Korea University · Environmental Science
Professor Dal Woong Choi's research lab specializes in environmental and food safety, with a focus on identifying and assessing chemical hazards in everyday consumer products. The lab investigates volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in indoor air, mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) in food contact materials, and condensed phosphates in marine and processed foods, emphasizing their health implications. A key research direction involves developing rapid, selective analytical methods—such as ion chromatography and GC-MS/MS—for detecting food adulterants and toxicants. The lab also explores the biochemical impacts of environmental chemicals, including protein oxidation by cytochrome P-450 enzymes, linking chemical exposure to disease mechanisms.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
This study was undertaken to determine the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in the indoor air of atopy patients' (atopic dermatitis 50, allergic asthma 36) and control houses (28 nonpatients). A goal of this study was also to investigate whether indoor VOCs were risk factors for the development of atopic sensitization. Eleven alkanes, 13 aromatics, 7 chlorinated hydrocarbons, 3 terpenes, and 15 aldehyds were measured from 10 March to 15 June, 2006. Aldehyde compounds are the m
Mineral oil hydrocarbons (MOH) are widely used in the food industry for applications such as printing inks, additives, adhesives, and processing aids for food additives. Recently, the migration of MOH from food contact paper and board into foods has raised public health concerns. In this study, a total of 110 food contact paper and board samples, including baking and cooking paper (23), baking cups (28), food packaging bags (22), lunch boxes (8), party plates (26), and straws (3) were evaluated
Although many studies established a role of cytochrome P-450s in metabolism of xenobiotics, few studies evaluating the ability of cytochrome P-450s to oxidize proteins have been reported. The ability of cytochrome P-450s to induce oxidative modification of albumin, apolipoprotein E, and CYP2E1 protein was investigated. Microsomal cytochrome P-450s induced production of reactive radical species, leading to differential modification of the proteins. Albumin remained unmodified, and CYP2E1 protein
Condensed phosphates are deliberately added to the fishery and processed marine food products on purpose to increase the weight of products. However, excessive intake overwhelming bodily homoeostasis can result in phosphate toxicity such as mineral and bone disorders, associated with chronic kidney diseases, and cardiovascular events. Rapid analysis for condensed phosphates is required to detect the illegal adulteration of processed marine products. We optimised an analytical method using ion ch
Flavoring agents are added to cigarettes to improve taste. There are mostly permitted food additives, but some of them are restricted for use in food, cosmetics, and toys, since they can cause allergic reactions. Previous studies have investigated the levels of flavoring agents in tobacco but none has focused on their content in filter tips and capsules. Moreover, no studies have assessed the risk of adding allergenic flavoring agents in cigarettes. Here, we developed and validated a simultaneou
Abstract Condensed phosphates are used as food additives, especially in marine products and meat, to improve food quality. The import and consumption of fishery and processed marine food products in Republic of Korea have reportedly increased by ~5 per cent annually. However, processed marine food products are often intentionally adulterated with excessive amounts of condensed phosphates to increase their weight. Excessive intake of condensed phosphates via consuming processed marine food produc
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