"Benzene, a Group 1 Carcinogen, Detected in Daegu Dalseong Industrial Complex"… Councilor Kim Won-gyu Urges Measures to Satisfy Citizens

Daegu City Seomyeon Administrative Inquiry

Daegu City Council member Kim Won-kyu (People Power Party, Dalseong-gun 2) announced on the 10th that he urged Daegu City to prepare measures that citizens can feel in response to the detection of benzene in the Dalseong Industrial Complex area through a written administrative inquiry.

The Dalseong area in Daegu is a region densely populated with factories such as Daegu Technopolis, Dalseong 1st and 2nd Industrial Complexes, and Daegu National Industrial Complex. Immediately after benzene, classified as a Group 1 carcinogen, was detected through a policy research project conducted by the Daegu City Council last year, Council member Kim Won-kyu requested the relevant departments of Daegu City to investigate hazardous air pollutants and prepare countermeasures.

Daegu City Council Member Kim Won-gyu

Council member Kim Won-kyu strongly criticized, saying, “Benzene is a Group 1 carcinogen that causes nervous system damage and blood cancer, making it a very serious issue directly related to citizens’ health, but Daegu City had not properly grasped the current situation,” and added, “Daegu City must accurately identify pollution sources by region for proper countermeasures to be developed.” Through this written inquiry, he reviewed Daegu City’s actions over the past year and future plans.

After the detection of benzene in the Dalseong Industrial Complex, Daegu City took measures to ensure that Dalseong-gun, which has enforcement authority, and the Daegu-Gyeongbuk Free Economic Zone Authority thoroughly guide, inspect, and manage 97 facilities emitting hazardous air pollutants in the Dalseong Industrial Complex. The Health and Environment Research Institute has been measuring hazardous air pollutants monthly in the Dalseong 1st Industrial Complex and every two months in the Dalseong 2nd Industrial Complex, Technopolis, and National Industrial Complex using a mobile measurement vehicle.

Going forward, Daegu City plans to focus management on areas with high pollution levels by utilizing analysis data from mobile real-time air measurement vehicles and to prioritize support projects for replacing air pollution control facilities for small businesses and those with high pollutant emissions.

Council member Kim pointed out that “the location of the national hazardous air pollutant monitoring network operated by the Ministry of Environment is quite far from the Dalseong Industrial Complex area, raising concerns about the reliability of the measurements.” The national monitoring network is located 1.4 km from the Dalseong 1st Industrial Complex, and 4 km and 8 km from Technopolis and the Dalseong 2nd Industrial Complex, respectively.

In response, Daegu City has proposed to the Ministry of Environment and the Korea Environment Corporation the establishment of additional hazardous air pollutant monitoring stations and stated that it will work with the Daegu Regional Environmental Office and district and county offices to eradicate illegal emissions of air pollutants.

Council member Kim urged, “Managing air quality in industrial complexes is not just about reducing pollutant emissions but is an essential requirement for improving citizens’ quality of life and sustainable industrial development. I ask the relevant departments of Daegu City to respond responsibly until citizens say ‘it has improved.’”