Jung‐Hwan Kwon

Human exposure to microplastics contained in food has become a significant concern owing to the increasing accumulation of microplastics in the environment. In this paper, we summarize the presence of microplastics in food and the analytical methods used for isolation and identification of microplastics. Although a large number of studies on seafood such as fish and shellfish exist, estimating the overall human exposure to microplastics via food consumption is difficult owing to the lack of stud

Abstract Despite a recent boom in research on the environmental fate, distribution, and harmful effects of chemical substances associated with marine plastic debris, no consensus has been reached on whether chemicals originating from microplastics cause serious environmental harm. For the risk assessment of chemical contaminants associated with microplastics, it would be useful to group organic chemicals into 2 categories: additives and nonadditives. Whereas plastic particles are not likely to b

Large quantities of microplastics are thought to be emitted to freshwater environments via wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). To evaluate the occurrence of microplastics in Korean WWTPs, a nationwide study was conducted for the first time in 50 representative WWTPs with large treatment capacities. Grab sampling and laboratory filtration were used for influents, whereas in situ filtration using a custom-made sampling device was used for effluents. The filtrates were pretreated using wet peroxid

Measurement of partition coefficients between poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) and water (KPDMSw) becomes more and more difficult as the hydrophobicity of the compound increases. Experimental challenges include long extraction times, sorption to various surfaces and materials, and incomplete dissolution of the compound in the aqueous phase. In order to avoid these artifacts and to shorten experimental time, a dynamic permeation method was developed. According to steady-state diffusion theory, KPDMS

The partition coefficient between water and lipid membrane vesicles (Klipw) has been used as an alternative to the 1-octanol-water partition coefficient (Kow) between water and organic solvent, because it more closely represents actual biological membranes. Despite theoretical differences, log Klipw correlates well with log Kow for conventional nonpolar organic pollutants. In the present study, Klipw values of 11 structurally diverse endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) were measured for three

A prediction model for estimating the ecotoxicity of the water-accommodated fraction (WAF) and water-soluble fraction (WSF) of heavy crude oil is proposed. Iranian heavy crude oil (IHC), one of the major components of the Hebei Spirit oil spill in Korea in 2007, was used as a model crude oil for the preparation of the WAF and the WSF. Luminescence inhibition of Vibrio fischeri was chosen as the model ecotoxicity test for evaluating the baseline toxicity of aromatic hydrocarbons in the IHC. The m