Pollutants In Korea Research Articles

Association between wildfire, respiratory and cardiovascular disease admission: Mediating effect of air pollutants in Korea

Association between wildfire, respiratory and cardiovascular disease admission: Mediating effect of air pollutants in Korea

Estimation of Air Pollutant Emissions by Tractor Utilization in Korea

The utilization of tractors is essential because of both the shortage of agricultural labor forces and the rapid aging of farmers in Korean agriculture. Tractors can be classified into two types: a walking tractor called as a power tiller, and a riding tractor. In this study, diesel emission inventories of tractors were established and variations of air pollutants were analyzed with each other using 2011 and 2019 survey data in Korea. Agricultural tractors including walking and riding types, which were categorized into three levels via the rated output power, were the main sources of diesel emissions. The emission inventory including CO, NOx, SOx, TSP(PM10), PM2.5, VOCs, and NH3 were established using a Tier 3 methodology. The total amount of emissions using agricultural tractors was decreased by about 13% from 2011 to 2019. The number of walking tractors were decreased by about 19% in 8 years; on the other hand, that of riding tractors were increased by about 12%. However, the emission reduction is about 48% for walking tractors, and the emission increment is about 5% for riding tractors. Thus, the total emission from agricultural tractors was decreased by about 16% in those periods. It is due to the decrease of 21% and 15% in the hours of use of walking and riding tractors, respectively, in 2019. Walking tractors mainly emit air pollutants from spraying and transporting. Riding tractors emit about 61% of the total air pollutants mainly from soil preparation and transporting operations. The geographic information system (GIS) was used to visualize the distribution of air pollutants in Korea. High-emission generating regions and the changes of emissions over 8 years were clearly seen in the GIS analysis. High air-pollutant emitting regions are mainly located in the western and southern regions of Korea, which have plenty of arable areas compared to other regions in Korea.

Beyond intergovernmental cooperation: domestic politics of transboundary air pollution in Korea and Singapore.

This study explores why the implementation of domestic environmental policies that tackle transboundary air pollution has been undermined by comparing the cases of the Republic of Korea (Korea) and Singapore. Heavy smog recurs in Korea and Singapore every year despite various attempts to reduce air pollution through the signing of environmental cooperation agreements and the introduction of domestic measures. While existing scholarship has examined intergovernmental cooperation aimed at mitigating transboundary air pollution, this study focuses on domestic factors affecting policy implementation processes at the national level. How do domestic factors shape governmental policy actions within environmental cooperation agreements in the cases of Korea and Singapore? I employed a process-tracing method to analyze the entanglement of domestic stakeholders from the late 1990s to 2019. By drawing upon domestic politics theory, I find that domestic dynamics, intricately linked to other stakeholders, have limited the effectiveness of policies implemented to address poor air quality. This finding suggests that domestic politics play a critical role in establishing effective regional environmental cooperation in the long run.

Spatiotemporal variability of the PM2.5 distribution and weather anomalies during severe pollution events: Observations from 462 air quality monitoring stations across South Korea

We investigated the nationwide spatiotemporal variability of PM2.5 during 49 severe PM2.5 pollution events based on observations from 462 air quality monitoring stations (AQMSs) across South Korea during 2015–2020. We calculated the coefficient of divergence (COD) and Pearson correlation coefficient (R) for the entire nationwide AQMS network with respect to the time series of average PM2.5 in the Seoul area. We identified three distinct spatial COD and R distribution patterns (Cases I–III) among 49 pollution events that can help to determine locations for additional AQMSs. We present the spatial distributions of time lag associated with PM2.5 pollution events at each monitoring station relative to the Seoul area, clarifying the inter-district transport of PM2.5. When the time lag was adjusted, the average R values at all AQMSs were greater than 0.74 for all cases (compared to 0.52–0.57 before adjustment), suggesting that characteristic weather patterns over East Asia drive nationwide severe PM2.5 pollution. Analyses of composite anomalies of meteorological variables (compared to climatology for 1991–2020) suggest that weakened surface winds accompanied by strong positive temperature anomalies in East Asia play an important role in the onset of severe PM2.5 pollution in Korea (for all classified cases). Our findings have elucidated the weather patterns that lead to severe PM2.5 pollution, variations of spatiotemporal PM2.5 pollution patterns over Korea on the regional scale with weather patterns, and pollution transport across air quality districts (inter-air-quality-district transport patterns).

Assessment of organochlorine pesticides in the atmosphere of South Korea: spatial distribution, seasonal variation, and sources.

Organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) are widely used in certain countries. We determined atmospheric concentrations, distribution patterns, and seasonal variations of OCPs at four sites in South Korea for 1year. Samples of 22 OCPs were collected using a high-volume air sampler, and measured via the isotope dilution method with HRGC/HRMS. In South Korea, pentachlorobenzene (PeCB), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCB), and endosulfan (EnSF) were dominant, accounting for > 87% of total OCPs. Spatial distributions showed significant differences and the highest levels were observed in Seosan (295.2pg·m-3), indicating the compounding potential of diverse sources as Seosan has concentrated large-scale industrial complexes and agricultural activity (Seoul: 243.6pg·m-3 > Jeju: 193.5pg·m-3 > Baengnyeong: 178.2pg·m-3). The isomeric ratios of OCPs in the South Korean atmosphere indicated that the dominant sources of HCB and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane were primarily used in the past; meanwhile, chlordane (CHL) and EnSFs were derived from recent material inputs. Seasonally, OCP concentrations largely peaked in summer with minimum values in winter. This apparent temperature dependence suggests the re-volatilization of accumulated chemicals into the atmosphere. Additionally, an air mass back trajectory indicated the influence of pollutants released from a reservoir through long-range atmospheric transport in the summer. In particular, restricted OCPs are primarily released into the atmosphere by inadvertent sources, such as industrial activities and volatilization from contaminated areas. Thus, severe OCP pollution in Korea is due to the mobile nature of the particles. These data can be useful for the continuous monitoring of long-range transported air pollutants that are transferred between countries.

The Cyborg’s Plant: Trans-corporeality in Kim Cho-yeop’s The Greenhouse at the End of the Earth

ABSTRACT This paper argues that Kim Cho-yeop’s science-fiction novel The Greenhouse at the End of the Earth (2020) reveals “trans-corporeal” material and ethical entanglement through its representation of a plant and a cyborg. The “mossvana” plant is genetically manufactured by a cyborg to resist and reduce the destructive effects of a human-induced environmental disaster. The plant is able to withstand the devastation of human-caused “dust,” which decimates entire human, animal, and plant populations in the mid-twenty-first century. In this post-apocalyptic novel, the plant emerges not only as the nexus of human and non-human agencies, but also as a figure for human ethical commitments toward non-human others. Through tracing recent trends in the environmental humanities and building on Stacy Alaimo’s thesis of “trans-corporeality,” this paper argues that this post-pandemic novel reveals a new kind of ethics that fosters inter-species awareness and human-nonhuman connection. In the concluding section, I discuss air pollution in Korea and the metaphoric associations with breathing. I argue that breathing is also a “trans-corporeal” act that transports microscopic particles from the external environment into the human lungs and bloodstream. Breathing is a trans-corporeal act in both the material and ethical senses of the term.

Optimum Detailed Standards to Control Non-Point Source Pollution Priority Management Areas: Centered on Highland Agriculture Watershed

The Ministry of Environment in Korea aims to reduce non-point source (NPS) pollution and improve soil water management by expanding NPS priority management areas. Six NPS priority management areas to reduce suspended solids (SS) according to soil loss were chosen as they either constitute serious hazards to the natural ecosystem due to NPS pollutants or they are areas with unusual geologic structure or strata. Although more comprehensive standards are required for effective NPS management, however, no detailed consideration factors and standards are available in the legal provisions. Therefore, in this study, based on the existing six priority NPS management areas and using results from previous studies, we present detailed legal designation standards. We found that the higher the altitude, slope, and field area ratio, the higher the effect of SS on water quality during rainfall. Additionally, there is a high correlation as R2 0.9813 between SS and the habitat and riparian index. These results are useful for establishing detailed standards for areas requiring an NPS management system, future expansion of the NPS priority management area designation, and policymaking and research for reducing NPS pollution in Korea.

The effects of FDI and government expenditures on environmental pollution in Korea: the pollution haven hypothesis revisited.

This paper uses the pollution haven hypothesis (PHH) to examine the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) and government expenditures on environmental quality in Korea. For this purpose, we conducted autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing for the period 1970-2018. Empirical results indicate that in Korea, increased FDI, per capita gross domestic product (GDP), energy use, and imports have led to increased per capita carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, while government expenditures, renewable energy, and exports have led to decreased per capita CO2 emissions. Empirical results also reveal an N-shaped relationship between per capita GDP and per capita CO2 emissions. Moreover, the PHH is valid in Korea to a moderate degree, and the detrimental effect of FDI on environmental quality is relatively limited. Furthermore, government expenditures improve environmental quality. These empirical findings support Korea's leading role in implementing comprehensive green growth initiatives.

