A real-time monitoring and assessment method for calculation of total amounts of indoor air pollutants emitted in subway stations

Subway systems are considered as main public transportation facility in developed countries. Time spent by people in indoors, such as underground spaces, subway stations, and indoor buildings, has gradually increased in the recent past. Especially, operators or old persons who stay in indoor environments more than 15 hr per day usually influenced a greater extent by indoor air pollutants. Hence, regulations on indoor air pollutants are needed to ensure good health of people. Therefore, in this study, a new cumulative calculation method for the estimation of total amounts of indoor air pollutants emitted inside the subway station is proposed by taking cumulative amounts of indoor air pollutants based on integration concept. Minimum concentration of individual air pollutants which naturally exist in indoor space is referred as base concentration of air pollutants and can be found from the data collected. After subtracting the value of base concentration from data point of each data set of indoor air pollutant, the primary quantity of emitted air pollutant is calculated. After integration is carried out with these values, adding the base concentration to the integration quantity gives the total amount of indoor air pollutant emitted. Moreover, the values of new index for cumulative indoor air quality obtained for 1 day are calculated using the values of cumulative air quality index (CAI). Cumulative comprehensive indoor air quality index (CCIAI) is also proposed to compare the values of cumulative concentrations of indoor air pollutants. From the results, it is clear that the cumulative assessment approach of indoor air quality (IAQ) is useful for monitoring the values of total amounts of indoor air pollutants emitted, in case of exposure to indoor air pollutants for a long time. Also, the values of CCIAI are influenced more by the values of concentration of NO₂, which is released due to the use of air conditioners and combustion of the fuel. The results obtained in this study confirm that the proposed method can be applied to monitor total amounts of indoor air pollutants emitted, inside apartments and hospitals as well.

Implications: Nowadays, subway systems are considered as main public transportation facility in developed countries. Time spent by people in indoors, such as underground spaces, subway stations, and indoor buildings, has gradually increased in the recent past. Especially, operators or old persons who stay in the indoor environments more than 15 hr per day usually influenced a greater extent by indoor air pollutants. Hence, regulations on indoor air pollutants are needed to ensure good health of people. Therefore, this paper presents a new methodology for monitoring and assessing total amounts of indoor air pollutants emitted inside underground spaces and subway stations. A new methodology for the calculation of cumulative amounts of indoor air pollutants based on integration concept is proposed. The results suggest that the cumulative assessment approach of IAQ is useful for monitoring the values of total amounts of indoor air pollutants, if indoor air pollutants accumulated for a long time, especially NO₂ pollutants. The results obtained here confirm that the proposed method can be applied to monitor total amounts of indoor air pollutants emitted, inside apartments and hospitals as well.     

Distribution features of biological hazardous pollutants in residential environments in Korea

This research has been conducted continuously since 2009 as part of a cohort of studies examining relationships between asthma and genetic factors, dietary habits, and environmental factors. Based on data from environmental research on house dust mites and endotoxins, which are widely known as pollutants in bedding that cause asthma in pregnant women and children, this work was conducted to obtain basic data that can be used in future cohort studies that analyze links between distribution of biological hazards and physical features of residential environments. The detection rates of house dust mite allergens, Der p1 and Der f1, were 52.7 and 86.5 %, respectively, indicating that Der f1 is a dominant species in domestic indoor environments. According to comparisons between concentrations of house dust mites and endotoxins in bedding of pregnant women and children, Der p1 and endotoxins showed significantly lower concentrations in bedding of pregnant women compared with those in bedding of children, whereas Der f1 showed no significant difference in concentration according to bedding.     

The characteristics of fatal occupational injuries in Korea’s construction industry, 1997–2004

This study is aimed at exploring the characteristics of fatal occupational injuries in Korea’s construction industry and comparing the causes in various occupations within that industry. There were 10,276 fatal occupational injury victims in Korea over 8 years (1997–2004). The mortality risk due to injuries in construction and non-construction industries was calculated, and their causes were compared. The number of victims of fatal occupational injuries in the construction industry was 4333 (42.2% of the total fatal occupational injuries), and the 1 year mortality risk was higher (23.7/100,000 persons) than in non-construction industries (10.4). Falling was the most frequent (52.7%) cause of fatal injuries. In addition, deaths due to structural collapse and electric shock were significantly higher than in other industries. When the distribution of the causal factors in various occupations within the construction industry was investigated, some factors appeared more frequently in certain occupations than in others. As the construction industry encompasses a large proportion of occupational injuries, a reduction in this field alone will substantially contribute to an overall reduction of occupational injuries in Korea. Further research for effective prevention is needed.     

