The purpose of this study is to analyze the correlation between ecotoxicity and water quality items using Daphnia magna in public sewage treatment plant process and to obtain operational data to control ecotoxicity through research on removal efficiency. The average value of ecotoxicity was 1.39 TU in the influent, 1.50 TU in the grit chamber, and 0.84 TU in the primary settling tank and it was found that most organic matters, nitrogen, and phosphorus were removed through biological treatment in the bioreactor. Using Pearson’s correlation analysis, the positive correlation was confirmed in the order of ecotoxicity and water quality items TOC, BOD, T-N, NH3-N, SS, EC, and Cu. As a result of conducting a multilinear regression analysis with items representing positive correlation as independent variables, the regression model was found to be statistically significant, and the explanatory power of the regression model was about 81.6%. TOC was found to have a significant effect on ecotoxicity with B=0.009 (p<.001) and Cu with B=16.670 (p<.001), and since the B sign is positive (+), an increase of 1 in TOC increases the value of ecotoxicity by 0.009 and an increase in Cu by 1 increases the value of ecotoxicity by 16.670. TOC (β=0.789, p<.001) and Cu (β=0.209, p<.001) were found to have a significant positive effect on ecotoxicity. TOC and Cu have a great effect on ecotoxicity in the sewage treatment plant process, and it is judged that TOC and Cu should be considered preferentially and controlled in order to efficiently control ecotoxicity.

This study was conducted to analyze the characteristics of odorous components that have been generated from the downtown sewer system based on twenty-three survey items for complex odor and designated offensive odor. As a result of the research, the contribution rates for the causative materials of the odor indicated 73.5% of hydrogen sulfide, 26.0% of methyl mercaptan, 0.4% of dimethyl sulfide, and 0.1% of dimethyl disulfide. The occurrence for the odorous materials according to sampling site revealed data of which contribution rates showed 56.9% of hydrogen sulfide and 36.8% of methyl mercaptan from the combined sewer system in the business district; whereas the combined sewer system in the residential area showed 16.4% of dimethyl sulfide and 4.3% of dimethyl disulfide. The seasonal occurrence rate of the odor materials was observed higher in summer and lower in winter And, the combined sewer system in the business district recorded the highest concentration of 4.61 ppm of hydrogen sulfide among the sampling site. An hourly occurrence rate for the odor materials consistently showed the greatest increase between 11:00 and 14:00 at each location and showed a decreasing tendency afterward.

In this study, indoor radon concentrations were measured in 56 multiple-use facilities located in Gwangju area from December 2017 to December 2018. The average indoor radon concentration in underground space was 51.70 Bq/m3, and that of the 1st floor was 38.73 Bq/m3, indicating that the indoor radon concentration of underground space was higher than that of the 1st floor. The indoor radon concentration was investigated according to the presence or absence of underground space. The concentration of radon on the 1st floor with underground space was 37.25 Bq/m3, and the concentration of radon on the ground floor without underground space was 47.94 Bq/m3. In the absence of underground space, indoor radon concentration was high. The indoor radon concentration of buildings over 30 years old was 87.26 Bq/m3, indicating a significantly higher indoor radon concentration compared to those of buildings less than 30 years old. The indoor radon concentration was investigated according to the operation of a ventilator. The indoor radon concentration of space without an operating ventilator was 52.17 Bq/m3, and that of space with a ventilator in operation for more than 8 hours per day was 36.31 Bq/m3. This result shows that the indoor radon concentration in the space with an operating ventilator is lower than the space where the ventilator is not in operation. The indoor radon concentration in the space with an operating ventilation system was lower than that on the same floor of the same building, and the indoor radon concentration of enclosed space was about 4.4 times higher than that of open space in the same building. In addition, the indoor radon concentration was measured according to the spatial features. The concentration of indoor radon of enclosed space was 64.76 Bq/m3, which is higher than those of an open space and an active space.

In this study, we investigated the characteristics of Volatile Organic Compounds(VOCs) emission from painting and printing facilities in the Pyeongdong industrial complex in Gwangju. In addition, the objective was to understand the distribution characteristics of VOCs in the ambient air in industrial complexes affected by painting and printing facilities. The painting facility mainly emitted toluene, acetone, butyl acetate, 4-methyl-2-pentanone, ethyl acetate, 1-butanol, methyl ethyl ketone, m,p-xylene, o-xylene, 4-ethyltoluene, ethylbenzene, 3-ethyltoluene, and 1,2,4-trimethylbenzene. The main emission components in printing facilities were methyl ketone, ethyl acetate, acetone, 2-propanol, toluene, heptane, and butyl acetate. Ethyl acetate, toluene, 2-butanone, acetone, butyl acetate, 2-propanol, xylenes, and 4-methyl-2-pentanone were detected in the ambient air of the Pyeongdong industrial complex, consistent with the VOCs emitted by painting and printing facilities. The average concentration of seasonal TVOCs followed an order of winter > fall > spring > summer, whereas the concentrations of daytime and nighttime TVOCs were generally higher at night than those during the day, and the wind speed was greater during the day than it was at night. Based on a factor analysis of VOCs in the ambient air of Pyeongdong industrial complex, it is considered that organic solvents used in coating, printing, and electronics manufacturing facilities, as well as diesel vehicle emissions played a major role.

