Koreans react to pesticide-tainted eggs

Koreans on Tuesday reacted strongly to the news that some eggs here have been contaminated with pesticides.

Egg farms in Namyangju and Gwangju in Gyeonggi Province were found to have delivered eggs tainted with fipronil and bifenthrin -- both chemicals used to treat lice, flea and ticks in animals -- which could hurt the liver, kidney and thyroid gland.

Some Koreans took to social media to lash out at the previous administration for its failure to put safety measures in place. The current Moon Jae-in administration has escaped criticism so far, as it has only been in power for 100 days.

Fears are spreading among Koreans. “I have always had my eggs half-cooked. Am I going to die?” said a Twitter user. “Whatever measures are taken now, we’ve already been regularly eating the contaminated eggs,” said another. 

The government has banned all egg farms with more than 3,000 hens from delivering their products. It is currently conducting inspections of the farms. To prevent a shortage of eggs, farms that have no chemical issue with their eggs will be allowed to ship their products.

Fipronil has been found in eggs in 17 European countries, which are working to contain the situation.


By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)