Seoul City Conducts Largest Domestic Water Quality Test for Drinking Water... "Providing Safer 'Arisu'"

From 336 Items in 2021 to 341 Items in 2022... Expansion of Testing for 5 'Unregulated New Substances'
Additional Monitoring of Residual Pharmaceuticals Detected in Rivers, Industrial Chemical Bisphenol A Byproducts, and More

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 25th that it will strengthen proactive water quality monitoring for drinking water to supply safer Arisu to its citizens. This year, the scope of water quality testing will be expanded to 341 items by adding tests for five types of unregulated new substances, including residual pharmaceuticals, and special water quality inspections will also be conducted on water sources.

Seoul City selects five substances each year as ‘unregulated new substances’ that require social attention and management, and strengthens monitoring accordingly. Most of these substances are either undetected or detected only in trace amounts harmless to humans, but precise testing is conducted as a proactive monitoring measure. This year, 170 items of unregulated new substances were tested. These consist of 157 organic substances including residual pharmaceuticals, 4 inorganic substances, 2 microorganisms, and 7 radioactive substances. Items that are continuously detected will be incorporated into Seoul City’s monitoring list for enhanced management.

The five newly added unregulated new substances this year include two residual pharmaceuticals, ‘Sildenafil’ and ‘Tadalafil,’ which are ingredients in hypertension and erectile dysfunction treatments, and three byproducts of bisphenol A?industrial chemicals that can cause endocrine disruption?namely ‘3-Chlorobisphenol A,’ ‘3,5-Dichlorobisphenol A,’ and ‘3,3'-Dichlorobisphenol A.’

This year, the number of water quality tests was also increased for comprehensive pollution management of the Han River water source. Special water quality inspections were conducted during dry seasons, and testing points were expanded to include water sources and major tributaries, establishing a dense water quality monitoring network, according to the city. Seoul City’s 341 water quality test items are more than twice the 166 items recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) and about six times more than the legal ‘drinking water quality standards,’ making it a stringent level not only nationwide but also globally. The city has been expanding the number of water quality test items annually and conducting tests according to international standards as part of proactive water quality monitoring. As a result, the number of test items has steadily increased from just 53 in 1995 to 341 this year.

Seoul City’s drinking water quality tests are conducted on raw water, purified water, and bottled Arisu, with testing frequencies varying monthly, quarterly, or annually depending on the item. The results over the past 10 years have all met the drinking water quality standards. Test results are published monthly on the Seoul Metropolitan Waterworks Authority’s website under water quality information.

Son Jeong-su, Director of the Seoul Water Institute, said, “Seoul City regularly tests not only the legal water quality standards but also enhanced monitoring items to supply safe tap water to citizens. We will expand water quality testing for socially problematic substances such as pharmaceuticals and conduct removal research in parallel to do our best to supply safer Arisu.”

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