Dozens of consumer activists call on Daijin Bed Co. to compensate consumers for selling beds that emitted radon up to 9.3 times the national standard during a rally in front of South Korea’s Nuclear Safety and Security Commission in Seoul on May 21, 2018. (image: Yonhap)
SEOUL, May 7 (Korea Bizwire) – South Korea’s nuclear safety agency said Tuesday that it has ordered a recall of electric mats and bedding made by local companies that have been found to emit higher-than-permissible levels of radon gas, which can pose a health risk.
The recalls affect eight products manufactured after March 2017 by such companies as Sampoong Inc., the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission said.
The commission said the products to be collected were found to emit more than 1 millisievert (mSv) of radiation. A level of 1 mSv represents the average accumulated background radiation dose that a person is exposed to in a year.
Pillows, blankets and sleeping pads that use monazite have, in addition to electric mats, been found to release higher than permitted levels of radon, according to the commission.
“The manufacturers have been told to recall products sold so far and to process them in a safe manner,” the nuclear commission said.
It said authorities will check how the companies are handling the matter. It added that efforts are under way to conduct radon testing on various consumer products to better safeguard public health.
The latest move comes after the government ordered the recall of certain mattresses made by Sealy Korea Inc. earlier this year, and large-scale recall of problematic mattresses made by Daijin Bed Co. in 2018.
The Daijin mattress incident sparked nationwide health concerns and caused Seoul to examine the materials used in consumer goods.
(Yonhap)
