By Kim Se-jeong
Last week’s explosion at a chemical warehouse in the Chinese city of Tianjin has raised concerns of air pollution over the Korean Peninsula.
Almost 700 tons of sodium cyanide, a toxic chemical, is believed to have been released due to the blast. Other toxic chemicals such as nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and sulphur dioxide, were also detected in a neighboring region, according to reports.
The dangerous chemicals possibly spreading to Korea is worrying citizens here, especially since Sunday when an ultrafine particles advisory was issued for Seoul and neighboring regions.
Although heavy rain cleared the air and the advisory was lifted, speculation regarding the fallout of the huge explosion in China and its effect on Korea has remained.
The environmental authorities responded to this, saying that there’s nothing to worry about.
“Tianjin is too far away to have any effect on Korea,” said a researcher from the National Institute of Environmental Research under the Ministry of Environment. “Tianjin is almost 800 kilometers from the peninsula. Sodium cyanide is too heavy a substance to fly that far. Also the wind from the blast site blows northeast, not toward the peninsula.”
He also said the ultrafine particles advisory on Sunday was caused by wind coming from Shanghai, south of the troubled city.
“The wind pushed the particles near the peninsula to move inland. It was nothing to do with the Tianjin accident.”
On Monday after the rain the previous day, nowhere on the peninsula had an advisory.