Foot-and-Mouth Disease—Are Mass Animal Burials Causing Water Contaminat ion in South Korea?
María Svavarsdóttir
in South Korea?
Millions of animals have been killed or vaccinated in South Korea over the
past six weeks in an effort to contain the nation�s largest outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease.
As the virus sweeps South Korea�s livestock industry, government officials
have ordered the burial of culled animals. The consequences to groundwater
from the slaughter and burial of so many animals have emerged as a public
concern, heightened by reports of biological contamination.
For instance, The Korea Times reported last week that tap water in a
village in Gyeonggi province was contaminated with blood. The news agency
reported that residents believe the contamination was related to a
livestock slaughter on December 31, when nearly 1,000 pigs were buried
alive in response to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease at a nearby
farm.
Foot-and-mouth disease does not infect humans, but is highly communicable
between cloven-hoofed animals such as pigs, cows, goats, sheep, and deer.
Humans and other animals, however, can still carry the virus on exposed
materials such as contaminated equipment, facilities, cars, and clothing.
The disease can also be transmitted to susceptible animals through
contaminated food and drinking sources.
Typically, animals are killed before disposal, but with the outbreak
spreading so fast, local authorities did not have the slaughterhouse
capacity to follow the rules.
More than 1.4 million pigs and cows have been buried alive throughout the
country, reports Reuters. However, the most disturbing effect of the
national campaign is the bloody tap water reported by The Korea Times.
Reports of Contaminated Water
Typically, animals are killed before disposal, but with the outbreak
spreading so fast, local authorities did not have the slaughterhouse
capacity to follow the rules.
Instead, animals within a 500-meter radius of the infected farm were
dumped into a 5-meter-deep pit that was lined with double-folded vinyl.
�It�s possible that the vinyl could be torn by animals struggling to
survive,� a quarantine officer told The Korea Times.
Residents in the village, located in a rural area near the northern city
of Paju, are concerned that the buried animals contaminated their
groundwater supply. It is unclear how many homes were affected and whether
the bloody tap water came from private wells or via a public treatment
system.
Korean Official Talks to Circle of Blue
In an interview with Circle of Blue, a Korean government official
confirmed that a farm drainage creek had been contaminated by the live
burial near the city of Paju. But the same official denied that blood had
run through the taps.
The official�who works at the Ministry of Public Administration and
Security and asked to be left anonymous since he does not have the
authority to speak publicly about the matter�told Circle of Blue that
groundwater is regularly tested via government mandates and that drinking
water had not been contaminated by the bodily fluids of culled pigs and
cows.
The official said that mass slaughter is the most effective means for
controlling such a large outbreak. He also said that killing and burying
animals on-site is consistent with accepted public health practices.
The Asia-Pacific Business & Technology Report published a similar story
from the Gangwon province�more than three hours away�where more than a
thousand pigs were buried on January 4. According to the report, �blood
from the bodies ran into underground water aquifers which supply local
drinking water.�
��mass slaughter is the most effective means for controlling such a large
outbreak.�
� Government Official
Ministry of Public Administration and Security
There have been more than 115 confirmed cases of foot-and-mouth disease in
South Korea since November 29. More than 1.4 million pigs and cattle
exposed to the highly contagious virus have been or will be slaughtered.
To assist in the response, the government has deployed 68,000 troops and
770 pieces of equipment�including excavators�to assist in culling
operations that will destroy 10 percent of the country�s pigs and cows.
Severe Losses
More than a million cattle have been vaccinated since December 25, and the
government is preparing vaccines for 2.1 million livestock in hopes of
containing the virus.
While the virus does not usually kill the animal or affect food safety, it
debilitates milk and meat production, causing severe economic losses for
farmers, which are estimated to be nearly $US 900 million so far,
according to The Korea Times.
There have been confirmed cases in Gyeonggi, North Gyeongsang, Gangwon,
North and South Chungcheong provinces, as well as the city of Incheon.
Though the bloody tap water is an extraordinary event, groundwater
contamination from animal disposal is not.
Pigs dumped from a dump truck
Photo courtesy of Kyeongin.com
A shortage of slaughterhouse capacity is forcing South Korea to bury
animals alive, as the nation experiences its largest outbreak of
foot-and-mouth disease.
Just three months ago, a local politician with the opposition party cited
a report in The Korea Times from the Ministry of Environment showing
groundwater sources near animal burial sites have been classified
�undrinkable� due to concentrations of colon bacillus�a bacteria group
that includes E. coli�that exceed the legal minimum.
In the United States, regulations for dead animal disposal vary by state.
Some states, like Missouri, suggest incineration, composting, or removal
to an approved landfill as safer methods than on-farm burial.
The Korea Animal Rights Advocates, a lobby group, argues that the Korean
government should have already had a vaccination program in place to
prevent an outbreak from happening. The last large-scale outbreak occurred
in 2002, when 160,000 animals were slaughtered at a cost of $US 225
million.
***Emails and calls from Circle of Blue to the Paju city government and
the Gyeonggi Ministry of Environment were unanswered.
Reporting by Circle of Blue�s Seattle-based Brett Walton and Traverse
City-based Aubrey Ann Parker. Reach them at br...@circleofblue.org and
aub...@circleofblue.org. Additional reporting by Karl Wasmuth in Seoul,
South Korea.
Source: The Korea Times, Reuters, Asia-Pacific Business & Technology
Report, AFP 14. jan�ar 2011