Cyanobacteria have been used as pollution indicator species in freshwater ecosystems, and identifying their fluctuations can be an important part about management of surface waters globally. Cyanotoxins produced by cyanobacteria are directly or indirectly a threat to human and environmental health. In order to confirm the potential risk of these cyanotoxins, the fluctuations of phytoplankton and phylogenetic analysis of cyanotoxin synthetase genes were conducted at each point in the Yeongsan River water system in Gwangju from November 2021 to October 2022. Diatoms which grow well in winter were dominant at 99.4 ~ 99.5%, and diatoms and green algae were dominant from the spring to autumn when the water temperature rises. Stephanodiscus spp. were dominant at 92.7 to 97.5 % at all sites in the winter, and Aulacoseira spp., which grow in warm water temperatures, were dominant in summer and autumn. Microcystis aeruginosa was dominant at 25.2% in summer only at site 5. mcyB and anaC have been detected as cyanotoxin synthetase genes. The phylogenetic tree of anaC could be divided into two groups (Group 1 & Group 2). Group 1 contained Aphanizomenon sp. and Cuspidothrix issatschenkoi. It is combined with Aphanizomenon sp. and Cuspidothrix issatschenkoi, which are known to produce cyanotoxins.

This study was conducted to investigate the distribution characteristics, source identification, and health risk of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) present in particulate matter 10 (PM-10), in Gwangju. PM-10 samples were collected from September 2021 to August 2022 from three sampling sites, one located in each of the following areas: green, residential, and industrial. The average concentrations of PAHs were found to be higher in the industrial area (9.75±6.51 ng/㎥) than in the green (6.90±2.41 ng/㎥) and residential (6.74±2.38 ng/㎥) areas. Throughout the year and across all sites, five-ring PAHs accounted for the largest proportion (29.8–34.5%) of all PAHs. The concentrations of PAHs showed distinct seasonal variations, with the highest concentration observed in winter, followed by autumn, spring, and summer. Source apportionment analyses were performed using diagnostic ratios and principal component analyses, which indicated that coal/biomass combustion and vehicle emissions were the primary sources of PAHs in PM-10. The incremental lifetime cancer risk was estimated for all age groups at all sampling sites, and the results revealed a much lower risk level than the standard acceptable risk level (1×10-6).

The objective of this study was to estimate air quality trends in the study area by surveying monthly and seasonal concentration trends. To do this, the mass concentration of PM10 samples and the metals, ions, and total carbon in the PM10 were analyzed. The mean concentration of PM10 was 33.9 ㎍/㎥. The composition of PM10 was 39.2% ionic species, 5.1% metallic species, and 26.6% carbonic species (EC and OC). Ionic species, especially sulfate, ammonium, and nitrate, were the most abundant in the PM10 and had a high correlation coefficient with PM10. Seasonal variation of PM10 showed a similar pattern to those of ionic and metallic species. with high concentration during the winter and spring seasons. PM10 showed high correlation with the ionic species NO3 - and NH4 +. In addition, NH4 + was highly correlated with SO4 2- and NO3 -. We obtained four factors through factor analysis and determined the pollution sources using the United States Environmental Protection Agency(U.S. EPA) pollution profile. The first factor accounted for 51.1% of PM10 from complex sources, that is, soil, motor vehicles, and secondary particles: the second factor indicated marine sources; the third factor, industry-related sources; and the last factor, heating-related sources. However, the pollution profile used in this study may be somewhat different from the actual situation in Korea because it was from US EPA. Therefore, to more accurately estimate the pollutants present, it is necessary to create a pollution profile for Korea.

There are many factors to influence the amount of terpene at the forest. However, it is poorly understood whether the amount is altered by meteorological factors. In order to study correlation analysis between terpene amount and meteorological(i.e., temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation) and environmental factors(i.e., oxygen, carbonb dioxide) at the artificial coniferous forest of Chamaecyparis obtusa (site 1) and Cryptomeria japonica (site 2) nearby the 1st reservoir at Mt. Moodeung, the research was executed during April to November in 2011. Forest density at site 1 was 1,692 trees/ha, being occupied with 87.2% of Chamaecyparis obtusa, higher than 925 trees/ha at site 2. Carbon dioxide at site 1 was in the range of 385∼410 ppm in June, similar to at Anmyundo(395 ppm in 2010). Solar radiation has positive correlation with ambient temperature and inversely negative with relative humidity. Main species of terpene released were α -pinene, camphene, β-pinene, cymene, δ-limonene and camphor at two sites and terpene was more effluent at spring and summer than at fall. The large amount of terpene was emitted in the afternoon than in the morning under the influence of the wind speed and the topographical property. The terpene amount has positive correlation with relative humidity and oxygen, and negative with wind speed and soil temperature. Because correlations of α-pinene and other terpene materials showed statistically significant within p=0.01. α-pinene could be suggested as the basic material in explaining the amount of other terpene materials.