Exclusive 'Group 1 Carcinogen' Beneath Agricultural Products Market…Suwon City "Full Response"

Contaminants including Group 1 carcinogens have been detected in groundwater beneath the Suwon Agricultural Products Wholesale Market, but Suwon City has taken no remediation measures and has failed to accurately determine the extent and severity of contamination.

According to Suwon City on the 3rd, phenol, benzene, TPH and other substances were detected in groundwater at the market site, following the previous confirmation of oil contamination in adjacent land. The adjacent land identified as the pollution source was subsequently purchased by Suwon City and is currently managed as city-owned land.

In 2018, when the city's detailed soil survey of the Agricultural Products Wholesale Market site confirmed contaminants exceeding groundwater quality standards, the city ordered the Agricultural Technology Center to submit a groundwater contamination assessment report.

In the survey at that time, phenol was detected at a maximum of 0.063㎎/L, reaching 12.6 times the standard (0.005㎎/L). Benzene measured 0.033㎎/L, or 2.2 times the standard (0.015㎎/L), and TPH was 23.8㎎/L, approximately 15.9 times the standard (1.5㎎/L).

Among these, benzene is a substance classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as a human carcinogen in 'Group 1.' However, groundwater contamination does not necessarily mean direct exposure to market merchants or visitors, and actual human health impacts may vary depending on concentration and exposure pathways.

The problem is that the extent of contamination has yet to be confirmed. In a 2024 court factual inquiry response, the Gyeonggi Institute of Environmental Research determined that the groundwater contamination range appeared to have expanded by 2023 compared to the 2020 survey. However, since investigations outside the 2023 survey range were not conducted, it stated that a broad groundwater impact assessment would be necessary to accurately determine the contamination range, volume of contaminated groundwater, and depth of contamination.

While promoting a groundwater contamination assessment for the market area in the past, the city included not only the distribution and migration predictions of contaminants but also a risk assessment in the project scope. Analysis of TPH and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) as well as soil gas surveys were also planned. However, it could not be confirmed to what extent the risk assessment was actually conducted and what the specific assessment results were.

It has been at least 8 years since the city became aware of contaminants exceeding standards, but to date no groundwater remediation measures have been implemented. It remains unclear exactly how far and how much the contaminants have spread. The city's policy is to first conduct surveys to determine the accurate contamination range and degree.

A Suwon City official stated, "We believe the spread will not be significant since contamination spreads approximately 1-2 meters per year," and added, "We are making an all-out effort to ensure that the budget for a project to confirm how far contamination has extended and the level of contamination can be reflected in the budget for next year."