Infrared radiation (IR) refers to the region of the electromagnetic radiation spectrum where wavelengths range from about 700 nm to 1 mm. Any object with a temperature above absolute zero (0 K) radiates in the infrared region, and a material that transmits radiant energy in the range of 0.74 to 1.4 um is referred to as a near-infrared optical material. Germanatebased glass is attracting attention as a glass material for infrared optical lenses because of its simple manufacturing process. With the recent development of the glass molding press (GMP) process, thermal imaging cameras using oxide-based infrared lenses can be easily mass-produced, expanding their uses. To improve the mechanical and optical properties of commercial materials consisting of ternary systems, germanate-based heavy metal oxide glasses were prepared using a melt-cooling method. The fabricated samples were evaluated for thermal, structural, and optical properties using DSC, XRD, and XRF, respectively. To derive a composition with high glass stability for lens applications, ZnO and Sb2O3 were substituted at 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4 mol%. The glass with 1 mol% added Sb2O3 was confirmed to have the optimal conditions, with an optical transmittance of 80 % or more, a glass transition temperature of 660 °C, a refractive index of 1.810, and a Vickers hardness of 558. The possibility of its application as an alternative infrared lens material to existing commercial materials capable of GMP processing was confirmed.

The standards for heavy metal levels in crustaceans are 0.5 mg/kg and 1.0 mg/kg or lower for lead and cadmium, respectively. Further, the contamination levels of arsenic, mercury, methyl mercury, and tin are being continuously investigated, considering their current exposure levels. Shrimps are potentially exposed to heavy metals because they inhabit areas with abundant organic matter, such as sandy or muddy shores, places with a lot of seaweed, and estuaries. This study measured the monetary value of reducing consumer anxiety and increasing consumer confidence if the government prohibits the sale of shrimp species that exceed the threshold for specific heavy metals and of the top shrimp species for which no threshold for heavy metals is specified. We derived consumer willingness-topay (WTP). Combining the estimated WTP with the number of households in the country, the total value of benefits was estimated to be 363.9 billion won. The results of this study will provide an important empirical finding, showing to what extent specific policies regarding heavy metals in seafood can alleviate consumer anxiety and provide psychological reassurance.

The ability to both assay the presence of, and to selectively remove ions in a solution is an important tool for waste water treatment in many industrial sectors, especially the nuclear industry. Nuclear waste streams contain high concentrations of heavy metals ions and radionuclides, which are extremely toxic and harmful to the environment, wildlife and humans. For the UK nuclear industry alone, it is estimated that there will be 4.9 million metric tonnes of radioactive waste by 2125, which contains a significant number of toxic radionuclides and heavy metals. This is exacerbated further by increased international growth of nuclear new build and decommissioning. Efforts to remove radionuclides have been focused on the development and optimisation of current separation and sequestering techniques as well as new technologies. Due to the large volumes of waste the techniques must be economical, simple to use and highly efficient in application. Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) offer a powerful enhancement of normal ion exchange materials in that they can be navigated to specific places using external magnetic fields and hence can be used to investigate challenges such as, pipework in preparation of decommissioning projects. They also have the potential to be fine-tuned to extract a variety of other radionuclides and toxic heavy metals. It has been demonstrated that with the right functional groups these particles become very strongly selective to radionuclides, such as Uranium. However, this new technology also has the potential to effectively aid nuclear waste remediation at a low cost for the separation of both radionuclides and heavy metals. In this work, we investigate the origin of the selectivity of superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles (SPIONs) to Uranium by making systematic changes to the existing surface chemistry and determining how these changes influence the selectivity. Identifying the mechanism by which selected common nuclear related metals, such as Na(I), K(I), Cs(I), Ca(II), Cu(II), Co(II), Ni(II), Cd(II), Mg(II), Sr(II), Pb(II), Al(III), Mn(II), Eu(III) and Fe(III), are sorbed will allow for specific NP-target (nanoparticle) ion interactions to be revealed. Ultimately this understanding will provide guidance in the design of new targeted NP-ligand constructs for other environmental systems.

