The Chungcheongbuk-Do Office of Education(CBE) has provided free meals to all elementary school and middle school students who are living in Chungbuk. Two opinions were in confrontation with each other over providing meals without cost. One was that providing meals free of charge would be good for relieving financial burdens of low class households. The other was that it would lower the quality of meals which would be provided to students. CBE decided to provide meals free of charge. However, there are some problems with the quality of the meals.
  Because of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, a new problem has arisen. Polluted water might be used for food in schools which provide free meals. There are four schools using underground water near the area of the outbreak of foot-and-mouth. The distance between the burial sites and the elementary schools is less than 1km.
  If polluted underground water is used as drinking water for students, many health problems can occur. According to an environmental expert, "If polluted substances from carcasses flow into underground water, zoonosis or new infectious diseases can break out. In addition, if someone drinks polluted underground water for a long time, toxic substances can accumulate in the body. Although these substances don't cause critical diseases, they will have a bad influence on human bodies in the future. Furthermore, the pollution will last more than 20 years."
  The government promised exact analysis of ground water and thorough management of  leachate to relieve students and their parents. Students who go to schools located near the burial sites and their parents worry about using the water polluted by foot-and-mouth disease. The government should put into practice measures to prevent serious problems from foot-and-mouth disease as soon as possible.