Seoul City Conducts Preliminary Testing for Heavy Metal Contamination in Urban Garden Soils of 25 Districts

Si Public Health and Environment Research Institute to Close Contaminated Gardens and Implement Land Improvement Measures if Pollution Standards Exceeded

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 2nd that it will conduct heavy metal safety inspections on the soil of urban gardens in Seoul and 25 autonomous districts, which are distributed free of charge to citizens this spring.

Due to their geographical characteristics, urban gardens are not highly concerned about soil contamination as there are no special pollution sources nearby. However, to address concerns about long-term agricultural activities and naturally occurring pollution, soil inspections of the gardens are continuously conducted every year so that citizens can produce safe and healthy food with peace of mind.

As a result of inspecting a total of 523 urban garden sites from 2013 to last year, only 9 sites exceeded the soil contamination concern standards over 8 years. If the contamination level of the garden soil exceeds the standard, it can hinder crop growth and may affect the health of people who consume crops produced in such soil over a long period.

If the inspection results exceed the soil contamination standards, the relevant autonomous district is promptly notified so that citizens do not cultivate crops in the affected garden. The garden is either closed or measures such as soil improvement are taken to ensure that citizens can enjoy agricultural activities in safe soil.

Shin Yong-seung, director of the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment, said, “Urban gardens are precious spaces where citizens can enjoy the pleasure of farming and the joy of harvest, while also contributing to urban ecosystem restoration and fine dust reduction.” He added, “We will support the safe management of urban gardens.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.