Assessment of Human Health Risk of Dioxin in Korea

This study assessed the daily exposure to dioxin using comparable approach methods in order to predict the human health risks of dioxin on the general adult population and incinerator workers in Korea. The health risk assessment of dioxin involved four scenarios (General-Direct, General-Breast Milk, General-Blood, and Worker-Blood). The risks were described in terms of the excess cancer risk and the MOEs (Margin-Of-Exposure) for cancer, reproductive dysfunctions, endometriosis, and neurobehavioral effects. The adult daily intake (General-Direct) of dioxin was estimated to be 0.50 pg-TEQ/kg-day based on the dioxin concentrations in the environmental media and foods in Korea. The average dioxin concentrations in General-Breast Milk, General-Blood, and Worker-Blood were 15.13 pg-TEQ/g fat, 14.57 pg-TEQ/g lipid, and 22.90 pg-TEQ/g lipid, respectively. The lifetime average daily doses (LADDs) of dioxin for General-Breast Milk, General-Blood, and Worker-Blood were estimated to be 1.35 pg-TEQ/kg day, 0.99 pg-TEQ/kg day, and 1.15 pg-TEQ/kg day, respectively. Although the estimated risks of cancer and reproductive dysfunctions were not unusually high in any of the four scenarios, the MOE values for the neurobehavioral effects on infants were not sufficiently high to guarantee the safety against this endpoint.     

Diurnal models of traffic-generated CO for Penang,Malaysia

Georgetown of Penang, an old city, is noted for its narrow streets. The existing traffic dispersal system is utterly inadequate to cope with the ever increasing number of cars and motorcycles on the road. The principal objective of this study is to build prediction models of CO to be employed as one of the planning tools in the future design of Penang urban traffic dispersal system. This study involves the monitoring of kerbside CO levels at selected sites and the fitting of hourly-averaged CO data to linear regression models incorporating the residual effect of CO emission due to traffic in the earlier periods and also different categories of vehicles. The best overall regression model appears to be the one based upon the total traffic count of motorcycles. This can be accounted for by the fact that the traffic counts of motorcycles and cars are highly correlated in most cases and that the emissions of CO from motorcycles are more readily detected as they travel closer to the kerb. The inclusion of residual CO in the models significantly improves the correlation coefficient from about 0.4 to about 0.7.     

Some properties of calcium-activated adenosine triphosphatase from the hermatypic coralGalaxea fascicularis

Samples of the hermatypic coralGalaxea fascicularis were collected between April 1987 and April 1990 from coral reefs off Singapore (103 °45E; 1 °13N). Ca²⁺-activated adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) activity was detected in the plasma-membrane-enriched heavy microsomal fraction ofG. fascicularis. The high affinity component hadKm andVmax values of 0.0021 mM and 0.050 µmol Pi mg^–1 protein min^–1, respectively; corresponding values for the low affinity component were 0.15 mM and 0.85 µmol mg^–1 protein min^–1. The activity of the high affinity component was inhibited 80 and 50%, respectively, by the anticalmodulin drugs calmidazolium and chlorpromazine. The low affinity component of the Ca²⁺-ATPase may represent activities of alkaline phosphatase, Ca²⁺-ATPase from membranes of mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum, or calmodulin-dissociated plasma membrane Ca²⁺-ATPase resulting from the removal of Ca²⁺ by EDTA during the isolation process. The high affinity Ca²⁺-ATPase is probably the enzyme responsible for Ca²⁺ extrusion from the cells ofG. fascicularis. The high and low affinity components of this Ca²⁺-ATPase could use ATP and ADP as substrates. Maximum activities of both components were registered at pH 7 and at 45°C. Ruthenium red, a specific inhibitor of Ca²⁺-ATPase, inhibited the activities of the high and low affinity Ca²⁺-ATPase by 100 and 60%, respectively. Inhibition of the activities of both components was also observed with sulphydryl reagents (PCMB and mersalyl). However, DCMU, diamox, dinitrophenol, iodoacetate, fluoride, cyanide, ouabain, oligomycin B and L-phenylalanine had no effect on the enzyme activities.     

