Gyeonggi-do Strengthens Radioactivity Testing of Seawater in Hwaseong, Ansan, and Other Areas

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] The Gyeonggi-do Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute will conduct regular radiation tests on coastal seawater in Gyeonggi-do, including Hwaseong and Ansan, starting this month to prepare for the discharge of contaminated water from the Japanese nuclear power plant next year.

The Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute of the province currently conducts radiation tests on fishery products caught within the province, but on the 3rd, it announced that it decided to add radiation tests on seawater to strengthen inspections.

For this inspection, the institute introduced a gamma nuclide analyzer capable of quantitative analysis of radioactive contaminants in water quality and seawater radiation pretreatment equipment, and established an inspection system after trial analysis in the first half of the year.

The inspection areas are two locations near Pungdo in Ansan and the Hwaseong embankment. The inspection items are cesium (134Cs, 137Cs) and iodine (131I), which are the same as those for fishery product inspections. The tests will be conducted once a month, and the results will be disclosed on the Gyeonggi-do Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute website.

Kim Bong-hyun, director of the Gyeonggi Marine and Fisheries Resources Research Institute, promised, "We will continuously strengthen the radiation safety management system to alleviate residents' concerns."

Meanwhile, radiation test results for 1,063 fishery products caught within the province, conducted by the institute from 2014 to last year, all met food safety standards.