Virus Detected from Tap Water in Seoul

Rep. Oh Se-Hoon, Rep. Jeon Jae-Hee, and Rep. Kim Nak-Gi (Grand National Party, GNP), members of the environment and labor committee of the National Assembly, maintained at the press conference at Yoido party building that the viruses were recently detected in 5 regions among 13 regions being inspected in Seoul.

These representatives made public the result of the tap water inspection, which was conducted by Prof. Kim Sang-Jong (Seoul National University) on the public sites and households in Seoul for two weeks from August 28th.

The inspection result showed that, among 13 inspected regions, the viruses were detected in three regions through a method of cell cultivation authorized by the Ministry of Environment. And in other two regions, the inspection team found the viruses by a combination method of cell cultivation and gene search after failing to detect a virus by a method of cell cultivation alone.

Among virus-contracted regions, the Adenovirus was found in four places such as Olympic Park in Songpa-Gu, Oh-Jung Elementary School in Guro-Gu, Gong-Reung Elementary School in Nowon-Gu, Sangkye Neighborhood Park in Nowon-Gu. And the inspection team detected the Enterovirus in Childrenpark, Kwangjin-Gu.

While the Adenovirus is the cause of respiratory disease, acute enteritis, and epidemic conjunctivitis, the Enterovirus is the cause of aseptic brain meningitis, hand foot and mouth disease, infantile paralysis, encephalitis, myocarditis.

The virus detection rate via a method of cell cultivation was 23.1 percent, 4.6 times higher than that (5 percent) found in the tap water inspection on the nation`s middle and small cities conducted by the Ministry of Environment in May.

The GNP demanded the government ▲to announce the apology statement and advise the people to drink the boiled water, ▲ to issue an alert on the regions in which the viruses were detected and carry out a close examination, ▲ to review the government`s policy for water management, and ▲ to reprehend Kim Myung-Ja Minister of Environment and Goh Kun mayor of Seoul metropolitan city.

Seoul city government requested the GNP to reveal whether the inspection team led by Prof. Kim Sang-Jong obtained such a result by following the Total Culturable Virus Assay (TCVA) authorized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, or by following the other kind of cell cultivation method.

Kim Jeong-Woo, director of Office of Water Purification of Waterworks Headquarters in Seoul Metropolitan Government, said that ``the water virus inspection was not easy to take and it might give birth to the different result according to the experiment condition and method. The credible inspection required the open verification about all experimental conditions including laboratory and inspection personnel.``

And Kim added, ``Using the TCVA, the city government examined the samples collected from the same water systems as those of the regions in which the Prof. Kim`s inspection team detected the virus. The virus was found in only one region, Amsa.``

Meanwhile, Seoul city government decided to immediately conduct the virus examination on the regions, in which Prof. Kim`s inspection team detected the virus. And it will increase the water inspection regions of the Water Works Institute from current 450 regions per month to 1,100 regions per month.

Sun Dae-In eodls@donga.com