Gimhae City "No Standards for Algae Bloom Toxin Transmission in the Air" ... Hoping to Dispel Vague Fears

Gyeongnam Gimhae City Hall.

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Lee Seryeong] Gimhae City, Gyeongnam Province, clarified that there are no existing standards regarding the controversy over the transmission of algal bloom toxins in the air raised by environmental groups.

According to them, on the 21st, environmental organizations such as the Korean Federation for Environmental Movements, Nakdong River Network, and the Korean Society of River Science announced that they collected and analyzed air samples around the Nakdong River between the 22nd of last month and the 2nd of this month, detecting cyanobacterial toxins even 1 km away.

They reported that among the collected air samples, microcystin, a toxic substance from algal blooms, was found in the air of 11 regions, and beta-methylamino-L-alanine (BMAA), a substance causing brain diseases, was detected in the air of one region.

At Changwon Bonpo Ecological Park, microcystin was detected at 4.69 ng/㎥, and even in a large apartment complex in Busan located 1 km away from the Nakdong River, microcystin was detected in the air at 1.88 ng/㎥.

They compared the minimum concentration of microcystin in river air in New Hampshire, USA, at 0.013 ng/㎥ with the 6.8 ng/㎥ microcystin detected near Daedong Wharf in Gimhae, releasing related data to the media.

In response, Gimhae City explained, “In Korea, the only existing standard for algal bloom toxins is the WHO microcystin-LR standard of 1 μg/ℓ for drinking water; currently, there is no toxicity standard for aerosol forms in the air.”

They added, “The Ministry of Environment is currently conducting research on the effects of aerosol-form algal bloom toxins on water-related activities,” and “BMAA also has no toxicity standards worldwide, and a clear causal relationship with brain disease occurrence has not been established.”

Regarding toxin detection in agricultural products, they stated that the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety is conducting a survey on the actual status of algal bloom toxins in distributed agricultural products, with the first monitoring results expected to be announced in October.

The city plans to establish sector-specific response and management plans for water supply, water-related activities, and agricultural distribution based on research results from the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety concerning environmental impacts of algal blooms, algal bloom warning systems, toxin impact reviews, and effects on crops.

They will also make every effort to reduce algal bloom occurrences by strengthening pollution source management in the Nakdong River basin and requesting the opening of upstream weirs when algal blooms occur.

A city official stated, “The government is researching the toxicity of algal blooms in aerosol form in the air, so there is no need for vague anxiety at this stage,” adding, “Currently, most algal blooms have disappeared due to rainfall and temperature effects, and we will strengthen algal bloom responses according to government research results.”

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