An open-air yard in Dangjin, 120 kilometers south of Seoul, is full of collected mattresses on June 17, 2018. The products sold by Daijin Bed Co. were recently found to release radon, a radioactive gas that can cause lung cancer. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, Jun. 18 (Korea Bizwire) — Over 22,000 bed mattresses found to emit radiation levels above safety standards have been collected nationwide over the weekend, the country’s post office said Monday.
Some 30,000 employees and 3,200 vehicles were mobilized to collect 22,298 mattresses produced by Daijin Bed Co. on Saturday and Sunday, according to Korea Post.
The problematic mattresses, which are known to emit radon at levels up to 9.3 times the national standard, have been moved to an open-air yard in Dangjin, 120 kilometers south of Seoul.
Being exposed to radon — a colorless, odorless, radioactive gas — for long periods of time can lead to lung cancer, according to the American Cancer Society.
Korea Post had originally planned to collect 24,000 beds, but the rest had either already been picked up by Daijin or could not be moved easily, it said.
None of the workers or cars mobilized for the operation were found to have been exposed to radiation levels above safe levels, Korea Post added.
(Yonhap)
