Gyeonggi Province Takes Active Measures to Monitor and Manage Radon Levels in Multi-Unit Dwellings

[Suwon Ilbo=Park No-hun Reporter] Gyeonggi Province is taking active measures to alleviate residents' concerns about the carcinogenic substance 'radon' by conducting radon measurements in multi-unit dwellings across the province and promoting indoor environment management methods.

On the 22nd, Gyeonggi Province measured indoor radon concentrations in 47 units of multi-unit dwellings in the province that received project approval before January 1, 2018, and announced the results.

While the current 'Indoor Air Quality Management Act' requires constructors to measure indoor air quality, multi-unit dwellings that received project plan approvals before January 1, 2018, have no obligation to measure radon. The province explained that measures were necessary to provide accurate on-site information and response plans to eliminate residents' concerns and create a healthy living environment.

Measurement results showed radon levels ranging from a minimum of 7.1 Becquerels (Bq) to a maximum of 405.0Bq per cubic meter of air. Of the units surveyed: 20 units had levels of 100Bq or less, 22 units had 101-200Bq, 4 units had 201-300Bq, and 1 unit had 400Bq or more. Eighty-nine percent, or 42 units, were at or below the 200Bq recommended standard for multi-unit dwellings with project plan approvals after January 1, 2018, while 5 units exceeded the standard.

The province stated that periodic ventilation can substantially reduce the risks from radon and is actively promoting radon management by distributing leaflets on 'indoor environment management for radon in multi-unit dwellings' to the measured units, municipal and county governments, and multi-unit dwelling management offices.

The province explained that the basic method for radon reduction is natural ventilation through windows, conducted three times daily for 10 minutes each using cross-ventilation to expel radon outdoors. Other measures include ▲using building materials with lower radon emissions ▲installing ventilation system devices ▲using external air intake devices to artificially increase indoor air pressure, preventing radon gas from entering indoors due to pressure differences.

Additionally, the province will conduct a 'health survey of radon-emitting bed users' from July 16 to October 30, targeting 5,000 national consumers with experience using radon beds. For multi-unit dwellings currently under construction, the province plans to continuously pursue various policies to improve radon management, including inspections through the 'Province's Multi-Unit Dwelling Quality Inspection Team' to check whether radon-emitting interior building materials are used in each construction process.

Oh Jo-gyo, director of the Gyeonggi Province Health and Environment Research Institute, said, "Indoor radon concentrations accumulate higher at night than during the day, so the habit of ventilating before sleep is particularly important," and added, "We will make efforts to actively manage even regulatory blind spots to ensure residents' safety and alleviate their anxiety."

'Radon' is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless natural radioactive gas classified as a Group 1 carcinogen and exists in soil, rock, and building materials. When radon gas enters the respiratory system, it decays and emits radiation (alpha particles), destroying lung tissue; therefore, it is a major causative substance of lung cancer. The use of building materials based on natural stone and radon-emitting building materials are known causes of radon generation.