latest news: in South Korea
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Hydrofluoric acid leak kills one at Samsung chip plant
SUWON, South Korea, — Poisonous hydrofluoric acid gas leaked at the main plant of the world’s largest memory chipmaker Samsung Electronics Co., killing one worker and injuring four others, police said Monday. Up to 10 liters of hydrofluoric acid, an acute poison that can damage lungs and bones and affect the nervous system, leaked from […]
South Korea Electronics Industry -
Questions remain after huge hydrofluoric acid leak
More than six weeks after eight tonnes of hydrofluoric acid was accidentally released at a chemical plant in South Korea, many of the thousands of local residents who fled the area at the time have reportedly not yet returned to their homes despite assurances from authorities that the area is now safe. The highly toxic […]
South Korea Electronics Industry -
South Korea’s Silicon Valley declared ‘disaster zone’ after chemical leak
South Korea declared an area southeast of the capital Seoul a ‘special disaster’ zone after a toxic chemical leak in late September. Around 3,000 people sought medical aid after the incident, and many criticized the government for its slow response. The prime minister’s office said in a statement that “the government decided to designate the […]
South Korea Chemical Industry -
S Korea: Residents of disaster zone demand compensation
The government belatedly declared a special disaster zone on Oct. 9 in the scene of a hydrofluoric acid leak last month in Gumi, North Gyeongsang province. The declaration comes 11 days after the Sept. 27 accident at a Hube Global factory in the 4th Gumi National Industrial Complex. … Public health groups like the Daegu/North […]
South Korea Chemical Industry -
Gumi Designated as Gas Leak Disaster Zone
A blast at the factory of chemical maker Hube Global on September 27th killed five people and led to the leakage of EIGHT tons of hydrofluoric acid. The cause of the explosion is still under investigation but police believe it might have happened while acid was being transferred to a storage tank. Hydrofluoric acid is […]
South Korea Chemical Industry -
S Korean villagers escape toxic leak
DOZENS of South Korean villagers have been evacuated to a temporary shelter following a toxic chemical leak in the southeastern city of Gumi as officials assessed the extent of the damage. About 70 elderly residents left their village of Bongsan in Gumi by two buses to neighbouring Baekhyeon six kilometres away, to avoid the fallout […]
South Korea Chemical Industry -
Dispute arises again over whether to fluoridate tap water
The nation is abuzz once again over whether the fluoridation of tap water should be expanded to the entire country for the sake of public health. The issue came to a head as the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced on Tuesday that adding fluoride to tap water at a density of 0.8 ppm has […]
South Korea -
NGOs Oppose Water Fluoridation
The ruling Uri Party is working on a bill to force every municipal government to add fluoride to tap water, restarting an old debate over water fluoridation. Civic groups have threatened to block the bill, raising concerns over the harmful effects of fluoride and challenging the public’s right to choose what they drink. A dozen […]
South Korea -
Factors influencing natural occurrence of fluoride-rich groundwaters: a case study in the southeastern part of the Korean Peninsula.
Abstract Factors regulating the occurrence of fluoride in groundwater were investigated using natural isotope tracers and geochemical data in the southeastern part of Korea where about 10% of the total public water-supply wells (n=422) inspected in this study had fluoride levels exceeding the drinking water limit of Korea (1.5 mg/l). The F-rich public wells are […]
South Korea Water Treatment -
Four cities decide to stop fluoridation in South Korea
Water fluoridation which has been practiced for over 20 years without any consent from citizens, is now put on the brake in South Korea. Recently, the four city councils -Chongju, Pohang, Gwacheon, Uiwang- decided to stop the fluoridation of public water supplies, cutting the whole budget needed for it. The addition of artificial fluoride into […]
South Korea