Gyeonggi-do Health and Environment Research Institute "Garden Plots Safe from Heavy Metal Contamination"

The heavy metal contamination levels in garden plots within Gyeonggi Province were found to be safe.

The Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 13th that, as a result of conducting a 'Soil Heavy Metal Safety Inspection' on 96 urban agriculture garden plots across 27 cities and counties in the province from March to November, all tested items were analyzed to be within safe standards.

This inspection was planned to verify the stability of garden plot soil so that residents can enjoy productive leisure activities with peace of mind as the number of garden plots increases due to growing interest in urban agriculture.

Vegetable Garden

The survey targets included 30 public garden plots and 66 private weekend farms. The inspection items consisted of eight heavy metals: cadmium, copper, arsenic, mercury, lead, hexavalent chromium, zinc, and nickel.

The soil contamination standards for garden plots are based on Area 1, which includes paddy fields, dry fields, and orchards, according to the Soil Environment Conservation Act. The institute's investigation confirmed that none of the items exceeded the standard values, indicating that there are no contaminated garden plots threatening safety.

Hong Sun-mo, Deputy Director of the Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment, stated, "Continuous soil monitoring and support are necessary so that urban residents can enjoy urban agriculture and cultivate crops in a healthy and safe environment."