Operated in 9 Districts During Seasonal Management Period... Utilized for Tailored Policy Exploration and Emission Reduction Performance Evaluation
[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Fine Dust Research Institute announced on the 20th that from this month, the 'Mobile Lab,' which measures fine dust in real-time while driving on roads, will be fully operated throughout Seoul by the Health and Environment Research Institute.
The Mobile Lab is a mobile air quality measurement system equipped with advanced measuring devices installed on two eco-friendly electric vehicles. It simultaneously measures and analyzes not only fine dust but also substances that cause fine dust.
During the fine dust seasonal management period (January to March), Seoul City announced that it will analyze the concentration and components of fine dust by time and space in nine autonomous districts, including Gangnam-gu, Seocho-gu, Seongdong-gu, and Yeongdeungpo-gu. These are high-concentration concern areas densely populated with large and small-scale industrial sites emitting air pollutants, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of the seasonal management through focused analysis.
The nine autonomous districts will be divided into four zones for measurement. The plan is to conduct measurements twice a week. In January and February, the Mobile Lab will measure surrounding pollutants while driving on roads, and in March, it will stay near large emission sites to conduct measurements. The city plans to use the measurement results to explore focused management plans for high-concentration fine dust concern areas and to evaluate the reduction performance of facilities subject to mandatory reduction under the seasonal management system.
Meanwhile, the Seoul Fine Dust Research Institute plans to focus on research related to 'fine dust generation and cause identification' this year to provide rational grounds for establishing life-close and region-customized policies and to ensure the effectiveness of policy implementation. This includes ▲ identifying main emission sources through regional fine dust diagnosis ▲ understanding factors contributing to high-concentration fine dust occurrences ▲ diagnosing the reduction potential of emission sources with high contributions to fine dust generation.
Shin Yong-seung, Director of the Seoul Health and Environment Research Institute, said, “The operation of the Mobile Lab is expected to serve as a catalyst for establishing Seoul-type air quality improvement policies by scientifically identifying the causes of fine dust in Seoul.” Park Rok-jin, Director of the Fine Dust Research Institute, stated, “Environmental issues are closely linked to scientific facts, and the starting point of policies is an objective diagnosis of the fine dust problem. Based on that foundation, we will make policies that can predict effectiveness and demonstrate institutional imagination and policy wisdom to answer citizens’ questions by making every effort to prepare scientific evidence.”
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