The surge in food delivery systems during the coronavirus 2019 pandemic necessitated this study of heavy metal migration from food contact materials (FCMs). A total of 104 samples of FCMs, comprising 51 polypropylene (PP), 21 polyethylene (PE), and 32 polystyrene (PS) samples of six different types of FCMs (containers, covers, table utensils, cups, pouches, and wrappers) used for food delivery distributed in Korea, were collected and investigated for migration of three heavy metals (Pb, Cd, and As) using inductively coupled plasma–mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) to determine whether they complied with Korea’s Standards and Specifications for Utensils, Containers, and Packages. Acetic acid (4%, v/v) was used as the food simulant, and tests were performed at 100oC (in harsh conditions) for 30 min. Linearity of Pb, Cd, and As showed acceptable results with a coefficient of determination (R2) value of 0.9999. Limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of Pb, Cd, and As were 0.001, 0.001, and 0.001 μg/L and 0.002, 0.003, and 0.003 μg/L, respectively. Accuracy and precision results complied with the criteria presented in the European Commission Joint Research Centre guidelines. The average concentration of Pb, Cd, and As migration detected in a total of 104 samples was 0.009–0.260 μg/L, which was very low compared with the migration specification set in the Standards and Specifications for Utensils, Containers, and Packages. The maximum level of Pb corresponded to 0.23% of the migration limit. There were no samples exceeding the limit. Thus, this study confirmed that the heavy metal contents of FCMs used for delivery food distributed in Korea were safely managed. The data from this study represent an invaluable source for science-based safety management of hazardous heavy metals migrating from FCMs used in the food delivery industry.

중금속은 생체 내에서 분해되지 않고 장기간에 걸쳐 축적되는 특성으로 도시의 생물 다양성을 위협하는 위험한 오염물질 중 하나이다. 도시지역의 대기 중 중금속오염을 평가하기 위해 중금속 노출 정도에 따라 생물 체내의 축적농도 를 비교하는 생물학적 모니터링의 필요성이 요구되고 있다. 본 연구는 중금속 모니터링 시료로서 둥지 재료의 활용 가능성을 검토하고 중금속이 박새과 조류에 미치는 영향을 파악하기 위해 수행되었다. 연구지역은 충청남도 천안시 소재 대학교 캠퍼스 내 녹지공간(14개), 도시산림(11개), 도시공원(29개)으로 총 54개의 인공새집이 설치되었다. 조류 이용률은 도시공원 6/29개(20.68%), 캠퍼스 내 녹지공간 11/14개(78.57%), 도시산림 8/11개(72.72%)로 나타났다. 수거한 둥지로부터 이끼 재료를 채취하였고 중금속 분석을 통하여 도시녹지 유형별 중금속축적특성과 중금속이 박새과 조류의 이소 성공 여부에 미치는 영향을 비교하였다. 분석결과 아연의 평균 농도는 228.08±209.62㎍/dry g, 납의 평균 농도는 17.67±6.72㎍/dry g로 나타났다. 도시녹지 유형별 아연농도는 유의한 차이를 나타내지 않았으나(Kruskal- Wallis test, p-value=0.28) 납 농도는 유의한 차이를 보였다(Kruskal-Wallis test, p<0.05*). 중금속 분석을 진행한 21개 의 박새과 조류 둥지 중 11개(52.38%)의 둥지에서 조류의 이소가 관찰되었다. 각 도시녹지 유형에서 관찰된 조류의 이소는 캠퍼스 내 녹지공간 7개(77.78%), 도시산림 6개(85.71%), 도시공원 1개(20%)로 주로 도시산림과 캠퍼스 내 녹지공간에서 이소가 확인되었다. 박새과 조류의 이소 성공 여부에 중금속 축적특성이 미치는 영향을 확인하기 위해 중금속 농도를 비교하였으나 통계적으로 유의한 차이는 나타나지 않았다(Zn : W=44, p-value=0.74, Pb : t=0.64676, df =7.2422, p-value =0.54). 본 연구는 박새과 둥지 재료를 중금속 모니터링 시료로 사용한 기초 연구로 비침습적인 생물학적 모니터링의 기초자료로 활용될 수 있을 것으로 판단된다.

In this study, 46 reservoirs in South Korea were characterized based on heavy metal concentration in sediments. We analyzed the relationship between heavy metal concentrations, physicochemical water quality and hydromorphological factors in each reservoir. Study reservoirs were classified into five groups of reservoirs, by hierarchical cluster analysis based on the similarities of heavy metal concentration. Group 1 had the most severe sediment heavy metal contamination among the groups, whereas Groups 2 and 3 showed low levels of heavy metal contamination. Group 4 displayed high value of Ni, and Group 5 showed high contamination of Pb, Cu, Cr, Ni, and Hg. Groups 1 and 5, which had high concentration of heavy metals in sediments, showed a high density of mines in the catchment of reservoirs. Heavy metal concentration was high in reservoirs with large capacity or the ones located at higher elevation, and also highly related with number of mines in the catchment of reservoir. This study can contribute to the systematic management of sediment heavy metals in reservoirs.

