Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment will conduct a proficiency evaluation for air pollution measurement companies.
Gyeonggi Province is conducting a proficiency evaluation for air pollution measurement agencies.
The Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment announced on the 28th that from next month 2nd until July 20th, it will carry out the "Regular Proficiency Test and Evaluation in the Air Quality Field" to improve the reliability of tests and inspections conducted by air pollution measurement agencies.
Air pollution measurement agencies are private companies that perform "air pollution testing and inspection" for air pollutant-emitting businesses. The test reports measured by these companies are used as administrative grounds for various charges and permits.
The number of air quality measurement agencies in the province has been increasing annually, from 71 last year to 81 this year, the highest nationwide.
The Institute plans to thoroughly evaluate the entire sample collection process, including ▲wearing protective gear ▲whether sampling equipment is properly assembled ▲accurate execution of procedures ▲appropriateness of the measurement result calculation process.
Especially this year, the evaluation will be expanded to include the operation capability of automatic measuring devices for gases such as sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide, in addition to dust collection.
Agencies that fail must undergo a second evaluation within three months after improvements. If they are still found non-compliant, they will be suspended from business for six months.
Seong Yeon-guk, head of the Air Environment Research Division at the Gyeonggi-do Institute of Health and Environment, said, "Gyeonggi Province has the largest number of about 19,000 air pollutant-emitting businesses nationwide," adding, "Due to increasingly severe air quality issues such as fine dust and ozone alerts, the demand for testing and inspection by measurement agencies is rapidly increasing, so we plan to conduct precise evaluations."
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