Impact of traffic-related air pollutants emission reduction policies on hospitalization by asthma, in Seoul and Incheon, Korea

Although the goals of most air-quality policies is to reduce direct emissions from the source points, it also aims to reduce health burden due to exacerbated environmental pollution. Therefore, assessing the impact of environmental policies on related health outcomes is important. In Korea, especially in Seoul and Incheon, interventions for reducing traffic-related air pollutants (TRAP) were aggressively implemented since 2007. TRAP is a known risk factor for asthma. In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the interventions had a beneficial impact on hospitalization by asthma.Hospital records for hospitalization by asthma in the study (Seoul and Incheon) and the reference population (Daejeon, Daegu, Busan, and Ulsan) were abstracted from the database in National Health Insurance Service during 2003 to 2011. A controlled interrupted time series design (C-ITS) was adopted to assess the impact of air pollutants emission reduction policies on hospitalization by asthma. Long-term background trends were adjusted using the trends of reference cities. Various sensitivity analyses, including simple-ITS, and C-ITS with false-intervention and with simulated PM10 concentration when there was no intervention, were conducted to give a robustness of our study result.Emissions from traffic-related air pollutants were significantly reduced after 2007. Estimated numbers of prevented hospitalization for asthma in Seoul were 10,377 (14.1%) and 6,011 (8.7%) depending on the reference population (Daejeon and Daegu). For Incheon, estimated numbers of prevented hospitalization for asthma were 3,207 (11.7%) and 2,470 (9.2%) depending on the reference population (Busan and Ulsan). Potential beneficial effects of the interventions on asthma were also found in the sensitivity analysis. Our study provides supportive evidence for potential beneficial effects of interventions for reducing TRAP on hospitalization for asthma in Seoul and Incheon. More studies are needed to determine the impact of such environmental policy implementation on other diseases associated with air pollutants in Korea.

Characterization, sources and reactivity of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in Seoul and surrounding regions during KORUS-AQ

The Korea-United States Air Quality Study (KORUS-AQ) took place in spring 2016 to better understand air pollution in Korea. In support of KORUS-AQ, 2554 whole air samples (WAS) were collected aboard the NASA DC-8 research aircraft and analyzed for 82 C1–C10 volatile organic compounds (VOCs) using multi-column gas chromatography. Together with fast-response measurements from other groups, the air samples were used to characterize the VOC composition in Seoul and surrounding regions, determine which VOCs are major ozone precursors in Seoul, and identify the sources of these reactive VOCs. (1) The WAS VOCs showed distinct signatures depending on their source origins. Air collected over Seoul had abundant ethane, propane, toluene and n-butane while plumes from the Daesan petrochemical complex were rich in ethene, C2–C6 alkanes and benzene. Carbonyl sulfide (COS), CFC-113, CFC-114, carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) and 1,2-dichloroethane were good tracers of air originating from China. CFC-11 was also elevated in air from China but was surprisingly more elevated in air over Seoul. (2) Methanol, isoprene, toluene, xylenes and ethene were strong individual contributors to OH reactivity in Seoul. However methanol contributed less to ozone formation based on photochemical box modeling, which better accounts for radical chemistry. (3) Positive Matrix Factorization (PMF) and other techniques indicated a mix of VOC source influences in Seoul, including solvents, traffic, biogenic, and long-range transport. The solvent and traffic sources were roughly equal using PMF, and the solvents source was stronger in the KORUS-AQ emission inventory. Based on PMF, ethene and propene were primarily associated with traffic, and toluene, ethylbenzene and xylenes with solvents, especially non-paint solvents for toluene and paint solvents for ethylbenzene and xylenes. This suggests that VOC control strategies in Seoul could continue to target vehicle exhaust and paint solvents, with additional regulations to limit the VOC content in a variety of non-paint solvents.

