FMD infected pigs may have contaminated South Korean bottle water

Bottle water produced in the northern Gyeonggi Province of South Korea may be contaminated with the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) virus plus other harmful organic substances, says an environmental group.

According to Citizens’ Institute for Environmental Studies 32 FMD burial sites for more than 23,000 pigs and cows were made near four drinking plants in Pocheon and Yeoncheon. The plants in those areas produce bottle water by purifying underground water.

A member of the environment group said it is feared contaminated fluid leaked from burial sites into the underground water zone.

“Many burial sites were created recklessly in areas close to drinking water plants. The leaked fluid containing harmful viruses and organic matters might have been extracted by manufacturers to produce bottled water. If so, consumers have certainly bought the contaminated water without knowing it,” he said.

The group has urged the government to launch a full-scale inspection into FMD burial sites to check whether polluted fluid leaked from the sites and penetrated into underground water sources.