[News Terms] 'Petroleum Hydrocarbons' Detected at Yongsan US Military Return Site

Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) refer to all hydrocarbon mixtures found in crude oil and are substances used to determine contamination caused by kerosene, diesel, jet fuel, and bunker C oil. They include chemicals such as hexane, benzene, toluene, xylene, naphthalene, and fluoranthene.

In particular, benzene is one of the six Group 1 carcinogens (benzene, vinyl chloride, bis(chloromethyl) ether, benzidine, asbestos, hexavalent chromium) commonly classified by five organizations including the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO) and the European Union (EU).

It is a high-risk substance that causes fatal diseases such as aplastic anemia, acute leukemia, and bone marrow damage, affects other organs including the liver, brain, kidneys, heart, and lungs, and significantly impacts plant survival.

Yongsan Children's Garden temporarily opened on the 4th in celebration of Children's Day.
[Photo by Yonhap News]

On the 4th, controversy is spreading over the 'Yongsan Children's Garden,' which the government temporarily opened to coincide with Children's Day. Environmental groups are strongly criticizing the opening of the park while toxic substance contamination cleanup has not been properly completed on the South Post site of the U.S. Forces Korea where TPH was detected.

According to last year's 'South Post Environmental Investigation Report (Yongsan U.S. Military Base)' by the Korea Environment Corporation, 108,920㎡, which is 66.1% of the total area, exceeded the soil contamination concern standards for Area 1 (parks, school sites, children's playgrounds, etc.) under the Soil Environment Conservation Act Enforcement Rules, causing controversy. Several items exceeded the standards, including TPH at 36 times the standard of 500 mg/kg, arsenic at 9.4 times, and lead at 5.2 times.

On the 25th of last month, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced that after measuring air quality at five indoor and six outdoor locations in the Yongsan Children's Garden and comparing them with nearby areas, outdoor air quality was lower or similar to related environmental standards, and indoor air quality met relevant environmental standards such as office air management guidelines. They also added that soil was covered with more than 15 cm of thick soil, grass and flowers were planted, and mats and gravel beds were installed to block contact with the existing soil.

In response, environmental groups claim, "The space is being opened as a children's facility by temporarily opening an area that does not meet the environmental standards for parks under the Soil Environment Conservation Act," and argue that "investigations tailored to children are necessary."