Gyeonggi Kids Cafe, Weekend Indoor Pollutants Surge Up to 129% Compared to Weekdays

[Asia Economy (Suwon) = Reporter Lee Young-gyu] An experimental result showed that indoor pollutants in kids cafes in the Gyeonggi area on weekends are 33% to 129% higher compared to weekdays.

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment conducted indoor air quality measurements twice at five kids cafes with over 430㎥ in the province from October 13 to 31, 2021, dividing the measurements between weekdays and weekends. The average concentration of fine dust and total airborne bacteria (bacteria floating in the air attached to dust or water vapor) on weekdays were 19.3 μg/㎥ and 619 CFU/㎥, respectively, while on weekends, fine dust was 25.7 μg/㎥ and total airborne bacteria reached 10,415 CFU/㎥, showing increases of 33% and 129% compared to weekdays, the institute announced on the 5th.

In particular, at Kids Cafe A, which has cooking facilities, the increase rates of indoor pollutants on weekends compared to weekdays were 75% for fine dust, 85% for ultrafine dust, 102% for formaldehyde, and 53% for volatile organic compounds.

The institute analyzed that a large amount of gaseous pollutants generated during the cooking process acted as precursors to ultrafine dust, causing indoor pollutants to rise simultaneously.

The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment cited the increase in visitors as the reason for the difference in indoor polluted air substances between weekdays and weekends. At the time of measurement, the number of visitors at the five kids cafes ranged from 2 to 11 on weekdays, but increased to 20 to 137 on weekends.

Hwang Chan-won, head of the Fine Dust Research Department at the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, said, "As the number of visitors increases, the amount of fine dust floating in the air increases, and skin flakes and microorganisms emitted from visitors' skin into the air also increase." He urged, "For a safe and comfortable environment, kids cafe operators should pay close attention to indoor air quality management, including continuous ventilation and air purifier maintenance."