Kyung Yang

Distinct expression patterns of two Arabidopsis phytocystatin genes, AtCYS1 and AtCYS2, during development and abiotic stresses

The phytocystatins of plants are members of the cystatin superfamily of proteins, which are potent inhibitors of cysteine proteases. The Arabidopsis genome encodes seven phytocystatin isoforms (AtCYSs) in two distantly related AtCYS gene clusters. We selected AtCYS1 and AtCYS2 as representatives for each cluster and then generated transgenic plants expressing the GUS reporter gene under the control of each gene promoter. These plants were used to examine AtCYS expression at various stages of plant development and in response to abiotic stresses. Histochemical analysis of AtCYS1 promoter- and AtCYS2 promoter-GUS transgenic plants revealed that these genes have similar but distinct spatial and temporal expression patterns during normal development. In particular, AtCYS1 was preferentially expressed in the vascular tissue of all organs, whereas AtCYS2 was expressed in trichomes and guard cells in young leaves, caps of roots, and in connecting regions of the immature anthers and filaments and the style and stigma in flowers. In addition, each AtCYS gene has a unique expression profile during abiotic stresses. High temperature and wounding stress enhanced the expression of both AtCYS1 and AtCYS2, but the temporal and spatial patterns of induction differed. From these data, we propose that these two AtCYS genes play important, but distinct, roles in plant development and stress responses.

Effect of different soil washing solutions on bioavailability of residual arsenic in soils and soil properties.

The effect of soil washing used for arsenic (As)-contaminated soil remediation on soil properties and bioavailability of residual As in soil is receiving increasing attention due to increasing interest in conserving soil qualities after remediation. This study investigates the effect of different washing solutions on bioavailability of residual As in soils and soil properties after soil washing. Regardless of washing solutions, the sequential extraction revealed that the residual As concentrations and the amount of readily labile As in soils were reduced after soil washing. However, the bioassay tests showed that the washed soils exhibited ecotoxicological effects - lower seed germination, shoot growth, and enzyme activities - and this could largely be attributed to the acidic pH and/or excessive nutrient contents of the washed soils depending on washing solutions. Overall, this study showed that treated soils having lower levels of contaminants could still exhibit toxic effects due to changes in soil properties, which highly depended on washing solutions. This study also emphasizes that data on the As concentrations, the soil properties, and the ecotoxicological effects are necessary to properly manage the washed soils for reuses. The results of this study can, thus, be utilized to select proper post-treatment techniques for the washed soils.

Changes in soil toxicity by phosphate-aided soil washing: Effect of soil characteristics, chemical forms of arsenic, and cations in washing solutions

This study was set to investigate the changes in the toxicity of arsenic (As)-contaminated soils after washing with phosphate solutions. The soil samples collected from two locations (A: rice paddy and B: forest land) of a former smelter site were contaminated with a similar level of As. Soil washing (0.5 M phosphate solution for 2 h) removed 24.5% As, on average, in soil from both locations. Regardless of soil washing, Location A soil toxicities, determined using Microtox, were greater than that of Location B and this could be largely attributed to different soil particle size distribution. With soils from both locations, the changes in As chemical forms resulted in either similar or greater toxicities after washing. This emphasizes the importance of considering ecotoxicological aspects, which are likely to differ depending on soil particle size distribution and changes in As chemical forms, in addition to the total concentration based remedial goals, in producing ecotoxicologically-sound soils for reuse. In addition, calcium phosphate used as the washing solution seemed to contribute more on the toxic effects of the washed soils than potassium phosphate and ammonium phosphate. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to use potassium or ammonium phosphate than calcium phosphate for phosphate-aided soil washing of the As-contaminated soils.

Determination of human health risk incorporating experimentally derived site-specific bioaccessibility of arsenic at an old abandoned smelter site.

