The sodium bicarbonate cotransporter (NBC) protein is functionally expressed in salivary glands. In this experiment, we examined the role of NBC in HCO₃-formation in human parotid gland acinar cells. Intracellular pH (pHi) was measured in 2'-7'-bis(carboxyethyl)-5(6)-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF)-loaded cells. Acetazolamide (0.1 mM) and 4,4'-diisothio cyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS, 0.5 mM) were used as specific inhibitors of carbonic anhydrase and NBC, respectively. The degree of inhibition was assessed by measuring the pHi recovery rate (△pHi/min) after cell acidification using an ammonium prepulse technique. In control experiments, △pHi/min was 1.40±0.06. Treatment of cells with 0.5 mM DIDS or 0.1 mM acetazolamide significantly reduced △pHi/min to 1.14±0.14 and 0.74±0.15, respectively. Simultaneous application of DIDS and acetazolamide further reduced △pHi/min to 0.47±0.10. Therefore, DIDS and acetazolamide reduced △pHi/min by 19% and 47%, respectively, while simultaneous application of both DIDS and acetazolamide caused a reduction in △pHi/min of 67%. These results suggest that in addition to carbonic anhydrase, NBC also partially contributes to HCO₃- formation in human parotid gland acinar cells.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the persistence of HCH in atmosphere, soil, sediment and waterof the western and southern regions of Korea. The samples from the western region were collected from Anmyeon Island, and the samples from the southern region were collected from Kimhae and Busan. The concentration of HCH isomers in atmosphere showed the pattern of α-HCH>γ-HCH>ß-HCH. The regions with high HCH concentration in the atmosphere are the regions that have been highly exposed to HCH used in the past, and the areas that have been influenced by the long range transport. The HCH that persists in the soil, water and sediment evaporates into the atmosphere, showing the characteristics of Air-Surface exchange. When the regional concentration distributions arecompared, the concentration of HCH was higher in the atmosphere of a plain and the cities near the plain, than the urban areas. In this study, the ratio of α/γ-HCH was used as an indicator for estimating the source of Technical HCH and Lindane. According to the result, the contribution of Lindane was high in Kimhae plain and Kimhae urban areas. However, in Busan, the contribution of Technical HCH was higher than Lindane. In case of Anmyeon Island, the western region of Korea had high contribution from Tehcnical HCH. In soil and sediment, ß-HCH was dominant. In water, γ-HCH was dominant among other isomers. Such results are due to γ-HCH inLindane. Furthermore, the source of γ-HCH in urban areas is assumed to be the use of medicine, medical supplies and other living supplies. Based on the results of this study, the management of HCH, a newly list up emerging POPs, should be strengthened by further research on sources, fate, persistency, accumulation and exposures and etc. to the risk assessments.

This study aims to monitor the variation of concentration of PCDD/DFs between the gaseous phase-particulate phases in the ambient air of urban area in Korea. This monitoring is evaluated by using the Junge-Pankow model and the Koa absorption model with the application of the Octanol-air partition coefficient. In this study, the ambient air samples were analyzed according to each congener group of the PCDD/DFs by HRGC/HRMS, which have been investigated for the past 5 years. In the results, the annual variation in the concentration level of ∑PCDD/DFs in TSP was increased from 1588 fg/㎥ in 1998 to 5123 fg/㎥ in 2002, and from 31 fg I-TEQ/㎥ to 94 fg I-TEQ/㎥ in the ∑I-TEQ. In the case of PUF of gaseous phase sample, their variation was increased from 1615 fg/㎥ in 1998 to 2237 fg/㎥ in 2002, and in the ∑I-TEQ from 12 fg I-TEQ/㎥ to 17 fg I-TEQ/㎥. The relative coefficient between the gas phase concentration of PCDD/DFs and the temperature was a value of 0.744; the contributive rate of the temperature to the gaseous phase concentration was 0.554. According to the results, the pattern of the coefficient of distribution based on log PL0 is similar to the ambient air of the urban areas.