Assessment and its control of non-point source pollution in Korea: Review

Assessment and its control of non-point source pollution in Korea: Review

Environmental and Efficiency Analysis of Simulated Application of the Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Co-Generation System in a Dormitory Building

The problem of air pollution in Korea has become progressively more serious in recent years. Since electricity is advertised as clean energy, some newly developed buildings in Korea are using only electricity for all energy needs. In this research, the annual amount of air pollution attributable to energy under the traditional method in a dormitory building, which is supplying both natural gas and electricity to the building, was compared with the annual amount of air pollution attributable to supplying only electricity. The results showed that the building using only electricity emits much more air pollution than the building using electricity and natural gas together. Under the traditional method of energy supply, a residential solid oxide fuel cell cogeneration system (SOFC–CGS) for minimizing environmental pollution of the building was simulated. Furthermore, as a high load factor could lead to high efficiency of the SOFC–CGS, sharing of the SOFC–CGS by multi-households could increase its efficiency. Finally, the environmental pollution from using one system in one household was compared with that from sharing one system by multi-households. The results showed that the environmental pollution from sharing the system was relatively higher but still similar to that when using one system in one household.

Assessing the Health Vulnerability Caused by Climate and Air Pollution in Korea Using the Fuzzy TOPSIS

The effects of climate change and air pollution on health have become major topics of discussion and conducting an assessment on the vulnerabilities of climate change is essential to providing a solution for it. This study assesses human vulnerability to the health effects of climate change and ozone. We classified 27 detailed vulnerability indicators into eight categories and assessed the vulnerability of 249 jurisdictions in South Korea by applying the Fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Situation method. The results indicated that metropolitan and major urban areas were more vulnerable than other areas. Furthermore, factors such as air pollution, meteorological conditions, a vulnerable environment, the distribution of disease, health/medical capacities, and air pollution control had a significant impact on vulnerability. A validity analysis was on the vulnerability assessment results and the number of new patients diagnosed with diseases associated with the cardiovascular system; the results indicated a 66.9% correlation, signifying a considerably high validity. The proposed method for assessing vulnerabilities in terms of the health effects of air pollution is objective and based on data; thus, it is expected to present a high degree of applicability. The results can also be a critical foundation upon which to establish health policies.

Spatial Relationships between Urban Structures and Air Pollution in Korea

Urban structures facilitate human activities and interactions but are also a main source of air pollutants; hence, investigating the relationship between urban structures and air pollution is crucial. The lack of an acceptable general model poses significant challenges to investigations on the underlying mechanisms, and this gap fuels our motivation to analyze the relationships between urban structures and the emissions of four air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, and two types of particulate matter, in Korea. We first conduct exploratory data analysis to detect the global and local spatial dependencies of air pollutants and apply Bayesian spatial regression models to examine the spatial relationship between each air pollutant and urban structure covariates. In particular, we use population, commercial area, industrial area, park area, road length, total land surface, and gross regional domestic product per person as spatial covariates of interest. Except for park area and road length, most covariates have significant positive relationships with air pollutants ranging from 0 to 1, which indicates that urbanization does not result in a one-to-one negative influence on air pollution. Findings suggest that the government should consider the degree of urban structures and air pollutants by region to achieve sustainable development.

Current State of Research on the Risk of Morbidity and Mortality Associated with Air Pollution in Korea.

PurposeThe effects of air pollution on health can vary regionally. Our goal was to comprehensively review previous epidemiological studies on air pollution and health conducted in Korea to identify future areas of potential study.Materials and MethodsWe systematically searched all published epidemiologic studies examining the association between air pollution and occurrence of death, diseases, or symptoms in Korea. After classifying health outcomes into mortality, morbidity, and health impact, we summarized the relationship between individual air pollutants and health outcomes.ResultsWe analyzed a total of 27 studies that provided 104 estimates of the quantitative association between risk of mortality and exposure to air pollutants, including particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 µm, particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 2.5 µm, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, and carbon monoxide in Korea between January 1999 and July 2018. Regarding the association with morbidity, there were 38 studies, with 98 estimates, conducted during the same period. Most studies examined the short-term effects of air pollution using a time series or case-crossover study design; only three cohort studies that examined long-term effects were found. There were four health impact studies that calculated the attributable number of deaths or disability-adjusted life years due to air pollution.ConclusionThere have been many epidemiologic studies in Korea regarding air pollution and health. However, the present review shows that additional studies, especially cohort and experimental studies, are needed to provide more robust and accurate evidence that can be used to promote evidence-based policymaking.

