Yeongdeungpo-gu, Initiative to Improve Indoor Environment for Vulnerable Groups

Atopy, Asthma, and Other Environmental Disease Prevention Through Indoor Environment Diagnosis and Consulting
Eco-friendly Wallpaper and Flooring Replacement for 16 Vulnerable Households in the Region Until November This Year

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it will carry out an indoor environment improvement project to prevent environmental diseases targeting environmentally sensitive and vulnerable groups until November this year.

Environmental diseases are illnesses caused by the accumulation of pollutants in the living environment inside the human body, with representative examples including atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, and asthma.

To prevent such environmental diseases, the district is conducting the project targeting socially vulnerable groups who are easily exposed to environmental pollutants due to their housing conditions, such as low-income households, disabled families, and elderly people living alone. In cooperation with the Ministry of Environment, the district conducts indoor environment diagnosis and consulting, and supports facility improvements based on the results.

First, in July, the district conducted indoor environment diagnosis and consulting for 56 vulnerable households in the area. Environmental health consulting experts visited the households directly to measure and diagnose seven indoor pollutants (such as mold and house dust mites) and provided consulting on pollutant reduction and improvement measures.

Next, among the households that completed the consulting, 16 households requiring improvements were selected to receive support for indoor environment improvement construction such as wallpaper and flooring replacement, with construction scheduled to be completed by November.

Additionally, medical services will be provided to those diagnosed with environmental diseases among the indoor environment diagnosis and consulting recipients. The support includes ▲providing medical assistants who help coordinate medical appointments and guide hospital visits ▲supporting medical expenses such as consultation fees and medication costs.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “The home is where we spend most of our time, so managing the indoor environment is of utmost importance,” and added, “We will continue to strive to discover housing environment improvement projects for vulnerable groups and do our best to provide a pleasant living environment.”