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, Jul. 17 (Korea Bizwire) — The manufacturing of so-called “anion products” with radioactive materials such as monazite will be banned in South Korea.
It will also be impossible to promote the ‘anion effect’, which is an effect of radioactivity as if it were beneficial to one’s health or the environment.
The measure comes after legislation was revised to strengthen the radiation safety management system in the wake of the so-called “radon bed” incident that erupted in May of last year.
For an annual exposure dose less than 1 mSv (millisievert), companies were permitted to manufacture anion products using radioactive materials, but the government decided to block the production of such products by revising the law.
Radioactive raw material means a substance whose concentration of natural radionuclides exceeds the standard level.
If the concentration exceeds 0.1Bq per 1g for 238 uranium, 232 thorium and 1Bq per 1g for potassium 40, these substances are considered radioactive materials.
The revised law also includes measures to limit items used in radioactive materials.
Manufacturers will not be able to employ raw materials for long-term use, such as manufacturing beds and pillows, or for products that are worn on the body, such as bracelets, rings and masks.
The use of radioactive materials in cosmetics, soap and perfume will also be prohibited because they are products that are applied or sprayed on the body.
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