This study was conducted to investigate the contribution of a site-specific bioavailability of arsenic (As) to human health risk at an old abandoned smelter site in Korea. The site was contaminated with As for over 60 years with the same source (As2O3 in flue gas), but concentration and in vitro bioaccessibility (IVBA) of As differed by operable units (OU), which consequently resulted in difference in estimated risk. Soil samples collected from six OUs showed that aqua regia-extractable As concentrations ranged from 9.8 to 52.8mg/kg (average 34.1mg/kg) at OUs 1-5, which had been used as rice paddy field and farmland, and a forest region OU 6 showed much higher As concentrations (14.4-169.8mg/kg, average 85.9mg/kg). IVBA of As, determined from the ratio of Solubility/Bioavailability Research Consortium (SBRC)-extractable As to aqua regia-extractable As had a wide range of values (90th percentile values of 28.2-65.8%). Carcinogenic risk calculated with total soil As concentration was the highest (1.4×10(-4)) at OU 6 and the risk at the other OUs ranged from 3.8×10(-5) to 5.7×10(-5). In contrast, when site-specific relative bioavailability (i.e., IVBA values) was incorporated, the estimated risk was reduced by 29.5-62.0% and the decrease was the highest at OUs 1 and 5 with the lowest IVBA of 28.2%. The results demonstrate that the chemical forms of As may be different although the source of contamination is similar, and site-specific bioavailability affected by the chemical forms is an important factor in determining human health risk.

Applicability of Soil Washing with Neutral Phosphate for Remediation of Arsenic-contaminated Soil at the Former Janghang Smelter Site

In accordance with the view on remediated soil as a resource, this study assessed the applicability of soil washing with the neutral phosphate for remediation of arsenic (As)-contaminated soil. Three soil samples of different land uses (i.e., rice paddy, upland field and forest land) were collected from the study site, and the aqua regia-extractable As concentrations were 59.2, 30.8 and 53.1 mg/kg, respectively. Among the neutral phosphate reagents, ammonium phosphate showed the highest As washing efficiency. The optimized washing condition was 2-hr washing with 0.5 M ammonium phosphate solution (pH 6) and soil to liquid ratio of 1 : 5. The extraction efficiencies of As did not guarantee the residual soil As concentrations to satisfy the Korea soil regulatory level (i.e., Worrisome level) in the three soil samples. To enhance washing efficiency, the As-contaminated soil was submerged in washing solution (1 : 1, w/v) for 24 hr and 1-hr washing with 0.5 M ammonium phosphate solution was tested. As extraction efficiencies of 36.1 (rice paddy), 21.4 (upland field) and 26.4% (forest land) were attained, which satisfied the Worrisome level for Region 1 (25 mg/kg of As) in rice paddy, but not in upland field and forest land.

Role of phosphate and Fe-oxides on the acid-aided extraction efficiency and readsorption of As in field-aged soil

This study was conducted to investigate arsenic (As) readsorption phenomenon in acid-treated soil using phosphate as a competing ion. Three field-aged soils (i.e., S1, paddy soil; S2, field soil; S3, forest soil) originally contaminated with As ranging from 30 to 59 mg/kg-soil were collected from a former smelter site. When 0.2M hydrochloric acid (HCl) alone was used as an extraction solution, As bound to iron (Fe) oxides was removed but significant amount of the released As was readsorbed onto residual Fe-oxides, yielding low As extraction efficiency of 11-27%. Readsorption of the released As seemed to occur preferentially on amorphous Fe-oxides. In contrast, As extraction efficiency was greatly increased by 0.2M HCl solution supplemented with monopotassium phosphate (KH2PO4), which was greatly influenced by the molar ratio of acid to phosphate. In addition, by the extraction solution with an optimal ratio of 0.2M HCl/0.1M KH2PO4, As extraction efficiency differed with soil types, showing 79.6, 44.1, and 61.0% in S1, S2, and S3, respectively. The reason can be ascribed to the blocking of the available As readsorption sites by phosphate ions, the sites seemed to mainly reside on the residual amorphous Fe-oxides in soil.

