The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of heavy metal concentrations in the blood and urine of the general population. This research had been conducted from April to December 2008, studying 545 residents of Daejeon and Chungcheong Province. Through the concentrations of heavy metals(Pb, Cd, Hg, As, Mn) in the biota samples and questionnaires, the residents heavy metal exposure level and the influential factors according to personal characteristics or lifestyle were evaluated. As to the heavy metal concentration in the blood and urine of the comparing region, were As and Mn statistically significant(p<0.01, p<0.05). Blood lead and urinary mercury concentrations were higher in males than females. The heavy metal concentration for each age group increased blood mercury. The concentration of all heavy metals were higher in the drinkers than in the non-drinkers. Blood lead and mercury concentrations were higher in the smokers than in the non-smokers, but the urinary cadmium, arsenic and blood manganese was higher in the non-smokers than in the smokers. As to the blood lead and urinary cadmium concentration according to the food preference fish showed high concentration. To clarify the factors affecting the heavy metal concentration in biota among subjects multiple regression analysis was conducted. As a results, it turned out that as to lead content in blood, sex, age and smoking have influence on the subjects with explanatory adequacy of 14.0 %. These results demonstrated that the factors affected the concentrations of heavy metals in blood and urine. The results of this study could be used as the foundational data for setting the health risk assessment.

A survey was conducted to evaluate the multi-exposure level and correlation among toxic metal biomarkers (Cd, Pb, and Hg). A total of 592 individuals who participated in the survey were residents near an industrial complex in Gwangyang and Yeosu (exposed group) and of Hadong and Namhae (control group) in southern Korea from May 2007 to November 2010. The Gwangyang and Yeosu area exposed groups had slightly higher blood Pb (2.21 and 1.90 µg/dL), urinary Cd observed values (2.20 and 1.46 µg/L), urinary Cd with a urinary creatinine correction (1.43 and 1.25 µg/g Cr), and urinary Hg observed values (2.26 and 0.98 µg/L) in women participants than those in the Hadong and Namhae area (control group). Blood Pb (3.18 and 2.55 µg/dL), urinary Hg observed values (1.14 and 0.92 µg/L), and urinary Hg with a urinary creatinine correction (1.06 and 0.96 µg/L) for male participants were also slightly higher than those in the Hadong and Namhae area (control group). The correlation among urinary Cd, Hg and Pb concentrations in the blood was significant. We suggest that the exposed group of residents were simultaneously exposed to Pb, Cd, and Hg from contaminated ambient air originating from the iron manufacturing industrial complex.

This study analyzed the concentration of the heavy metals(Cd, Hg, iAs) of urine(n=576) from May, 2007 to Oct 2007. The subject was residents in G, Y, H industrial area, Jeollanam-do, in which exposure due to the adjacency of the industrial complex. As to the heavy metal concentration in the urine of the residents in the whole exposed region and the comparing region, the content of cadmium, mercury, and inorganic arsenic in the exposed region group were 1.23, 1.85, and 8.80 µg/g_ct respectively, and those of the comparing region group were 1.87, 2.00, and 8.93 µg/g_ct respectively, which indicates that the concentration of the comparing group was higher than that of the exposed group. The heavy metal concentration for each age group increased in proportion to age except those under 10 for some substances(p<0.01). As to geometric mean concentration cadmium and inorganic arsenic in urine according to the smoking history of the subject, the concentration of the smoking group and the non-smoking group were 1.65 µg/g_ct and 9.13 µg/g_ct respectively, while those of the non-smoking group were 1.47 µg/g_ct and 8.91 µg/g_ct respectively, which indicates that the former is higher than the latter. As to the inorganic arsenic concentration in urine according to the food preference, in order of vegetable, fish, and meat showed high concentration (p<0.01). To clarify the factors affecting the heavy metal concentration in urine among the subjects, the multiple regression analysis was conducted. As a result, it turned out that as to cadmium content in urine, gender, age, drinking, and smoking have influence on the subjects, with explanatory adequacy of 37.5 %.

Objectives:The study examines the relation between urinary arsenic concentration and blood pressure, which is a risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Materials: In this study, the urinary arsenic concentration, history of diagnosed disease, and blood pressure of 782 local residents in Gwangyang, Yeosu, and Hadong regions from May 2007 to July 2007. Results: The urinary arsenic concentration of total participants was 9.06 ㎍/g-ct. The logistic regression analysis of medical diagnosed history and urinary arsenic concentration, showed statistically significance (p<0.05) of high urinary arsenic concentration in participants with diagnosed hypertension. In addition, diagnosed hypertension it was observed that the high blood pressure was related with the pulse pressure. Conclusions: The arsenic concentration level was low in this study, but the exposure to low levels of arsenic has an effect on hypertension. Also, hypertension is related to pulse pressure and mean arterial blood pressure as well as being risk factor of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, close supervision of low -level arsenic exposure is needed.

This research had been conducted from May to October 2007, studying 110 residents of G, Y, H industrial area in Jun-nam province. It is designed to understand the difference in levels of indoor, outdoor and personal exposure to VOCs(benzene, toluene, Ethylbenzene) and a health risk assessment was conducted to see if there was any fatal cause from carcinogenic or non -carcinogenic elements from a case group and a control group in all areas as well as each different area. In the case of benzene in the air, the geometric levels for the case group are indoor, outdoor and personal exposure; a higher than for the control group. As a results of the Monte -Carlo study about benzene, it shows that the case group's carcinogenicity is higher than that of the control group and it also shows that, on the CTE, RME condition and Monte -Carlo analysis, all subjects are seen to exceed the carcinogenicity tolerance 10 -6 of US EPA. In the case of toluene, ethylbenzene on the CTE, RME condition and Monte -Carlo analysis, these do not exceed the non -carcinogenic standard of 1, but toluene in RME condition for both groups' personal exposure and the indoor and personal exposure of ethylbenzene in Monte -Carlo show that these seem to exceed the standard.