Asbestos exposure among Seoul metropolitan subway workers during renovation of subway air-conditioning systems

Air quality in underground spaces has seldom been evaluated in Korea. Accordingly, the current study recently evaluated asbestos exposure among Seoul metropolitan subway workers during the renovation of the subway's air-conditioning system. To identify possible routes of asbestos exposure, suspected sources, including gaskets, ceiling boards, ceiling materials, and dust settled inside ducts, were all sampled. Personal air samples were also taken to evaluate any asbestos exposure during the renovation. The asbestos fibers found in the samples were analyzed using a transmission electron microscope (TEM) equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer (EDX). Twelve out of eighteen bulk samples contained asbestos, the majority of which was chrysotile fibers. Asbestos was detected in 9 out of 72 personal air samples and the level ranged from 0.003 to 0.02 fibers/cm(3). While asbestos levels were below Korean occupational limit of 2 fibers/cm(3), they were still detectable and therefore further monitoring would be appropriate.     

Potential source of asbestos in non-asbestos textile manufacturing company

Recently, a worker with lung carcinoma and a metastatic brain tumor was diagnosed as having a work-related disease. He had been employed in a non-asbestos textile company for 25 years. Consequently, to identify and explore possible causative agents for lung cancer in a non-asbestos textile manufacturing company and establish a causal relationship between exposure and lung cancer, an epidemiological investigative study was conducted and the work processes the worker was engaged in were examined. Air samples were taken from the workplace and during the drilling processes, and a suspected causative material was analyzed. The study revealed that the subject had been employed in the non-asbestos textile manufacturing company for 25 years from 1973 and his responsibilities included repairing spinning machines. In particular, the subject was involved in drilling B-bushings that were used to protect against gear abrasion in the spinning machines. An analysis of the B-bushings using a transmission electron microscope equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray analyzer indicated that they contained crocidolite asbestos fibers. Air samples obtained when drilling the B-bushings clearly indicated that the subject had most likely been exposed to crocidolite fibers when installing the B-bushings in the spinning machines. The frequency and duration of the work suggested that there would be a sufficient degree of exposure to crocidolite fibers to cause lung cancer. Except for smoking and asbestos exposure, no other chemical exposure was suspected for developing lung cancer in the workplace. Smoking appeared to be more of a potentiating risk factor in conjunction with the asbestos exposure. Accordingly, this case may provide significant evidence in identifying the cause of the mesothelioma or lung carcinoma found among workers in non-asbestos textile manufacturing companies elsewhere.     

Biologically induced Po emission from fresh water

Behavior of Po in fresh waters was examined in laboratory culture experiments using fresh water collected from a small pool, Xi river and Xiqing lake, showing formation of volatile Po compounds followed by emission to air. Addition of tryptone to the fresh water cultures increased the emission of Po considerably along with a growth of microorganisms, suggesting a connection of chemoheterotrophs to Po emission. Participation of photoautotrophs was also considered because Po emission was increased when NaHCO3 was added to the fresh water cultures. The emission behavior of Po and S in these experiments appeared in different ways. The quantity of Po emitted was comparable to the previous culture experiments (Momoshima, Song, Osaki & Maeda, Environ. Sci. Technol., 35, 2956-2960, 2001) in which artificial culture medium containing 3% NaCl was used and inoculated with sea sediment extract. The biological support for Po emission, thus, would be a general phenomenon in fresh water as well as a seawater environment and is possibly a source for atmospheric Po.     

废高磁合金钢中钴、镍的分离和利用

用硫酸、盐酸和硝酸溶解废高磁合金钢、并将Fe^2 氧化为Fe^3 。先用黄铁矾法除去大部分铁,用尿素除去少量的铁及铝、钛、铜;最后在NH3－NH4Cl体系中分离钴、镍,并制成相应的盐。钴、镍的回收率分别国81．5％、89．7％。     