Isolation and identification of potential fungal species for spent engine lubrication oil remediation in Peninsular Malaysia

Improper disposal and spills of spent engine oil into the environment can result in contamination, which eventually affects humans through the food chain. Mycoremediation is an effective and inexpensive alternative to clean up spent engine oil contamination. In recent work, the potential effectiveness of fungi for degrading spent engine oil was confirmed, with the species identified through molecular identification. Fungi that were able to grow in Bushnell Haas Broth supplied with spent engine oil were identified with the potential to utilize spent engine oil as a carbon source. Six species of fungi namely Penicillium simplicissimum, Aspergillus nidulans, Aspergillus niger, Trichoderma longibrachiatum, Aspergillus ustus, and Aspergillus flavus were successfully identified in this study. Over a course of seven days, P. simplicissimum (21.11 percent) was identified as the most effective fungi in degrading spent engine oil, followed by A. nidulans (17.75 percent), A. niger (15.85 percent), T. longibrachiatum (15.12 percent), A. ustus (15.02 percent), and A. flavus (11.80 percent). As these species of fungi were isolated from the natural environment in Peninsular Malaysia, the potential of using these fungi as mycoremediation of spent engine oil was therefore confirmed.     

Development of a SWAT Patch for Better Estimation of Sediment Yield in Steep Sloping Watersheds1

Abstract: The watershed scale Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) model divides watersheds into smaller subwatersheds for simulation of rainfall‐runoff and sediment loading at the field level and routing through stream networks. Typically, the SWAT model first needs to be calibrated and validated for accurate estimation through adjustment of sensitive input parameters (i.e., Curve Number values, USLE P, slope and slope‐length, and so on). However, in some instances, SWAT‐simulated results are greatly affected by the watershed delineation and Digital Elevation Models (DEM) cell size. In this study, the SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II was developed for steep sloping watersheds, and its performance was evaluated for various threshold values and DEM cell size scenarios when delineating subwatersheds using the SWAT model. The SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II was developed using the ArcView GIS Avenue program and Spatial Analyst libraries. The SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II improves upon the SWAT ArcView GIS Patch I because it reflects the topographic factor in calculating the field slope‐length of Hydrologic Response Units in the SWAT model. The simulated sediment value for 321 subwatersheds (watershed delineation threshold value of 25 ha) is greater than that for 43 subwatersheds (watershed delineation threshold value of 200 ha) by 201% without applying the SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II. However, when the SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II was applied, the difference in simulated sediment yield decreases for the same scenario (i.e., difference in simulated sediment with 321 subwatersheds and 43 subwatersheds) was 12%. The simulated sediment value for DEM cell size of 50 m is greater than that for DEM cell size of 10 m by 19.8% without the SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II. However, the difference becomes smaller (3.4% difference) between 50 and 10 m with the SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II for the DEM scenarios. As shown in this study, the SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II can reduce differences in simulated sediment values for various watershed delineation and DEM cell size scenarios. Without the SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II, variations in the SWAT‐simulated results using various watershed delineation and DEM cell size scenarios could be greater than those from input parameter calibration. Thus, the results obtained in this study show that the SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II should be used when simulating hydrology and sediment yield for steep sloping watersheds (especially if average slope of the subwatershed is >25%) for more accurate simulation of hydrology and sediment using the SWAT model. The SWAT ArcView GIS Patch II is available at http://www.EnvSys.co.kr/~swat for free download.     

Radiation exposure to Marine biota around the Fukushima Daiichi NPP

The dose rates for six marine organisms, pelagic fish, benthic fish, mollusks, crustaceans, macroalgae, and polychaete worms, representative in marine ecosystems, have been predicted by the equilibrium model with the measured seawater activity concentrations at three locations around the Fukushima Daiich nuclear power plant after the accident on March 11, 2011. Model prediction showed that total dose rates for the biota in the costal sea reached 4.8E4 μGy/d for pelagic fish, 3.6E6 μGy/d for crustaceans, 3.8E6 μGy/d for benthic fish, 5.2E6 μGy/d for macroalgae, 6.6E6 μGy/d for mollusks, and 8.0E6 μGy/d for polychaete worms. The predicted total dose rates remained above the UNSCEAR’s (United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effect of Atomic Radiation) benchmark level (1.0E4 μGy/d for an individual aquatic organism), for only the initial short period, which seems to be insufficiently long to bring about any detrimental effect on the marine biota at the population level. Furthermore, the total dose rates for benthic fish and crustaceans approximated using the measured activity concentration of the biota and bottom sediment was well below the benchmark level. From these results, it may be concluded that the impact of the ionizing radiation on the marine biota around the Fukushima NPP as a consequence of the accident would be insignificant.     

