All 14 Schools Confirmed 'Safe' After Winter Break Asbestos Removal Work

Seoul City and City Office of Education Conduct Investigation on 14 Kindergartens and Elementary Schools That Carried Out Asbestos Removal During Winter Vacation

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Seoul City announced on the 9th that it confirmed safety after conducting an asbestos concentration survey in classroom air at 14 schools where asbestos dismantling and removal work was carried out during the winter vacation period, in cooperation with the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education. Seoul City signed an inter-agency cooperation agreement with the Office of Education on December 18 last year and conducted the survey.

This survey is based not only on the existing inspections by the Office of Education, which collects dust and residues after asbestos removal work at schools and examines them using a scanning electron microscope, but also on indoor air analysis results using a transmission electron microscope by the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment Research. The indoor air at 87 points in a total of 14 kindergartens and elementary schools where asbestos removal work was conducted during the winter vacation was investigated, and the asbestos concentration was within the standards set by the Ministry of Environment's Asbestos Safety Management Act for indoor air in asbestos-containing buildings.

The Seoul Institute of Health and Environment Research is an asbestos-specialized analysis institution certified by the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Employment and Labor, conducting surveys on various living environments to prevent harm to Seoul citizens.

Shin Yong-seung, Director of the Seoul Institute of Health and Environment Research, said, “We utilized the expertise of the nation's top asbestos analysis institution to thoroughly review indoor air safety by applying conservative standards using advanced equipment such as the transmission electron microscope, ensuring compliance with domestic safety standards,” and added, “We will continue to actively support asbestos safety surveys in schools so that students and staff can live in a safe environment.”