Influence of Indian mustard （Brassicajuncea） on rhizosphere soil solution chemistry in long-term contaminated soils： A rhizobox study

This study investigated the influence of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea) root exudation on soil solution properties (pH, dissolved organic carbon (DOC), metal solubility) in the rhizosphere using a rhizobox. Measurement was conducted following the cultivation of Indian mustard in the rhizobox filled four di erent types of heavy metal contaminated soils (two alkaline soils and two acidic soils). The growth of Indian mustard resulted in a significant increase (by 0.6 pH units) in rhizosphere soil solution pH of acidic soils and only a slight increase (< 0.1 pH units) in alkaline soils. Furthermore, the DOC concentration increased by 17–156 mg/L in the rhizosphere regardless of soil type and the extent of contamination, demonstrating the exudation of DOC from root. Ion chromatographic determination showed a marked increase in the total dissolved organic acids (OAs) in rhizosphere. While root exudates were observed in all soils, the amount of DOC and OAs in soil solution varied considerably amongst di erent soils, resulting in significant changes to soil solution metals in the rhizosphere. For example, the soil solution Cd, Cu, Pb, and Zn concentrations increased in the rhizosphere of alkaline soils compared to bulk soil following plant cultivation. In contrast, the soluble concentrations of Cd, Pb, and Zn in acidic soils decreased in rhizosphere soil when compared to bulk soils. Besides the influence of pH and DOC on metal solubility, the increase of heavy metal concentration having high stability constant such as Cu and Pb resulted in a release of Cd and Zn from solid phase to liquid phase.     

Detection and Molecular Characterization of Human Noroviruses in Korean Groundwater Between 2008 and 2010

RT-PCR, nucleotide sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis were performed for genotyping and molecular characterization of noroviruses isolated from Korean groundwater. Among 160 samples collected from 80 sites between 2008 and 2010, 14 samples (8.7?%) from 12 sites were positive for noroviruses (NoVs). The percentages of NoV-positive samples in 2008, 2009, and 2010 were 22.2, 3.2, and 0?%, respectively, representing a yearly decrease. GII-positive samples (n?=?9, 5.6?%) outnumbered GI-positive samples (n?=?5, 3.1?%). The genotypes of the GI NoVs were GI.2, GI.5, and GI.6, and the genotypes of the GII NoVs were all GII.4. One sample, HM623465, was very similar to CUK-3 and CBNU2 and two GII.4 sequences isolated from the stool of Korean gastroenteritis patients. A BLASTN search revealed several nucleotide sequences highly similar to those of NoVs isolated in this study. The original isolation sources for these similar NoVs were mostly stool (n?=?731, 80.0?%) and groundwater (n?=?135, 14.8?%), and all the countries from which they were isolated were almost in Asia (96.0?%); specifically, China (n?=?192, 21.0?%), Japan (n?=?383, 41.9?%), Korea (n?=?296, 32.4?%), and other Asian countries (n?=?6, 0.7?%). These results suggest that Korean groundwater might be contaminated with NoVs from the stool of infected patients and that these NoVs in turn cause new cases of gastroenteritis through a typical fecal-oral route with region-specific circulation. Therefore, it is important to properly treat sewage, which may include waterborne viruses and manage point sources in groundwater for national health and sanitation. In addition, continuous molecular surveillance remains important for understanding circulating NoVs.     

Ecotoxicity evaluation of Cu- and Fe-CNT complexes based on the activity of bacterial bioluminescence and seed germination

The toxic effects of the composites of Fe~0 and Cu~0 with different percentages of CNTs were examined based on the activity of bacterial bioluminescence and seed germination. In terms of the EC_50 values, the toxic effects of Cu~0 on bacterial bioluminescence and seed germination were approximately 2 and 180 times greater than that of Fe~0, respectively. The toxicity increased with increasing CNT content in the Cu-CNT mixtures for both organisms,whereas opposite results were observed with Fe-CNT mixtures. The mean toxic effects of Cu-CNT(6%) were approximately 1.3–1.4 times greater than that of Cu-CNT(0%), whereas the toxic effects of Fe-CNT(6%) were approximately 2.1–2.5 times lower than that of Fe-CNT(0%) for both the bioluminescence activity and seed germination. The causes of this phenomenon are unclear at this point. More research will be needed to elucidate the mechanism of the toxicity of nano-mixture materials and the causes of the different patterns of toxicity with Cu-and Fe-CNT mixtures.     

