All 16 Incheon Beaches Pass Environmental Safety Inspections

The city of Incheon announced on July 30 that, in environmental safety inspections conducted at 16 beaches and multiple-use coastal sites for the summer vacation season, all items met the relevant standards and have been confirmed to be safe.

This inspection was conducted prior to the opening of the beaches to comprehensively verify the sanitary and environmental safety of both the seawater and the beach sand, so that citizens and tourists can visit the beaches with peace of mind.

Incheon beach and multiple-use beach survey points. Provided by Incheon City

The legally required water quality test items, such as enterococcus bacteria and Escherichia coli (E. coli), met the standards at all survey sites. In addition, the results of tests for five heavy metals (lead, cadmium, mercury, hexavalent chromium, and arsenic) in the beach sand were also found to be within the acceptable limits.

In particular, this year, in addition to the required legal items, the analysis was expanded to include uranium and five heavy metals (cadmium, arsenic, mercury, lead, and chromium) in the seawater. Uranium in the seawater was detected in the range of 1.9 μg/L to 2.9 μg/L, which is within the concentration levels commonly observed in natural seawater, and all five heavy metals were either within the marine ecosystem protection standards or non-detectable.

The city's Institute of Health and Environment plans to conduct water quality inspections at two-week intervals during the beach operating season, and to regularly monitor radioactive substances along the Incheon coast.

Kim Myunghee, Head of the Incheon Institute of Health and Environment, said, "We will continue to provide reliable environmental information so that citizens can enjoy marine leisure activities with confidence."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.