Journal of Environment and Safety
Online ISSN : 2186-3725
Print ISSN : 1884-4375
ISSN-L : 1884-4375
Volume 3, Issue 2
Displaying 1-6 of 6 articles from this issue
Original Articles
  • Yusuke Koshiba, Nobuhiro Hayashibara, Yuji Suzuki, Hideo Ohtani
    2012 Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages 2_87-2_95
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: October 26, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       This paper reports the usefulness of fire drills held within each university building. In universities, the fire drill shall be site specific because the university buildings have individual risks. The main objectives of the fire drills are: to allow building occupants to familiarize themselves with location of fire equipment and escape routes; and to provide fire safety education through the hands-on training. After the fire drill, survey interviews with participants (N = 130) were conducted. The questions consisted of five components: personal characteristics; knowledge of fire equipment and experience in using it; education effects; perception of physical risks expressed; and participant's evaluation of the fire drill. In order to make clear the relationship between the usefulness evaluation and other participant's characteristics, the interview data were analyzed using quantification method of the second type, which is a method of discriminant analysis for qualitative data. Our findings confirmed that the prime important factor was the education effects.
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  • Etsu Yamada, Hiroki Asano, Yasuro Fuse
    2012 Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages 2_97-2_104
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: October 26, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       A determination of trace perchlorate in environmental samples by suppressor ion chromatography with an online preconcentration technique was developed. This method was applied to the determination of perchlorate in environmental samples such as rainwater, atmospheric aerosol, river, tap and ground waters, and the behavior and origin of perchlorate in the environment were investigated. Moreover, environmental effect of perchlorate on agricultural products and soils was investigated. In 2007-2009, the perchlorate concentration in rainwater had a level of N.D.-3.53 μg/L and an average of 0.72±0.70 μg/L (n = 41). The seasonal variation and average of perchlorate in atmospheric aerosol, 0.02~9.64 ng/m3 and 0.62±1.32 ng/m3 (n = 132), showed a high level from February to April, which pollutants containing perchlorate may be transported from China to Japan by backward trajectory analysis. The perchlorate concentrations in river, tap and ground water samples of Kinki area were lower than the drinking standard of USA (2 μg/L), which may be a safety level for human health. The concentrations of perchlorate in the leaves of vegetables such as lettuce and cabbage were relatively high. The perchlorate data from cow's milk samples from Kyoto(mean 22.6±7.61 μg/L) in 2009 were higher on average than in 2005. Then, perchlorate may be concentrated in the leaves of crops and indirectly affect cow's milk.
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  • Risuke Karima
    2012 Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages 2_105-2_120
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: October 26, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       The aim of this study is to elucidate the impression of Japanese researchers and students in USA concerning safety and health (SE) management and education in colleges and universities of USA, compared to those of Japan. Fifty-two Japanese researchers and students in 12 colleges and universities in USA, who had been in USA within 10 years, were interviewed with a questionnaire sheet. The contents of the questions include "general SE management and education", and SE management and education on chemical substances, high pressure gasses, radiation and radioactive substances, the use of laser beam, the use of experimental electric or machinery equipment, the use of protective equipment, the prevention of biohazards and the use of experimental animals. Additionally, their impression concerning management and education on animal care, the treatment of experimental wastes and the preservation of mental health was also asked. The respondents selected their answers from the options as "more integrated in Japanese universities”, "almost same between in Japanese universities and in US colleges/ universities", "more integrated in US colleges/universities to some extent", " much more integrated in US colleges/ universities", " not related to the respondent's work” and " hard to answer". As a result, Japanese researchers and students in USA was revealed to highly appreciate "general SE management and education" "SE management and education on the use of protective equipment", "SE management and education on the use of experimental animals", "management and education on animal care", "SE education on chemical substances", "SE education on radiation and radioactive substances", "SE education on biosafety" and "education on the treatment of experimental wastes" in US colleges/universities, when compared to those in Japanese universities.
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Topics & Report
  • Yasuhiro Tabira, Takashi Kubo, Satoshi Kawaguchi
    2012 Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages 2_121-2_126
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: October 26, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       The availability of the total organic carbon (TOC) analysis was evaluated by analyzing the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and TOC data of discharged water from Nagasaki University. Samples were collected from the connected points of the public sewage line and the pH monitoring tanks. The connected points of the public sewage line are where discharged water from different sources meet. The pH monitoring tanks were installed at the drainage lines of experimental instruments. As a result, the correlations between the TOC and BOD data collected at various sampling points differed. The data of samples collected from the pH monitoring tanks showed good correlations. However, the data of some samples collected from the connected points of the public sewage line did not show good correlations since the samples consisted mainly of sewage water. In this report, it was suggested that the TOC data of discharged water can be used to determine whether the water exceeds the BOD standard.
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  • Yasuto Matsui, Kenji Shiota, Yasunari Kusuda, Tadanori Ohoka, Satoshi ...
    2012 Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages 2_127-2_132
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: October 26, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       Kyoto University started to plan a moving of Graduate School of Engineering to Katsura Campus in 2000. New facilities were built and thirteen air conditioning systems to control a temperature and humidity precisely for specific research were installed in C Cluster. The purpose of this study was to evaluate an electricity usage of these air conditioning systems under several operational situations. We selected X-ray analysis laboratory (volume: 117.1 m3, exhaust flow: 300 m3/hour, preset temperature: 20±2 Celsius, preset humidity: 60%) in a basement floor for measuring an electricity usage per minutes. As a result, the usage under saving operation mode (17-20 Celsius, 60% humidity) was half amount of that under normal operation mode (20±2 Celsius, 60% humidity). The amount of usage decreased dramatically after stopping humidity control, too. The electricity usage was slightly downregulated in proportion to running time and became only one twenty-fifth upon installing the inverter controller (ITECS Co., Ltd.). These results indicate that installing an inverter system and switching off a humidity control were the most effective to cut an electricity usage.
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  • – The Rebuilt of Safety Management in Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University –
    Ayumi Sawaguchi
    2012 Volume 3 Issue 2 Pages 2_133-2_137
    Published: 2012
    Released on J-STAGE: October 26, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
       On March 11, 2011 at 14:46, a big earthquake hit the northern part of mainland Japan. The 2011 Great East Earthquake brought massive human and infrastructural damage and it was such as devastating event that changed our life. Although nobody injured in the Campus, the Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University has been still in process of recovering from the Earthquake despite passed over a year since then.
       We have learned many lessons from the experience. It leads to a change in our awareness about disaster prevention slowly but steadily. This report is about behavior of people on campus in the Earthquake, present situation of campus reconstruction, and problems to be solved.
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