空难对湿地浮游植物的影响

浮游植物已经广泛应用于环境影响评价.包头"11·21"空难对南海子浮游植物的种类、种群结构、优势种(属)、细胞密度、种类数和细胞密度的空间分布产生了重要影响.调查表明:南海子浮游植物有5门27属,其中蓝藻门有5个属,隐藻门有2个属,硅藻门有5个属,裸藻门有2个属,绿藻门有13个属;蓝藻门和绿藻门为南海子的优势门类,其中微囊藻、平裂藻和栅藻为优势属;南海子浮游植物的Margelef种类丰度指数为0.9646,Shannon-Wiener多样性指数为0.7647,空难后南海子水体污染严重;浮游植物(特别是富营养化指示藻类)的种类数和细胞密度的高值区主要出现在污染水域.南海子水质的浮游植物生物学评价结果表明,空难事故后南海子水体已属于严重富营养化水平.      

用MnSO_4作催化剂测定废水中的COD

介绍了用 Mn SO4代替 Ag2 SO4作催化剂测定废水中 COD的方法。该方法可降低分析成本 ,且使回流时间缩短为 30 m in,方法的变异系数、回收率分别为 0 .6 5 %和 96 .8%～10 0 .8%     

新疆塔里木河流域生态脆弱带的环境质量综合评价

塔里木河流域是我国生态环境脆弱地区之一,流域内的不同区域,由于物质及能量匹配上不够协调,宏观上表现出不同的脆弱性特征.依据生态环境质量评价的有关原则,结合塔河流域生态环境的实际情况,筛选出20个指标,建立生态环境综合评价的指标体系.通过构建生态脆弱性指数,综合地反映了塔河流域生态环境质量的优劣程度.结果表明,阿克苏河流域属于生态环境改善区,叶尔羌河流域及塔河上游属于生态环境基本平衡区,和田河流域及塔河中游属于生态环境失调区,而塔河下游属于生态环境严重受损区,评价结果符合实际情况,对指导流域生态环境建设具有重要意义.     

膨润土对土壤腐殖质特性的影响

砂质土壤腐殖质含量低,影响了土壤肥力.文章通过田间条件下砂滤管试验,利用膨润土的吸附和粘结功能,研究了膨润土不同用量对土壤腐殖质特性的影响.结果表明:膨润土在促进松结态腐殖质分解、加速紧结态腐殖质合成方面发挥了重要作用,有利于增加土壤系统的内稳性.施用膨润土促进了紧结态和稳结态腐殖质中HA的积累,提高了HA/FA比.胡敏酸红外吸收光谱表明,膨润土能使其脂肪族物质增多、芳化度降低.膨润土具有提高土壤腐殖质含量,改善土壤腐殖质特性,从而提高了土壤肥力.     

我国海洋自然保护区面临的主要问题及管理策略

我国海洋自然保护区的建立,在保护海洋环境、物种资源,维护海洋生态平衡等方面起了重要作用;然而海洋自然保护区建设管理工作起步较晚、基础薄弱、保护区的管理正处于摸索阶段,还存在一些问题.文章提出了目前我国海洋自然保护区在管理体制、总体布局规划、经费投入、法律法规以及科研工作方面存在的主要问题,并根据这些问题提出相应解决的管理策略.     

Assessment of Flood Vulnerability Based on CMIP5 Climate Projections in South Korea

The objective of this article was to assess flood vulnerability based on the representative concentration pathways (RCP) scenarios at city and county levels. A quantile mapping method was adopted to correct bias that is inherent in climate change scenarios. A series of proxy variables related to climate exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity were chosen to assess flood vulnerability. Proxy variables were standardized using the Z‐score method. Principal component analysis was carried out to calculate the weighting of proxy variables. The study area was the Korean peninsula. The spatial resolution was on a city and county basis and the temporal resolution was 1990s, 2025s, 2055s, and 2085s (divided into 1976‐2005, 2011‐2040, 2041‐2070, and 2071‐2100). In the spatial comparison, we found that the areas with high‐level flood vulnerability increased over time in the central region, including metropolitan areas, and near the southern coast. In the temporal comparison, we found that the RCP4.5 scenario showed a tendency to increase steadily and the RCP8.5 scenario showed a tendency to decrease in the 2055s slightly and increase again in the 2085s. The study findings may provide useful data for the determination of priority for countermeasure development, though robustness of these findings with additional future projections should be established.