본 연구에서는 폐금속 광산에 특화된 인체위해성평가 방법을 제시하고, 국내 폐금속 광산지역 으로부터 도출된 다양한 노출인자 값을 적용하여 폐금속 광산지역의 주민(성인 남자, 성인 여자, 어린 이)에 대하여 인체위해성평가를 수행하였다. 또한 인체위해성평가의 결과로부터 중금속 오염에 의한 주민의 건강이 우려되는 경우, 위해성에 기반한 각 매체(토양, 지하수, 지표수)별 복원기준을 제시하고 자 하였다. 본 연구 결과, 발암위해도와 비발암위해도를 지시하는 총 초과발암위해도(TCR)와 위험지 수(HI)는 지하수섭취와 농작물섭취에 의한 경로로 노출되는 비소에 의해 각각 허용 가능한 수준인 1.00E-6과 1을 크게 초과하는 것으로 나타나서 연구대상 지역의 인체위해성이 큰 것으로 평가되었다. 위해도 저감을 위한 복원농도 산정 결과, 발암위해도 기준 계산 시 As 6.83~6.85 mg/kg, Pb 18.41~18.46 mg/kg, 비발암위해도 기준 계산 시 Cu 17.38 mg/kg, As 9.13 mg/kg의 수준으로 토양정 화가 필요한 것으로 나타났다.

장군광산은 과거 갱도채굴한 폐금속광산으로 위치는 N36° 51'31.59", E129° 03'38.91"에 위치하고 있다. 산사면에 적치해 놓은 광미 적치장은 상부에 오염되지 않은 토양으로 약 20 cm 정도 복토한 후 아카시아를 식재해 놓은 상태이다. 광미 적치장에 식재해 놓은 아카시아는 대략 15년생 정도이다. 광미 적치장에서 채취한 토양시료의 중금속 농도는 As (66.43-9325.34 ㎎/㎏), Cd (0.96-1.09 ㎎/㎏), Cu (16.90-57.60 ㎎/㎏), Pb (57.33-945.67 ㎎/㎏), Zn (154.48-278.61 ㎎/㎏)으로 비오염 토양인 대조군의 As (38.98 ㎎/㎏), Cd (0.42 ㎎/㎏), Cu (10.26 ㎎/㎏), Pb (8.21 ㎎/㎏), Zn (46.74 ㎎/㎏) 보다 훨씬 높다. 가장 오염도가 높은 토양에 식재된 아카시아의 잎에서의 As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn의 농도는 각각 165.95, 0.04, 10.68, 3.18, 48.11 ㎎/㎏이다. 비오염 토양에 식재되어 있는 아카시아의 잎에서의 중금속 농도는 As 1.31㎎/㎏, Cu 3.90 ㎎/㎏, Pb 0.22 ㎎/㎏, Zn 11.01 ㎎/㎏이다. 아카시아에서의 중금속의 농집도는 껍질과 잎에서 높으며 심재와 변재에서 낮은 경향을 나타낸다.

Exposure to lead, particularly at chronic low-dose levels, is still a major public health concern. The present study is aimed to evaluate the blood lead levels in populations resident in some abandoned mine areas of Chungbuk, Korea. Eight hundreds and sixty-six subjects who reside in abandoned mine area located in Chungbuk, Korea, were enrolled this study. We evaluated the blood lead level according to the age, gender, and working history in mines. For statistical analysis, SPSS ver 12.0 was used. The geometric mean blood lead levels was 2.93 ㎍/ℓ and nobody showed levels over the guidelines of WHO. Ex-smokers and current-smokers showed significantly higher blood lead levels compared to that of non-smokers. The blood lead levels in individuals with a history of working in a mine was higher than those in individuals without such histories. The populations resident in some Chungbuk abadoned mine area showed low levels of lead in blood. This suggest that lead poisoning might not be induced by abandoned mine in Chungbuk, Korea.

Heavy metal concentrations in the soil were investigated for the abandoned Samkwang metal mine, Cheongyang-Gun, Chungnam Province, Korea. The concentrations of heavy metal(As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb, Zn) were determined in mine soils collected at the abandoned mine sites to obtain a general classification and specification of the pollution in this highly polluted region. The results estimated with the normal test and basis statistic on the central tendency and variation showed that the distribution of heavy metal concentration had significantly different at the range of all locations. The range of spatial distribution on the relationship of heavy metal concentration and pH was 4.8∼8.8 and heavy metal concentration on the type of land use was highest in forest land, and also Ni and Zn in farm and rice field showed the high concentration. The distribution of heavy metal concentration on the depth of a soil showed that the metal concentrations in subsoil were higher than of those in surface soil, while the concentration of Cu and Ni had no significant difference on the depth of soil. Results from the correlation analysis using the data except the extreme and unusual data revel that Zn-Cd(r=0.867), Zn-As(r=0.797), Zn-Pb (r=0.764), Cu-Cd(r=0.673), Cu-As(r=0.614) and Zn-Ni(r=0.605) were the most important parameters in assessing variations of heavy metal in soil. To discriminate pattern differences and similarities among samples, principal factor analysis(PFA) and cluster analysis(CF) were performed using a correlation matrix. This study suggests that PFA and CF techniques are useful tools for identification of important heavy metal and parameters. This study presents the necessity and usefulness of multivariate statistical assessment of complex databases in order to get better information about the quality of soil and gives the basis information to clean up the abandoned mine sites.

