Abstract ▼ AI-Helper

The use of toxic chemicals was extended as the industry in Korea has grown dramatically during the last three decades. However, list of toxic substances and limit concentrations in the water environment are not consistent within management of ambient water, drinking water and industrial effluent. Th...

The use of toxic chemicals was extended as the industry in Korea has grown dramatically during the last three decades. However, list of toxic substances and limit concentrations in the water environment are not consistent within management of ambient water, drinking water and industrial effluent. This article suggests the systematic framework to classify toxic substances in the water environment and deriving their effluent limits. The most important factor for decision-making to classify toxic substances is whether their concentrations in the water environment are higher than the reference concentrations, estimated by considering human health risk and ecological risk. Using a risk-based reference concentration, the ambient water quality criterion, it is possible to derive the regulatory limit concentrations of toxic substances in drinking water and in industrial effluent. The goal concentrations in the effluent, which guarantee the human and ecological safety, should be determined with scientific investigation, balancing environmental benefit and economical effect, considering availability of treatment technology and identifying characteristics of wastewater from different industries.

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