Gyeongnam Institute of Health and Environment Expands Ecotoxicity Testing Using Water Fleas

Expansion from 35 Existing Industries to All 82 Industries

On the 24th, the Gyeongnam Provincial Institute of Health and Environment announced that it will strengthen ecological toxicity testing using water fleas.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Park Saeyan] The Gyeongnam Provincial Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 24th that starting this year, it will strengthen ecological toxicity testing using water fleas to suppress the discharge of harmful toxic wastewater and protect aquatic ecosystems.

As industry develops, approximately 2,000 new types of chemical substances are imported or manufactured each year.

However, it is practically impossible to set discharge allowance standards and manage all harmful chemical substances.

Accordingly, since 2011, the Gyeongnam Provincial Institute of Health and Environment has been operating ecological toxicity assessments using water fleas as a biological method to test for harmful chemical substances in water quality.

Using water fleas, which are sensitive to toxicity, it is possible to identify the presence of harmful substances and the degree of acute toxicity that could not be detected by conventional tests such as biological oxygen demand (BOD) and chemical oxygen demand (COD).

Starting this year, the scope of the ecological toxicity management system will be expanded to all industries that directly discharge wastewater into public water bodies.

Accordingly, the Provincial Institute of Health and Environment will expand the testing targets from the existing 35 industries discharging wastewater to all 82 industries. The volume of tests within the province is expected to increase significantly.

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