Trend in metals variation in Tasik Chini, Pahang, Peninsular Malaysia

Water from 15 sampling stations in Tasik Chini (Chini Lake), Peninsular Malaysia were sampled for 12 months from September 2004 until August 2005 and analyzed for 11 metals including iron (Fe), aluminum (Al), manganese (Mn), barium (Ba), zinc (Zn), lead (Pb), copper (Cu), cadmium (Cd), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr) and cobalt (Co). Results showed that the mean (min-max) metal concentrations (in micrograms per liter) in Tasik Chini waters for the 12 months sampling based on 15 sampling stations (in descending order) for Fe, Al, Mn, Ba, Zn, Pb, Cu and Cd were 794.84 (309.33-1609.07), 194.53 (62.37-665.93), 29.16 (16.68-79.85), 22.07 (15.64-29.71), 5.12 (2.224-6.553), 2.36 (1.165-4.240), 0.832 (0.362-1.443) and 0.421 (0.254-0.696) respectively. Concentration for three metals i.e. Ni, Cr and Co were too low and not detected by the graphite furnace Atomic Absorption Spectrophotometry (AAS). Comparison with various water quality standards showed that the mean metals concentration in surface water of Tasik Chini were low and within the range of natural background except for Fe and Al. In general, metal concentrations in Tasik Chini water varied temporally and spatially. The main factors influencing these metal concentrations in the water were the raining season and mining activities. Stations located at Tanjung Jerangking and Melai areas were the most effected due to those factors.     

Occurrence and ecological hazard assessment of selected veterinary medicines in livestock wastewater treatment plants

The occurrence of some veterinary medicines in the livestock wastewater plants (WWTPs) was investigated. This investigation represented the occurrence of veterinary medicines to treat in the livestock WWTPs or be discharged into the water system in Korea since the sampling sites were widely distributed across the nation and samples were collected from the 11 livestock WWTPs. Nine antibiotics, two analgesics, and two disinfectants occurred in the livestock wastewater plants (WWTPs). From 11 livestock WWTP influents, chlortetracycline, oxytetracycline, acetylsalicylic acid, and disinfectants frequently occurred with the high concentrations. Meanwhile, sulfamethoxazole, erythromycin-H₂O, and trimethoprim did not occur during sampling periods. The values for log Kow of each chemical showed a high correlation with the number of hydrogen bonding acceptors and were important parameters to estimate and understand the biodegradability and toxicity of a compound in the environment. The biodegradability of each compound was proportional to the hydrophilicity of each compound and the toxicity was proportional to the number of hydrogen bonding acceptors of each compound. The expected introductory concentration (EIC), predicted exposure concentration (PEC), and hazard quotient showed that the livestock WWTP effluents were hazardous to ecosystems.     

Quality Assured Measurements of Animal Building Emissions: Gas Concentrations

Abstract

Comprehensive field studies were initiated in 2002 to measure emissions of ammonia (NH₃), hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), nonmethane hydrocarbons (NMHC), particulate matter <10 µm in diameter, and total suspended particulate from swine and poultry production buildings in the United States.

This paper focuses on the quasicontinuous gas concentration measurement at multiple locations among paired barns in seven states. Documented principles, used in air pollution monitoring at industrial sources, were applied in developing quality assurance (QA) project plans for these studies. Air was sampled from multiple locations with each gas analyzed with one high quality commercial gas analyzer that was located in an environmentally controlled on-farm instrument shelter. A nominal 4 L/min gas sampling system was designed and constructed with Teflon wetted surfaces, bypass pumping, and sample line flow and pressure sensors. Three-way solenoids were used to automatically switch between multiple gas sampling lines with ≥10 min sampling intervals. Inside and outside gas sampling probes were between 10 and 115 m away from the analyzers. Analyzers used chemiluminescence, fluorescence, photoacoustic infrared, and photoionization detectors for NH₃, H₂S, CO₂, CH₄, and NMHC, respectively. Data were collected using personal computer-based data acquisition hardware and software. This paper discusses the methodology of gas concentration measurements and the unique challenges that livestock barns pose for achieving desired accuracy and precision, data representativeness, comparability and completeness, and instrument calibration and maintenance.     

Toluene vapor capture by activated carbon particles in a dual gas-solid cyclone system

Capturing of odorous compounds such as toluene vapor by a particulate-activated carbon adsorbent was investigated in a gas-solid cyclone, which is one type of mobile beds. The test cyclone was early modified with the post cyclone (PoC) and a spiral flow guide to the vortex finder. The proposed process may contribute to the reduction of gases and dust from industrial exhausts, especially when dealing with a low concentration of odorous elements and a large volume of dust flow. In this device, the toluene capturing efficiency at a 400 ppm concentration rose up to 77.4% when using activated carbon (AC) particles with a median size of 27.03 μm. A maximum 96% of AC particles could be collected for reuse depending on the size and flow rate. The AC regenerated via thermal treatment showed an adsorption potential up to 66.7% throughout repeated tests.

Implications: VOCs and particles have been of interest both in industrial field and public indoor spaces. In this study, a post cyclone (PoC) that utilizes a residual vortex from the mother cyclone was modified by inserting a flow guide and was applied to capture toluene vapor. The device of modified post-cyclone system can be used effectively in simultaneous treatment of gas-solid flow.