In this study, heavy metals (lead, cadmium, and mercury) and shellfish poisoning toxins (diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins, amnesic shellfish poisoning toxins) were investigated in a total of 104 shellfishes. According to the analysis of heavy metals, lead (Pb) was detected in the range of 0.0177-0.5709 mg/kg, cadmium (Cd) was detected in the range of 0.0226-1.4602 mg/kg, and mercury (Hg) was detected in the range of 0.0015-0.0327 mg/kg. Levels of Pb, Cd, and Hg were acceptable by Korean standards. Okadaic acid (OA) and dinophysistoxin-1 (DTX-1) were investigated for monitoring of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning toxins and OA and DTX-1 were not detected. As a result of monitoring of amnesic shellfish poisoning toxins, domoic acid was detected in 5 of 104 samples and detection ratio was 4.8%. The detection period was found as follows; 1 case in January, 1 case in February, 1 case in May, 2 cases in September. These showed that continuous monitoring for the management of shellfish poisoning toxins and heavy metals is required. In addition, this study can be used as reference data to strengthen managing heavy metals in fishery products.

Herein, a new and generic strategy has been proposed to introduce uniformly distributed graphitic carbon into the nanostructured metal oxide. A facile and generic synthetic protocol has been proposed to introduce uniformly distributed conducting graphitic carbon into the Co3O4 nanoparticles ( Co3O4 NPs@graphitic carbon). The prepared Co3O4 NPs@graphitic carbon has been drop casted onto the portable screen-printed electrode (SPE) to realize its potential application in the individual and simultaneous quantification of toxic Pb(II) and Cd(II) ions present in aqueous solution. The proposed Co3O4 NPs@graphitic carbon-based electrochemical sensor exhibits a wide linear range from 0 to 120 ppb with limit of detection of 3.2 and 3.5 ppb towards the simultaneous detection of Pb(II) and Cd(II), which falls well below threshold limit prescribed by WHO.

In this article, nitrogen (N) doped porous carbon nanofibers (N-PCNF) were prepared by carbonization of polymer-silica nanocomposite precursor, and its application for heavy metal ion removal was demonstrated. Carbon–silica composite nanofibers were obtained by carbonization of electrospun polyacrylonitrile (PAN)-silica nanofiber composites. Subsequent selective etching of silica porogen produced porous carbon nanofibers (PCNF). It was revealed by surface characterization with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) that the surface of the PCNF was nitrogen-doped because N atom from cyanide group in PAN chains remained in the hexagonal carbon structure. The use of the obtained N-PCNF for heavy metal ion ( Hg2+) removal was demonstrated using a simple adsorption test apparatus and 5, 10, 15, 20-tetraphenylporphine tetrasulfonic acid (TPPS) as an indicator. The N-PCNF showed a removal efficiency of 96 and 99% in 10 and 120 min, respectively, indicating a maximum heavy metal ion adsorption capacity at pH 7.0. In addition, heavy metal ion adsorption behavior was also analyzed using common adsorption isotherms. This article provides important information for future research activities regarding control over hazardous substances.

GF-AAS와 수은분석기를 이용하여 납, 비소, 카드뮴 및 수은의 회수율로 정확도를 측정한 결과 92.67-102.56% 범위에서 측정되었고, 정밀도를 측정한 결과 0.21-6.00 RSD%의 재현성을 보였으며, CODEX guideline에서 규정하는 범위에 적합하였다. 또한, FAPAS QC material을 검증결과, 회수율은 96.7-102.0%, 재현성은 0.33-4.93 RSD%로 우수한 결과를 나타냈다. 한약재 430건의 평균 Pb 함량은 254.9 μg/kg (N.D.-2,515.2)이었고, 평균 As 함량은 171.0 μg/kg (N.D.- 2,465.2)이었으며, 평균 Cd 함량은 99.2 μg/kg (N.D.-797.1), 평균 Hg 함량은 6.0 μg/kg (N.D.-83.6)이었다. 분석 결과 우리나라에 유통되는 한약재 20종은 식품의약품안전처에서 규정하는 한약재의 중금속 함량에 대한 허용기준 이내의 결과로 모두 안전한 수준의 한약재로 나타났다. 이를 토대로 한약 규격품 제조업소를 품질관리의 기준으로 하여 유통되기 직전의 가공 포장 과정에서의 한약재 중 납, 비소, 카드뮴 및 수은의 함량을 조사하여 한약재 내 중금속 함량 실태를 파악하고, 국민에게 안전하고 우수한 한약재를 공급하기 위한 기초자료로 활용할 수 있을 것으로 사료된다.

