In this study, 102 residents in Gwangyang and Yeosu were evaluated for exposure to levels of urethral arsenic from April 2017 to June 2018. The geometric mean concentration of the urinary arsenic in the total studied was 154.30 μg/L, with the figure for the Gwangyang area being 201.18 μg/L and the figure for the Yeosu area being 200.21 μg/L, which signifies that there was no real difference between the two regions. The figures for males and females were 173.81 μg/L and 136.98 μg/L, respectively, indicating higher levels for males. In the case of males, the risk assessment of arsenic (As) showed that 0.54 does not exceed 1 and approximately 11.3% exceeded the reference value. For women, the number of hazardous materials did not exceed 1.41 and approximately 5.1% exceeded the reference value of the total arsenic exposure survey.
The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of PM10 and O3 concentration on the symptoms of allergic diseases. The questionnaire was used to determine whether or not symptoms of allergic diseases were present from September to October 2012. The air pollution concentration data used was the corresponding point CEM (continuous emission monitoring) data. The average concentration of PM10 was 56.09 μg/m3 in the control area, and the concentration in the exposed area was 40.44 μg/m3. In the two areas, concentration of O3 was 28.73 ppb and 28.74 ppb, respectively. The total average concentrations of PM10 and O3 were 45.66 μg/m3 and 28.73 ppb in the Gwangyang area. The rate of asthma diagnosis was higher in the control area (9.6%) than in the exposed area (4.1%), but the rate of allergy eye disease was higher in the exposed area (23.9%) than in the control area (16.5%). There was a significant difference in the symptoms of some allergic diseases when the relative concentration of PM10 and O3 were high and low.
In this study, we analyzed the concentration of cadmium and mercury in urine and lead in blood from 668 residents in the exposed and compared areas in Gwangyang-si and Yeosu-si, from July 2013 to December 2015. According to the lifestyle (past smoking, current smoking, passive smoking, drinking and exercise), the concentration of cadmium in urine was higher in the compared areas than in the exposed areas in Gwangyang. However, the concentration of cadmium in urine according to the lifestyle except drinking was higher in the exposed areas than in the compared areas in Yeosu. According to the past smoking and current smoking, the concentration of mercury in urine was higher in the compared areas than in the exposed areas in Gwangyang, but the passive smoking, drinking and exercise showed similar concentration levels both in the exposed and compared areas in Gwangyang. The concentration of mercury in urine according to the past smoking and current smoking was higher in the exposed areas than in the compared areas in Yeosu, but the concentration of mercury in urine according to the drinking and exercise was lower in the exposed areas than in the compared areas in Yeosu. According to the past smoking, the concentration of lead in blood showed similar concentration levels in the exposed and compared areas in Gwangyang, but regarding current and passive smoking, it was higher in the compared areas than in the exposed areas in Gwangyang. Especially, the concentration of lead in blood according to the drinking in Gwangyang showed statistically significant difference (p<0.05). The concentration of lead in blood according to the lifestyle was higher in the compared areas than in the exposed areas in Yeosu.
Bioconcentration factors of some carbamates BPMC, carbaryl and carbofuran were determined. The tested fishes were zebrafish (Brachydanio rerio) and red sword tail (Xiphophorus hellieri). The fishes were exposed to 0.05 ppm, 0.01 ppm, 0.50 ppm, one- hundredth concentration of 96-hrs LC_(50) and one-thousandth concentration of 96-hrs LC_(50) and test periods were 3, 5 and 8 days. Obtained results are summerized as follows: In the case of BPMC and carbaryl, BPMC and carbaryl concentration in zebrafish extract and BCFs of BPMC, carbaryl were lower than those of red sword tail, and increased as increasing test concentration. In the case of same experimental concentrations, BPMC concentration in zebrafish extract and BCFs of BPMC were decreased as prolonging test periods. In the case of same experimental periods, carbaryl concentration in zebrafish extract and BCFs of carbaryl were decreased as increasing test concentration, especially dropped at 0.50 ppm. Carbofuran did not bioaccumulate in zebrafish for test periods, in the case of red sword tail, it was impossible to calculate on BCFs data because test concentration of one-hundredth and one-thousandth of 96hrs LC_(50) was under the detecting limit on GC. Test concentration of 0.05 and 0.10 ppm were the same tendency with BPMC and carbaryl. Determined depuration rate conatant were highest on carbofuran, and followed by carbaryl, and BPMC. It is suggested that low BCF of carbofuran is due to its relatively high water solubility and depuration rate, compared to BPMC and carbaryl. Therefore, carbofuran had no little bioconcentration effect on the aquatic ecosystem.