be linked to the induction of environmental diseases, and proposed a chemical screening system that uses AOP, chemical toxicity big data, and deep learning models to select chemicals that induce environmental disease. Results: Research on chemical toxicity is increasing every year, but there is a limitation to revealing a clear causal relationship between exposure to chemicals and the occurrence of environmental disease. It is necessary to develop various exposure- and effect-biomarkers related to disease occurrence and to conduct toxicokinetic studies. A novel chemical screening system that uses AOP and chemical toxicity big data could be useful for selecting chemicals that cause environmental diseases. Conclusions: From a toxicological point of view, developing AOP related to environmental diseases and a deep learning-based chemical screening system will contribute to the prevention of environmental diseases in advance.

• Korean Journal of Hazardous Materials
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.31-37
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• 2014

Since the unprecedented hydrogen fluoride leak accident in 2012, there has been growing demand for customized technical information for rapid response and chemical accident management agencies including the Ministry of Environment, the National Emergency Management Agency, and the National Police Agency need more information on chemicals and accident management. In this regard, this study aims to provide reliable technical data and guidelines to initial response agencies, similar to accident management technical reports of the US and Canada. In this study, we conducted a questionnaire survey and interviews on initial response agencies like fire stations, police stations, and local governments to identify new information items for appropriate initial response and improvements of current guidelines. We also collected and reviewed the Canada's TIPS, US EPA's hydrogen fluoride documents, domestic and foreign literature on applicability tests of control chemicals, and interview data, and then produced items to be listed in the technical guidelines. In addition, to establish database of on-site technical information, we carried out applicability tests for accident control data including ① emergency shut down devide, safety guard, shut down valve, ground connection, dyke, transfer pipe, scrubber, and sensor; ② literature and field survey on distribution type and transportation/storage characteristics (container identification, valve, ground connection, etc.); ③ classification and identification of storage/transportation facilities and emergency management methodslike leak prevention, chemicals control, and cutoff or bypass of rain drainage; ④ domestic/foreign analysis methods and environmental standards including portable detection methods, test standards, and exposure limits; and ⑤ comparison/evaluation of neutralization efficiency of control chemicals on toxic substances.

• Proceedings of the Korea Society of Environmental Toocicology Conference
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• 2000.12a
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• pp.12-19
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• 2000

• 한국생물공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.391-391
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• 2003

• KOGO NEWS
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.12-23
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• 2006

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.3 no.4
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• pp.257-267
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• 2012

Occupational neurotoxic diseases have become increasingly common in Taiwan due to industrialization. Over the past 40 years, Taiwan has transformed from an agricultural society to an industrial society. The most common neurotoxic diseases also changed from organophosphate poisoning to heavy metal intoxication, and then to organic solvent and semiconductor agent poisoning. The nervous system is particularly vulnerable to toxic agents because of its high metabolic rate. Neurological manifestations may be transient or permanent, and may range from cognitive dysfunction, cerebellar ataxia, Parkinsonism, sensorimotor neuropathy and autonomic dysfunction to neuromuscular junction disorders. This study attempts to provide a review of the major outbreaks of occupational neurotoxins from 1968 to 2012. A total of 16 occupational neurotoxins, including organophosphates, toxic gases, heavy metals, organic solvents, and other toxic chemicals, were reviewed. Peer-reviewed articles related to the electrophysiology, neuroimaging, treatment and long-term follow up of these neurotoxic diseases were also obtained. The heavy metals involved consisted of lead, manganese, organic tin, mercury, arsenic, and thallium. The organic solvents included n-hexane, toluene, mixed solvents and carbon disulfide. Toxic gases such as carbon monoxide, and hydrogen sulfide were also included, along with toxic chemicals including polychlorinated biphenyls, tetramethylammonium hydroxide, organophosphates, and dimethylamine borane. In addition we attempted to correlate these events to the timeline of industrial development in Taiwan. By researching this topic, the hope is that it may help other developing countries to improve industrial hygiene and promote occupational safety and health care during the process of industrialization.

• Safety and Health at Work
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• v.2 no.3
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• pp.229-235
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• 2011

Objectives: In this study, we summarized the External Quality Assessment Scheme (EQAS) for the biological monitoring of occupational exposure to toxic chemicals which started in 1995 and continued until a $31^{st}$ round robin in the spring of 2010. The program was performed twice per year until 2009, and this was changed to once a year since 2010. The objective of the program is to ensure the reliability of the data related to biological monitoring from analytical laboratories. Methods: One hundred and eighteen laboratories participated in the $31^{st}$ round robin. The program offers 5 items for inorganic analysis: lead in blood, cadmium in blood, manganese in blood, cadmium in urine, and mercury in urine. It also offers 10 items for organic analysis, including hippuric acid, methylhippuric acid, mandelic acid, phenylglyoxylic acid, N-methylformamide, N-methylacetamide, trichloroacetic acid, total trichloro-compounds, trans,trans-muconic acid, and 2,5-hexanedione in urine. Target values were determined by statistical analysis using consensus values. All the data, such as chromatograms and calibration curves, were reviewed by the committee. Results: The proficiency rate was below 70% prior to the first round robin and improved to over 90% for common items, such as PbB and HA, while those for other items still remained in the range of 60-90% and need to be improved up to 90%. Conclusion: The EQAS has taken a primary role in improving the reliability of analytical data. A total quality assurance scheme is suggested, including the validation of technical documentation for the whole analytical procedure.

• Applied Chemistry for Engineering
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.186-189
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• 2019

Polypyrrole is a typical electrical conducting polymer, which has an excellent charge transport property. Cyclodextrins are a group of toxic-free and cyclic oligosaccharide molecules, capable of capturing low molecular weight chemicals. Considering these advantages, hybrid materials of polypyrrole and cyclodextrin can be used to detect hazardous compounds. Cyclodextrin molecules can accommodate toxic chemicals by the formation of host-guest complexes and generate electric signals, which are effectively delivered by polypyrrole backbone. In this study, the polypyrrole/cyclodextrin hybrid material was prepared using a facile wet method and included into a hydrogel. Subsequently, it was applied to a simple sensor system with a gold-patterned electrode for the detection of potentially hazardous material, methyl paraben. Compared with pristine polypyrrole, it was found that the polypyrrole/cyclodextrin hybrid showed an improved performance. This study can be an example of using environmentally benign conducting polymer/cyclodextrin hybrids as sensing media.