Two-Year Grace Period for Class 1 Carcinogen Alert in Bottled Water Draws Backlash

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On scorching hot days like these, leaving bottled water unattended for a long time can cause harmful substances from the plastic bottles to seep into the water. Therefore, starting tomorrow (the 31st), bottled water must be stored indoors away from direct sunlight, and must be covered if placed outdoors. However, the enforcement of these regulations has been delayed with a two-year grace period.

Climate and Environment Specialist Reporter Jang Se-man has more.

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Amidst heat exceeding 30 degrees Celsius (86°F), bottled water is stacked in front of a convenience store.

Touching it with my hand, it feels warm to the touch.

It is the same at another nearby convenience store, where bottled water displayed outdoors is directly exposed to sunlight.

When we measured the temperature using a thermal imaging camera, the surface temperature soared up to 46°C (115°F).

This happens because there is a lack of space to store goods inside the stores.

[Convenience Store Employee: (Bottled water) takes up space anyway, and it can obstruct traffic (inside the store), so basically we usually leave everything outside....]

The problem is that when exposed to high-temperature direct sunlight in the midsummer like this for a long time, harmful substances to the human body can leak from the plastic bottles.

According to an experiment conducted by the Board of Audit and Inspection four years ago, when bottled water was exposed to ultraviolet rays at 50°C (122°F) for 15 days, Class 1 carcinogens such as formaldehyde and the heavy metal antimony were eluted.

This corresponds to leaving it outside in natural conditions for 3.9 months, while actual bottled water is distributed for up to a year or so.

In the case of formaldehyde, there was no issue under domestic standards, but it exceeded the allowable limit under Japanese standards. Antimony, which lacks domestic standards altogether, exceeded the allowable limit according to Australian standards.

During the process of applying high temperature and high pressure to plastic raw materials when making PET bottles, formaldehyde and other substances are formed, and these leach into the bottled water when exposed to ultraviolet rays at high temperatures for a long time.

[Kang Sang-wook / Professor, Department of Chemical and Energy Engineering, Sangmyung University: When PET molecules are continuously exposed to ultraviolet rays, the (molecular) chains break. (As this happens) the chemical substances generated are aldehydes.]

The Ministry of Climate has revised the regulations on the distribution and storage of bottled water so that starting tomorrow, indoor storage will be mandatory to prevent exposure to sunlight, and covers must be used if they are inevitably left outdoors.

However, considering circumstances such as a lack of storage space, the government decided to postpone enforcement for two years, and even the "mandatory covering" rule, which could be applied immediately, has been delayed, raising expectations of controversy.

(Video Editing: Yoo Mi-ra, VJ: Shin So-young)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.