In the removal of heavy metals from the mine deposit using electrokinetic processes, the effects of operation under both constant current and constant potential conditions were estimated. The results of soil pH distributions for DDW-20 V and DDW-100 ㎃ cases after the electrokinetic remediation tests were observed. In the former case, soil pH was not much changed and kept to almost constant value just little higher than initial soil pH of 3.52, except near the cathode, which was about pH 5. While in the latter case, soil pHs of anode and the cathode regions were less than pH 3 and about 6, respectively. The electroosmotic flow to the cathode increased rapidly till 10 hrs and decreased steadily and then maintained to constant rate until the end of operation at constant current condition. Electric potential gradient was continuously increased to as much as 34.375 V/cm. At the steady state, values of the apparent electric conductivity for DDW-20 V and DDW-100 ㎃ were around 40 ㎲/㎝ and 30 ㎲/㎝, respectively. In the DDW-100㎃ test, Cu, Cd, and Zn except Pb showed the tendency of moving toward the cathode. While in the DDW-20 V case, it was observed that Cu, Zn, and Pb except Cd were not moved to any directions. The results of the tests demonstrated that the electrokinetic soil remediation process could be operated better under constant current condition than constant electric potential condition.

A study on the remediation of heavily Fe ion contaminated soils from abandoned iron mine was carried out, using ex-situ extraction process. Also, oxalic acid as a complex agent was evaluated as a function of concentration, reaction time and mixing ratio of washing agent in order to evaluate Fe removability of the soil contaminated from the abandoned iron mine. Oxalic acid showed a better extraction performance than 0.1N-HCI, i.e., the concentrations of Fe ion extracted from the abandoned mine for the former at uncontrolled pH and the latter were 1,750 ppm and 1,079 ppm, respectively. The optimum washing condition of oxalic acid was in the ratio of 1:5 and 1:10 between soil and acid solution during 1 hr reaction. The total concentrations of Fe ion by oxalic acid and EDTA at three repeated extraction, were 4,554 ppm and 864 ppm, respectively. The recovery of Fe ions from washing solution was achieved, forming hydroxide precipitation and metal sulfide under excess of calcium hydroxide and sodium sulfide. In addition, the amounted of sodium sulfide and calcium hydroxide for the optimal recovery of Fe were 15g/ℓ and 5g/ℓ from the oxalic acid complexes, respectively.

Microbial mats, the yellow and reddish brown deposits formed from the mine drainage, occur on the bottom of drain and mine tailing pond of the Ilkwang mine in Pusan, Korea. The constituents of microbial mats and their biomineralization were studied by using XRD, IR, and SEM-EDX. The upper part of the microbial mat is yellow-colored and composed of tube-shaped and small spheroid bacterial materials, which are mainly made up of amorphous and poor-crystalline iron-oxide minerals. The shape and composition of bacterial materials suggest that they are probably belong to iron-oxide mineral aggregates. The iron-oxide minerals of the yellow microbial mats are mainly goethite, but those of the reddish brown microbial mats contain abundant hematite along with goethite. This implies that with the evolution of biomats, goethite may be transformed to hematite.

The extent of heavy metal pollution in agricultural soils near the abandoned mine land site was investigated using their concentrations from the 47 sampling sites in B mine. Samples were prepared using 0.1N HCl -Korean Standard Methods- and then analysed for Cd, Cu, Pb, As and Cr by Inductively Coupled Plasma Spectrometer. In addition, soil and mine tailing samples were sequentially extracted to investigate the chemical speciation of heavy metals in them. The soils in the vicinity of mining area are highly contaminated by heavy metals ranging up to 5.96㎎ Cd/㎏, 253.3㎎ Cu/㎏, 76.7㎎ Pb/㎏, and 15.45㎎ As/㎏, according to the analysis of Korean Standard Methods. The heavy metal levels by the sequential extraction are much higher than its level by Korean Standard Methods, and little correlated with each other. Based on the results, it is suggested that the As pollution in agricultural soils near the AMLS should be dealt as of prior significance in establishing reclamation strategies for the area.

Pyrite contained in wasted ore dumps induces a strong acid environment when it contacts oxygenated rainfall. Present research was designed to evaluate the pollution of an area that is supposedly contaminated by pyrite of ore wasted dumps form in Chonju Il Mine. Measured are the pH and selected heavy metal elements in the supposedly polluted hydrologic system. The samples include three types those collected from the stream waters; those from the stream sediments; and those from the rice field soil scattered over the area. The dispersion path of the pollution source was also traced. The pH of the hydrologic system ranged from 3.44 to 5.46, which clearly indicates that the area is on the acid environment. The pH tends to rise as the distance from the minehead increases. The content of heavy metal elements dissolved in the stream water varies as follows; Mn=69.73∼1.99ppm, Cd=0.02∼0.03ppm, Zn=0.77∼1.18ppm, Cu=0.04∼0.13ppm, Pb=0.22∼0.32ppm. The stream water in this state may induce serious heavy metal pollution to the agricultural land and the water for human life especially in the villages down the stream. The content of heavy metal elements dissolved in the stream sediment varies as follows; Mn=245.0∼4685.0ppm, Cd=10.0∼15.0ppm, Zn=105.0∼210.0ppm, Cu=65.0∼155.0ppm, Pb=90.0∼150.0ppm. The content of heavy metal elements dissolved in the rice field soil varies as follows; Mn=185.0∼260.0ppm, Cd=10.0∼15.0ppm, Zn=135.0∼180.0ppm, Cu=65.0∼90.0ppm, Pb=100.0∼130.0ppm. The pollution index in the stream sediment and the rice field soil is 1.36∼2.03, which shows that pollution had already begun all over the area where the samples were collected.