By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
A home often provides a protective shield, offering comfort from daily stress and travails. But according to a research, this sense of security may be ill-founded when it comes to air pollution.
The National Institute of Environmental Research says that there's risk of heavy exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in homes.
The chemical is blamed for lung cancer and various respiratory problems as well as hypertension, sore eyes and insomnia.
Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) can also be found inside houses. VOCs can cause extreme fatigue, skin diseases, disorders in the central nervous system and other ailments.
The institute found that homes can possess higher amounts of VOCs than worksites.
Yoo Seung-do, a researcher at the institute, told The Korea Times Thursday that NO2 can be traced to heating systems and cooking with gas.
"The effect can't be ignored because people spend a lot of time at home," he said. "The amount is still less than half of the permissible levels set by the government, but long-term exposure can be devastating."
Yoo recommended that residents should open their windows frequently for a change of air.
Yoo and his fellow researchers followed a sample group around the clock in order to determine where people are exposed to pollutants.
Still, he said that factory workers face greater risks of being exposed to pollutants than those who stay at home because the greater presence of pollutants at such worksites.
One type of VOC, m- and p-Xylene, marked 0.9 micrograms per cubic meter at worksites and 0.49 at homes.
The VOCs can be traced to furniture, paints, cars and cigarette smoke.
There have been a lot of reports lately about what some call "New Home Syndrome."
According to researchers and scientists, this is due to paints and other chemicals that are used in building materials.
This is particularly acute for apartments, which are a more common form of residence than houses nowadays. The experts advise new home owners to pay more attention to ventilation.