Last Year, 16% of Newly Built Apartments Exceeded Radon Safety Limits

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Seongpil Cho] It was found that radon exceeded the standard level in 16% of apartments built last year.

According to data received from the Ministry of Environment by Roh Woong-rae, a member of the National Assembly's Environment and Labor Committee from the Democratic Party of Korea, radon was detected above the standard level in 399 out of 2,531 newly built apartment units (15.7%) last year. There were 58 construction companies that built apartment complexes where radon exceeded the standard level last year. The construction company with the most apartment complexes detecting radon above the standard was Daewoo Construction (7 sites), followed by Seohui Construction (6 sites), Taeyoung Engineering & Construction (5 sites), Daebang Construction (5 sites), Lotte Construction (4 sites), and POSCO Construction (4 sites).

The radon recommended standard applied to apartment complexes approved for business plans after July 2019 is "148 becquerels (Bq) per 1㎡." For apartment complexes approved after January 2018, the standard is "200 Bq per 1㎡." According to the Indoor Air Quality Control Act, apartment construction companies must measure indoor air quality through a measurement agency certified by the Ministry of Environment and report to the head of the local government at least one week before residents move in. Radon is classified as a Group 1 carcinogen by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) of the World Health Organization (WHO).

Assemblyman Roh said, "There are no radon recommended standards for one-room apartments or officetels," adding, "Specific measures need to be prepared."