A study of compliance with environmental regulations of ISO 14001 certified companies in Korea

This article investigates the impact of ISO 14001 certification on the compliance with environmental regulations by Korean companies. The impact of ISO 14001 certification on the industry was studied through a questionnaire survey and the compliance of environmental regulations were investigated using government-released data. The motivation for an environment management system was a result of the current international situation and the need to maintain fair competition. ISO 14001 certification has been recognized as an essential strategy for industrial competition and to improve company/product recognition. The certified and non-certified companies' environmental regulation violation (ERV) rates were 3.5% and 11.6%, respectively, in 1997. In 1998, the ERV rate had an eight-time difference with 1.0% and 8.5% for certified and non-certified companies, respectively. Annual regulation violation rates were reduced from 3.5% in 1997 to 1.0% in 1998 with certified companies and from 11.6% in 1997 to 8.5% in 1998 with their non-certified counterparts, respectively. ISO 14001 certified companies showed more improvement than non-certified companies in regards to environmental performance.     

Analysis of underlying causes of investigated loss of containment incidents in Dutch Seveso plants using the Storybuilder method

In the Netherlands there are around 400 “Seveso” sites that fall under the Dutch Major Hazards Decree (BRZO) 1999. Between 2006 and 2010 the Dutch Labour Inspectorate's Directorate for Major Hazard Control completed investigations of 118 loss of containment incidents involving hazardous substances from this group. On the basis of investigation reports the incidents were entered in a tailor-made tool called Storybuilder developed for the Dutch Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment for identifying the dominant patterns of technical safety barrier failures, barrier task failures and underlying management causes associated with the resulting loss of control events. The model is a bow-tie structure with six lines of defence, three on either side of the central loss of containment event. In the first line of defence, failures in the safety barriers leading to loss of control events were primarily equipment condition failures, pre start-up and safeguarding failures and process deviations such as pressure and flow failures. These deviations, which should have been recovered while still within the safe envelope of operation, were missed primarily because of inadequate indication signals that the deviations have occurred. Through failures of subsequent lines of defence they are developing into serious incidents. Overall, task failures are principally failures to provide adequate technical safety barriers and failures to operate provided barriers appropriately. Underlying management delivery failures were mainly found in equipment specifications and provisions, procedures and competence. The competence delivery system is especially important for identifying equipment condition, equipment isolation for maintenance, pre-start-up status and process deviations. Human errors associated with operating barriers were identified in fifty per cent of cases, were mostly mistakes and feature primarily in failure to prevent deviations and subsequently recover them. Loss of control associated with loss of containment was primarily due to the containment being bypassed (72% of incidents) and less to material strength failures (28%). Transfer pipework, connections in process plant and relief valves are the most frequent release points and the dominant release material is extremely flammable. It is concluded that the analysis of a large number of incidents in Storybuilder can support the quantification of underlying causes and provide evidence of where the weak points exist in major hazard control in the prevention of major accidents.     

Oil spreading in instantaneous and continuous spills on rotating earth

The effect of the Coriolis force on the oil spill spreading in the gravity-viscous regime is examined. A new shallow water model for the transport and spreading of oil slick of arbitrary shape is described in which the Coriolis force is included in the momentum equations and the oil–water friction is parameterized in a frame of the boundary layer theory including the Ekman friction. The numerical Lagrangian method based on smoothed particle dynamics is described. New similarity solutions of the model equations are obtained for unidirectional and axisymmetric spreading in gravity-viscous, gravity-turbulent and gravity-viscous-rotational regimes for instantaneous as well as continuous releases. The numerical simulation extends these results for the case of continuous release in the presence of currents. It was shown that Coriolis term in the momentum equation can be omitted if slick thickness is much less of the laminar Ekman layer thickness. However, the Ekman friction should be retained for slicks of any thickness for larger times. The Ekman friction results in the essential slowdown of the spreading as well as in the deflection of the oil spreading velocity at 45° from the direction of velocity in the non-rotation case. Numerical simulations of large-scale spills showed that after the 2?days the slick area with the Coriolis effect was approximately less than half of that without rotation. Therefore, the earth rotation can be also important in the oil weathering.     

Examining strategic sustainability plans and smart-growth land-use measures in California cities

Given many potential obstacles, what types of strategic plans and measures for climate protection and/or energy sustainability are more likely than others to be adopted by cities? What are the key internal and external obstacles to adopting and implementing these plans and measures? Based on data obtained from a survey conducted from 2010 to 2011 and other sources, this paper develops a framework derived from political contracting theory and strategic orientation literature to examine how public management obstacles, socio-economic factors, and political factors influence a city's likelihood of having strategic energy sustainability plans and measures in place. Moreover, this paper finds that many California cities remain reluctant to require residents and businesses to comply with more challenging sustainability measures, such as smart-growth land-use practices, and that those cities with a strategic energy sustainability plan already in place tend to be more willing to adopt smart-growth land-use measures.