An apartment complex in Jamsil, eastern Seoul. (Yonhap)
SEOUL, Oct. 22 (Korea Bizwire) — Over the last five years, radon, a radioactive substance, was reportedly found at thousands of apartment complexes across the nation.
The substance was mostly found in construction materials.
Rep. Chung Dong-young, based on reports collected from 14 regional authorities, said radon was found in 18,682 households between 2015 and August of this year.
Most cases were reported by residents, who discovered the radon themselves.
Radon levels were the highest at 4,800 households in Busan, followed by 3,792 households in Sejong, and 3,161 households in Seoul.
The government held nine consecutive meetings on the issue but has yet to decide on countermeasures to deal with construction materials containing radon.
In February, Chung proposed a new bill that seeks to amend legislation on residence and indoor air quality and impose restrictions on the use of construction materials carrying radium.
The bill seeks to set a limit on the quantity of radium contained in construction materials such as concrete, bricks, earthenware, tiles, and gypsum boards, and ban all materials that exceed the limit.
“Problems related to public safety should be addressed quickly,” said Chung.
“The problem is that the Ministry of Environment, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, and Nuclear Safety and Security Commission have not offered any solutions to the issue.”
D. M. Park (dmpark@koreabizwire.com)
