1 in 2 firms dump illegally

More than half of some 300 firms have disposed of chemical waste without proper authorization, the Ministry of Environment said yesterday, raising concern over their lax management of toxic materials.

The ministry conducted the probe between December and January on 318 heavy metal or chemical manufacturers nationwide that release two tons or more of industrial waste per year to see if they have followed the guidelines for safe handling and disposal of 25 kinds of toxic chemicals such as phenol, copper and cadmium, it said.

Of the total, 164 business sites, mostly run by major conglomerates such as tech giant Samsung Electronics and LG Chem, have been cited for discharging harmful chemical substances into the environment without proper authorization or releasing more than what is permissible by law, the ministry claimed.

These hazardous chemical substances are more strictly regulated by the government since a modicum amount could severely affect human health and the surrounding environment, regulators said. Yonhap