Dong-A University 'Busan Environmental Health Center', Investigation on Health Effects of Residents Near Abandoned Metal Mines

Investigation on Establishing Environmental Health Surveillance System for Geumnyeonsan Mine

The Busan Environmental Health Center (Director Professor Hong Young-seup), operated by Dong-A University, will conduct an investigation on the 25th to assess the status of abandoned metal mines in the Busan area and to examine the impact of high concentrations of harmful heavy metals exposed in the nearby soil on the health of local residents.

The Environmental Health Center is conducting a resident health impact survey in the vicinity of abandoned mines as an annual project following last year, and this year’s survey target mine is the Busan ‘Geumryeonsan Mine’.

Geumryeonsan Mine is a newly discovered mine that was not included in the existing list of mine reclamation projects, and from 2021 to 2023, it consistently exceeded soil contamination countermeasure standards by a large margin. The main excessive heavy metals are copper (Cu), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn).

This survey will target residents aged 19 and older who have lived in the affected area within Mangmi-dong, Suyeong-gu, Busan, for more than 10 years, and approximately 100 participants within the influence zone have been recruited for the survey scheduled on the 30th.

The Environmental Health Center will identify residents’ general characteristics, lifestyle habits, and exposure to environmental pollution through questionnaires, and will measure physical metrics and blood pressure through clinical tests. Blood and urine tests will also be conducted for general chemical analysis and to measure concentrations of harmful heavy metals in the body.

The center plans to establish an environmental health monitoring system for Busan through this investigation.

Dong-A University is dedicated to improving public health and welfare in Busan by establishing a preemptive monitoring system for environmental diseases related to environmental health surveys, research, prevention, and education in the Busan area, as well as building a ‘risk communication system’ with Busan citizens.