건조 수산가공식품의 안전성 확보를 위해 2020년 경기도 내 유통 중인 건조 수산가공식품 12품목 120건을 수거하여 방사능(131I, 134Cs, 137Cs) 및 중금속(납, 카드뮴, 비소, 수은) 함량을 분석하였다. 모든 시료에서 자연 방사성 핵종 중 하나인 40K만 검출되었으며, 인공 방사성 물질인 131I, 134Cs, 137Cs는 최소검출가능농도(MDA) 이하의 값을 나타내었다. 중금속의 평균 함량[평균±표준편차(최소값-최대값)]은 생물로 환산하였을 때 납 0.066±0.065(N.D.-0.332) mg/kg, 카드뮴 0.200±0.406(N.D.-2.941) mg/kg, 비소 3.630 ±3.170(0.371-15.007) mg/kg, 수은 0.009±0.011(0.0005-0.0621) mg/kg 이었으며, 수산물에서 중금속 기준이 있는 제품의 경우 모두 기준 규격 이내로 나타났다. 국내산 제품과 수입산 제품의 중금속 함량은, 조개의 카드뮴과 새우의 수은 함량에서만 유의적인 차이를 나타내었다(P<0.05). 본 연구 결과, 유통 중인 건조 수산가공식품에서 방사능 및 중금속은 안전한 수준인 것으로 판단되나, 식품 중 특히 수산물에서 방사능 오염에 대한 국민의 우려가 크기 때문에 국민들의 불안감 해소를 위해 방사능 검사는 지속적으로 필요할 것으로 생각된다. 또 향후 건조 수산가공식품 중에서도 건조된 형태로 직접 섭취 가능한 제품의 중금속 관리 기준 설정을 위한 기초 자료로 활용할 수 있을 것이다.

농약허용물질목록관리제도의 시행에 따라, 농약의 안전 사용이 더욱 중시되었다. 산림식용자원(임산물)은 소규모 재배 등의 이유로 등록된 농약의 수가 적어, 등록되지 않 은 농약이 많이 사용되고 있다. 이에 임산물에 대한 농약 사용 실태를 파악하고자, 산림식용자원 10종에 대한 잔류 농약 및 중금속 잔류 실태 조사를 하였다. 엽경채류인 두릅, 참죽나무, 음나무, 옻나무의 새순, 한약재인 두충, 가시오갈피의 수피, 열매류인 초피나무, 산초나무, 은행나무의 열매와 도토리를 대상으로 잔류농약과 중금속 잔류를 분석하였다. 검출 빈도는 두릅, 참죽나무, 음나무, 두충, 가시오갈피, 초피, 산초에서 각각 6.7, 13.3, 11.8, 13.3, 10.0, 46.768 및73.3%였으며, 옻나무, 은행, 도토리에서는 검출 되지 않았다. 검출된 잔류농약은 모두 미등록 농약 이였다. 중금속은 모든 시료에서 검출되지 않았다. 본 연구에 서 얻은 임산물별 사용농약에 대한 정보는 병해충 방제를 위한 농약 사용현황을 확인하여, 추후 농약등록을 위한 정보를 제공하므로 국내 임산물의 안전성 확인을 위한 자료로 활용할 가치가 있을 것이다.

In this research, Pb (II), Co (II), and Ni (II) toxic heavy metal ions adsorption from synthetic aqueous system have been studied using the activated carbon prepared from Citrus limetta leaves. Therefore, the relationship between the adsorption parameters (solution pH, dosage of adsorbent, temperature, initial concentration of the ions, and adsorption time) and the removal percentage of the prepared adsorbent have been investigated. Additionally, the adsorbent was analyzed through BET, SEM, EDX, FTIR, and XRD analyses. According to the results, the maximal adsorption efficiencies for heavy metal ions were achieved in pH = 6, the adsorbent dosage of 1 g/L, temperature = 25 °C, the ion initial concentration of 5 mg/L, and contact time of 60 min, which were 99.53%, 98.63%, and 97.54% for Pb, Co, and Ni ions, respectively. Based on Kinetic studies, the performance of pseudo-second-order kinetic model was better than pseudo-first-order model for the description of time-dependent behavior of the process. Additionally, the equilibrium data were fitted by Langmuir and Freundlich isotherms, while the former performed better than the latter. The maximum adsorption capacity values for Pb, Co, and Ni ions were achieved equal to 69.82, 60.60, 58.139 mg/g, respectively. Considering the thermodynamic data, the studied processes were exothermic and spontaneous.

