Hazardous substances exceeding the standard were also detected in the groundwater near the camp market at the US military base in Bupyeong, Incheon, which was contaminated with dioxins and oil and is undergoing purification work.
According to Bupyeong-gu, Incheon, etc., the Ministry of Environment commissioned the Korea Environment Corporation in the second quarter of this year to monitor the groundwater in the area around the base, and as a result, trichloroethylene (TCE) exceeding the standard was detected.
This substance, which is mainly used for industrial purposes, is toxic when inhaled or exposed to the skin, and long-term exposure can cause brain diseases.
The TCE level detected this time was 0.281 mg/ℓ, which is 9 times higher than the groundwater standard of 0.03 mg/ℓ.
The Korea Environment Corporation collected samples from seven groundwater points within 10 meters below the surface of the Sangok-dong area in Bupyeong-gu, the area around the camp market, and analyzed them. As a result, TCE exceeding the standard was confirmed in one observation well.
The Korea Environment Corporation plans to purify the groundwater in the surrounding area as soon as the ongoing cleanup of contaminated soil at the site of the munitions recycling center in Area A of the Camp Market is completed.
Previously, in the soil of the camp market, dioxins more than 10 times the standard of developed countries, lead more than 70 times the standard, and total petroleum hydrocarbons more than 10 times were also confirmed.
"Because groundwater moves, not fixed in one place, there may be fluctuations in measured values," said an official from the Korea Environment Corporation.
(Photo = provided by the Ministry of Environment, Yonhap News)