Determination of Human Health Risk Incorporated with Arsenic Bioaccessibility and Remediation Goals at the Former Janghang Smelter Site

ABSTRACT Metal concentrations in the former Janghang smelter area were determined and human health risk of arsenic (As) withbioaccessibility was investigated. Site investigation of the area within 1.5 km from the Janghang smelter showed the Asconcentrations of 4.8~169.8 mg/kg (avg. 37.8 mg/kg). For 85 samples out of 126 samples, As concentrations were higherthan the Worrisome Level of the Korean Soil and Environment Conservation Act, and seven samples exceeded theCountermeasure Standard. Risk assessment for As incorporated with the bioaccessibility revealed that potential humanhealth risk of the carcinogenic (1.8~5.0 × 10 −5 ) was above the acceptable risk range (10~10 −6 ) while the risk of the non-carcinogenic was not found. Remediation goals based on risk incorporated with bioaccessibility of As ranged from 10.8 to20.0 mg/kg. Such difference in the remediation goals resulted from various bioaccessibility of As (i.e., between8.7~66.3%) at the study site.Key words : Former Janghang smelter, Arsenic, Bioaccessibility, Risk assessment

Importance of chemical binding type between As and iron-oxide on bioaccessibility in soil: Test with synthesized two line ferrihydrite

Bioaccessible concentrations of As associated with Fe oxide as different chemical binding types were determined in soils using the in vitro Physiologically Based Extraction Test (PBET). When compared to the five-step sequential extraction data, most of the As extracted by in vitro PBET originated from the amorphous Fe oxide-bound fraction, and more importantly, the bioaccessibility of As ranged from 0 to 58.8% in 24 soil samples. Two batches of ferrihydrite were synthesized separately. For one batch, As was adsorbed onto the ferrihydrite after synthesis; for the other one, As was added while synthesizing ferrihydrite to co-precipitate. The bioaccessible concentration of As determined by in vitro PBET of the former was 415mg of As/kg of ferrihydrite and that of the latter was 67mg of As/kg of ferrihydrite. X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS) analysis indicated that As-O-Fe bonds were evident in As-associated ferrihydrite sample and especially, As was found within the Fe oxide lattice in the co-precipitated sample. Our data suggest that binding type between As and Fe oxide should be considered when determining the bioaccessibility of As in soil, which, in turn, greatly influences the realistic risk of As present in soil.

The effect of arsenic chemical form and mixing regime on arsenic mass transfer from soil to magnetite

This study investigated the effect of chemical forms of arsenic (As) and soil-magnetite mixing regimes on As mass transfer in magnetite-amended soil. Two soil samples with different component ratios of As chemical forms were prepared. In the absence of magnetite, the amount of desorbable As was strongly dependent on the fraction of easily extractable As in soil. Contact of the soils with magnetite in a slurry phase significantly reduced soil As concentration for both soils. Changes in As concentrations in soil, magnetite, and water by the slurry phase contact were simulated using an As mass transfer model. The model parameters were determined independently for each process of As soil desorption and magnetite sorption. The experimentally measured As mass transfer from soil to magnetite was significantly greater than the simulation result. By sequential extraction, it was observed that the soil As concentration was significantly reduced not only for easily extractable As, but also for relatively strongly bound forms of As. Enclosing the magnetite in a dialysis bag substantially limited the As mass transfer from soil to magnetite. These results suggest that improving the mixture between Fe oxides and soils can facilitate the effectiveness of As stabilization using Fe oxides.

Potential Health Risk of Reused Creosote-Treated Old Railway Ties at Recreational Sites in Korea

ABSTRACT Old creosote-treated railway ties reused at recreational sites in Korea are potential hazards, due to the presence of harmful substances in creosote, such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). In such sites, PAHs in ties can be leached or emitted, and human exposure might then occur. In this study, the concentrations of 16 PAHs in soil, air, and tie surfaces in old creosote-treated railway ties reused in recreational sites were investigated, and the potential health risk of the ties was evaluated through two exposure scenarios: a recreational scenario (ingestion of and dermal contact with soil and inhalation of soil particles) and a playground scenario (ingestion after contact and dermal contact with ties). For the recreational scenario, the health risks of PAHs were safe; however, for the playground scenario, the carcinogenic risk of ingestion after contact, and dermal contact with benz(a)anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene on the tie surfaces, exceeded the acceptable risk level (10–6). For the carcinogenic risks of ingestion after contact with ties, the probabilities of cancer development were 8 and 5 in one million people for benz(a)anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene, respectively. The carcinogenic risks for dermal contact with ties were 2.4 × 10–6 and 1.4 × 10–6 for benz(a)anthracene and benzo(a)pyrene, respectively.