By Lee Hyo-sik
Bottled water produced in northern Gyeonggi Province could be contaminated with the foot-and mouth disease (FMD) virus and other harmful organic substances as tens of thousands of culled livestock were buried in the vicinity of manufacturers, an environmental group claimed Sunday.
The Citizens’ Institute for Environmental Studies said 32 burial sites for over 23,000 cows and pigs were created near four drinking water plants in Pocheon and Yeoncheon, Gyeonggi Province.
A total of 21 burial sites accommodating 11,300 dairy cows and other animals were found in areas of Pocheon from which one bottled water maker collects its natural water.
Two other drinking water factories in Pocheon and one in Yeoncheon were also found to have produced bottled water by purifying underground water collected from areas in which dozens of FMD burial sites were created.
A member of the environment group said it is feared contaminated fluid leaked from burial sites into the underground water zone.
“Many burial sites were created recklessly in areas close to drinking water plants. The leaked fluid containing harmful viruses and organic matters might have been extracted by manufacturers to produce bottled water. If so, consumers have certainly bought the contaminated water without knowing it,” he said.
The group urged the government to launch a full-scale inspection into FMD burial sites to check whether polluted fluid leaked from the sites and penetrated into underground water sources.