The subject of this study is a zeolite generated as a by-product of recycling LAS (lithium-aluminum-silicate) resources, a kind of glass and ceramic produced by induction. The zeolite by-product is modified into Mg-zeolite using Mg as a cation to absorb Pb, a heavy metal generated from water pollution caused by recent industrial wastewater. An ion-exchange method is used to carry out the modification process, from zeolite byproduct to Mg-zeolite, and simultaneously absorb the Pb in the heavy-metal solution (99.032 mg/L). It is found that the sodium zeolite in the raw material residue can be modified to magnesium zeolite by reacting it with a mixture solution at 1 M concentration for 24 h. As a result, it is found that the residual Pb (0.130 mg/L) in the heavy metal solution is shown to be absorbed by 99.86%, with successful formation of a Mg-modified zeolite.

농약허용물질목록관린제도의 시행에 따라, 농약의 안전 사용이 더욱 중시되었다. 산림식용자원(임산물)은 소규모 재배 등의 이유로 등록된 농약의 수가 적어, 등록되지 않은 농약의 사용이 예상된다. 이에, 본 연구는 임산물에 대 한 농약사용실태를 파악하고자, 산림식용자원 13종에 대한 농약 및 중금속 잔류실태조사를 하였다. 산나물류 조사 시료인 고사리, 참나물, 도라지, 더덕에 대하여 조사 시료의 0%, 40.0%, 20.0, 26.7%에서 농약이 검출되었고, 약초류인 참쑥, 당귀, 마는 13.3%, 56.3%, 0%의 농약 사용 이 확인되었다. 과실류 조사 시료인 석류, 복분자딸기, 다래, 머루, 돌배, 결명자에서는 조사 시료의 57.1%, 33.3%, 26.7%, 66.7%, 46.7%, 0%에서 농약이 검출되었다. 중금속 (납, 카드뮴)은 도라지와 참쑥에서만 검출되었다. 연구에서 얻은 임산물별 사용농약에 대한 정보는 병해충 방제를 위한 사용현황을 확인하여, 추후 농약등록을 위한 정보를 제 공하므로 국내 임산물의 안전성 확인을 위한 자료로 활용 할 가치가 있을 것이다.

경기도에서 유통되고 있는 건조수산물 95건에 대하여 유해중금속인 납, 카드뮴, 수은 및 미량영양소인 셀레늄 함량을 조사하였다. 금아말감법의 수은분석기, 유도결합플 라즈마 질량분석기를 사용하여 측정하였으며, 각 항목별 평균함량은 납 0.062±0.071(0.002-0.428) mg/kg[평균값±표 준편차(최소값-최대값) mg/kg], 카드뮴 0.083±0.100(0.004- 0.540) mg/kg, 수은 0.012±0.012(N.D-0.054) mg/kg, 셀레 늄 0.839±0.371(0.362-2.124) mg/kg으로 나타났으며, 유해 중금속인 납, 카드뮴, 수은 모두 기준규격 이하로 나타났다. 멸치 크기에 따른 중금속 및 셀레늄 함량은 수은이 대멸치에서 통계적으로 유의하게 높게 나타났으며(P<0.05), 셀레늄은 잔멸치와 대멸치의 크기에 따른 유의적인 함량 차이를 나타냈다(P<0.05). 새우 종류에 따른 중금속 및 셀레늄 함량을 비교한 결과 보리새우가 납, 카드뮴, 수은에서 유의적으로 높게 나타났다(P<0.05). 대멸치, 밴댕이의 부위별 중금속 및 셀레늄 함량은 내장부위가 가장 높았고, 새우는 머리부위가 중금속 및 셀레늄 함량이 높게 나타났다. 건조수산물을 통해 섭취하는 수은, 카드뮴의 주간 및 월간섭취량은 JECFA에서 설정한 PTW(M)I의 0.712%와 2.978%로 조사된 건조수산물 내 중금속 함량은 안전한 농도수준으로 판단된다.