TOXIC FERTILIZER PLANT

[Anchor Lead]

Controversy has brewed as dozens of residents at Jangjeom Village in Iksan were diagnosed with cancer. The Ministry of Environment has announced the findings of its epidemiological investigation that said the fertilizer plant built in the village had something to do with the occurrence of cancer among the residents.

[Pkg]

Since a fertilizer plant was built in Jangjeom Village in Iksan, Jeollabuk-do Province, 22 out of 99 village residents were diagnosed with cancer and 14 have died. Five plant workers were also found to have cancer. The National Institute of Environmental Research under the Ministry of Environment officially announced that these mass cancer cases are correlated with the fertilizer plant.The research institute reported that group 1 carcinogens of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and tobacco-specific nitrosamines were found in the dust collected from the village and the factory. It was determined that the carcinogens came from burning tobacco residue at the plant and had a role in causing cancer. When the village's cancer incidence rate was compared to other regions, the figure for common cancers was over double that of other areas. Also, the incidence rate for gallbladder cancer and cholangiocarcinoma was roughly 16 times higher, 21 times higher for skin cancer.

[Soundbite] KIM JEONG-SOO(DIR., INSTITUTE FOR ENVIRONMENTAL SAFETY AND HEALTH) : "When compared to the national or Jeollabuk-do average, Jangjeom Village's case is statistically significant."

The fertilizer plant has already gone bankrupt, so the carcinogen emission and resident exposure levels could not be measured accurately. However, the residents are furious that authorities have failed to warn them of the dangers.

[Soundbite] CHOI JAE-CHEOL(PRES., JANGJEOM VILLAGE RESIDENTS' COMMITTEE) : "No administrative agency informed us about such dangerous substances."

On behalf of the fertilizer plant, the Ministry of Environment plans to arrange damage compensation for the residents and the families of the villagers who died.