ID :
42482
Sat, 01/24/2009 - 17:13
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://www.oananews.org//node/42482
The shortlink copeid
(EDITORIAL from the Korea Times on Jan. 24) - Fear of Dioxin
Residents in the southeastern city of Daegu have continually worried about tap water being polluted with toxic industrial chemicals. The latest detection of dioxin in the Nakdong River is raising the specter of an environmental disaster.
There is no doubt that the contamination was caused by loose control of the toxic
substance leaked by textile firms nearby.
The state and provincial authorities come under severe criticism for neglecting
their job of preventing the influx of industrial chemicals into the river, a
source of drinking water for about 10 million residents in North and South
Gyeongsang Provinces. The river pollution not only poses a threat to human health
but also wreaks havoc on the ecosystem.
It is too bad to see the dioxin row days after the Lee Myung-bak administration
announced its "Green New Deal," aimed at promoting low-carbon green growth and
creating more jobs amid the global financial and economic crisis. The government
has also launched the refurbishment of the nation's four major rivers -- Han,
Nakdong, Geum and Yongsan. How can the state realize its goal of green growth
without even preventing river contamination?
Daegu officials detected 65.31 micrograms of 1,4 dioxin per liter of water in the
Nakdong River near a filtration plant for tap water on Jan. 12. The figure is
higher than the permissible level of 50 micrograms recommended by the World
Health Organization (WHO). Excessive levels of the harmful chemical were also
reported on Jan. 20-21. The levels then went down after the upstream Andong Dam
released 50 tons of water.
Authorities are now being slammed for having done little to find a fundamental
solution and just attributing the dioxin detection to a decline in the river's
water level due to months of drought that helped increase the density of the
chemical. One official even told people just to boil tap water before drinking it
so the dioxin could evaporate. Authorities had better recognize the harmful
effects of 1,4 dioxin, widely known as a carcinogen. Nine firms in the Gumi
industrial complex currently release the chemical, a byproduct from the
polyester-making process, into the river.
Stricter regulation on dioxin and other toxic chemicals is essential to
protecting river and tap water sources. However, authorities only control the
release of dioxin in accordance with a voluntary agreement with factory
operators. The government only plans to introduce a legal framework to
effectively control the substance starting in 2012.
It's imperative that authorities immediately enforce tougher, legally binding
rules to avoid further river pollutions. The Nakdong River was contaminated with
phenol in 1991, benzene toluene in 1994, dioxin in 2004 and phenol again in 2007.
The river can no longer tolerate the dumping of industrial waste and toxic
materials from some 7,000 factories located in North Gyeongsang Province alone.
The nation should take radical action to prevent an environmental catastrophe
before it's too late.
(END)
There is no doubt that the contamination was caused by loose control of the toxic
substance leaked by textile firms nearby.
The state and provincial authorities come under severe criticism for neglecting
their job of preventing the influx of industrial chemicals into the river, a
source of drinking water for about 10 million residents in North and South
Gyeongsang Provinces. The river pollution not only poses a threat to human health
but also wreaks havoc on the ecosystem.
It is too bad to see the dioxin row days after the Lee Myung-bak administration
announced its "Green New Deal," aimed at promoting low-carbon green growth and
creating more jobs amid the global financial and economic crisis. The government
has also launched the refurbishment of the nation's four major rivers -- Han,
Nakdong, Geum and Yongsan. How can the state realize its goal of green growth
without even preventing river contamination?
Daegu officials detected 65.31 micrograms of 1,4 dioxin per liter of water in the
Nakdong River near a filtration plant for tap water on Jan. 12. The figure is
higher than the permissible level of 50 micrograms recommended by the World
Health Organization (WHO). Excessive levels of the harmful chemical were also
reported on Jan. 20-21. The levels then went down after the upstream Andong Dam
released 50 tons of water.
Authorities are now being slammed for having done little to find a fundamental
solution and just attributing the dioxin detection to a decline in the river's
water level due to months of drought that helped increase the density of the
chemical. One official even told people just to boil tap water before drinking it
so the dioxin could evaporate. Authorities had better recognize the harmful
effects of 1,4 dioxin, widely known as a carcinogen. Nine firms in the Gumi
industrial complex currently release the chemical, a byproduct from the
polyester-making process, into the river.
Stricter regulation on dioxin and other toxic chemicals is essential to
protecting river and tap water sources. However, authorities only control the
release of dioxin in accordance with a voluntary agreement with factory
operators. The government only plans to introduce a legal framework to
effectively control the substance starting in 2012.
It's imperative that authorities immediately enforce tougher, legally binding
rules to avoid further river pollutions. The Nakdong River was contaminated with
phenol in 1991, benzene toluene in 1994, dioxin in 2004 and phenol again in 2007.
The river can no longer tolerate the dumping of industrial waste and toxic
materials from some 7,000 factories located in North Gyeongsang Province alone.
The nation should take radical action to prevent an environmental catastrophe
before it's too late.
(END)