Korean perceptions of transboundary air pollution and domestic coal development: Two framing experiments

This paper examines how exposure to messages about the cause of seasonal air pollution in Korea influences the Korean public's satisfaction with efforts to address the problem. It also assesses the impact of frames that accentuate the costs and benefits of the nation's coal usage on individuals’ support for coal-based energy development. It draws from framing theory to develop hypotheses tested in two distinct survey experiments that recruited a representative sample of residents living in the Seoul Metropolitan area. We find that frames that highlight the need for immediate policy action, by blaming China, Korea or both nations, decreases satisfaction with existing national efforts. Moreover, frames that attribute blame exclusively to China decrease satisfaction with China's efforts to combat the problem. On the domestic front, we find that Koreans’ views toward increased coal use are a function of exposure to a coal-costs or coal-benefits frame; however, when the frames appear simultaneously in competition, considerations about the economic benefits overpower concerns about the negative health effects. The results emphasize how frames can shift perceptions about the need for policy action as well as in securing public support or opposition toward a specific “polluting” energy source.

The Association of Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) and Air Pollution in Korea Based on Health Insurance Cohort Data

The Association of Premature Ovarian Failure (POF) and Air Pollution in Korea Based on Health Insurance Cohort Data

Comparison of Mutagenic Activities of Various Ultra-Fine Particles

Air pollution is increasing, along with consumption of fossil fuels such as coal and diesel gas. Air pollutants are known to be a major cause of respiratory-related illness and death, however, there are few reports on the genotoxic characterization of diverse air pollutants in Korea. In this study, we investigated the mutagenic activity of various particles such as diesel exhaust particles (DEP), combustion of rice straw (RSC), pine stem (PSC), and coal (CC), tunnel dust (TD), and road side dust (RD). Ultra-fine particles (UFPs) were collected by the glass fiber filter pad. Then, we performed a chemical analysis to see each of the component features of each particulate matter. The mutagenicity of various UFPs was determined by the Ames test with four Salmonella typhimurium strains with or without metabolic activation. The optimal concentrations of UFPs were selected based on result of a concentration decision test. Moreover, in order to compare relative mutagenicity among UFPs, we selected and tested DEP as mutation reference. DEP, RSC, and PSC induced concentration-dependent increases in revertant colony numbers with TA98, TA100, and TA1537 strains in the absence and presence of metabolic activation. DEP showed the highest specific activity among the particulate matters. In this study, we conclude that DEP, RSC, PSC, and TD displayed varying degrees of mutagenicity, and these results suggest that the mutagenicity of these air pollutants is associated with the presence of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in these particulate matters.

Harmful impact of air pollution on severe acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: particulate matter is hazardous.

IntroductionParticulate matter and air pollution in Korea are becoming worse. There is a lack of research regarding the impact of particulate matter on patients with COPD. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of various air pollution factors, including particulate matter, on the incidence rate of severe acute exacerbations of COPD (AECOPD) events.MethodsWe analyzed the relationship between air pollutants and AECOPD events that required hospitalization at Guro Hospital in Korea from January 1, 2015 to May 31, 2017. We used general linear models with Poisson distribution and log-transformation to obtain adjusted relative risk (RR). We conducted further analysis through the Comprehensive Air-quality Index (CAI) that is used in Korea.ResultsAmong various other air pollutants, particulate matter was identified as a major source of air pollution in Korea. When the CAI score was over 50, the incidence rate of severe AECOPD events was statistically significantly higher [RR 1.612, 95% CI, 1.065–2.440, P=0.024]. Additionally, the particulate matter levels 3 days before hospitalization were statistically significant [RR 1.003, 95% CI, 1.001–1.005, P=0.006].ConclusionParticulate matter and air pollution increase the incidence rate of severe AECOPD events. COPD patients should be cautioned against outdoor activities when particulate matter levels are high.

중국 대기오염물질 배출의 시공간적 변화 분석

Fast economic growth and urbanization of China have been causing air pollution not only over its domestic but transboundary atmosphere. Recent high fine particle pollution episodes in China made the government move toward more stringent air pollution control policies - which are mostly fuel switching and emissions control. In this research, we tried to understand characteristics of Chinese emissions and their change by analyzing its emissions inventory by year, sector, and region. From the inter-comparison of existing bottom-up emission inventories, we found relatively good agreements (<20% difference) for SO₂ and NOx, but 30% or more discrepancies for some pollutants. Inter-comparison with top-down NOx emissions estimates also showed 20~50% differences by year. The regional distribution and inter-annual changes of emissions revealed different stages of energy/fuel mix and policy penetration. Early increase of pollutants emissions in the eastern part of China might give strong influences to the Korean peninsular in early 2000s but, more stringent control in that region would help improving air pollution in Korea in near future.