By Kim Rahn
A senior-level government official has been having a headache since he moved to his new office in Sejong City, the new administrative town in South Chungcheong Province, at the end of last year.
He recently developed a skin ailment, requiring routine medical attention.
“When we came here in the middle of December, the interior work in the buildings was ongoing, and many complained of headaches or sore throats. Now such work has almost been done, but the air quality is still no good,” said the official, who requested anonymity.
Their health problems are because of contaminated air in the buildings of the Sejong Government Complex, where the Prime Minister’s Office and five ministries have moved since September.
In December, the Korea Institute of Construction Technology examined the air quality of offices there, and the result showed Monday that the levels of total volatile organic compounds (TVOC) were more than fourfold the recommended standards set by the Ministry of Environment.
The TVOC is a general term for volatile chemicals that easily vaporize and give off odors, and is one of the major causes of sick house syndrome. TVOC includes some 300 substances such as benzene, toluene, ethylene and xylene, and some of them are categorized as carcinogens.
These substances are contained in construction materials such as paint and adhesives as well as in cleansing solutions. They can cause fatigue, headaches and dizziness.
Offices there had 2,050-3,100 micrograms per cubic meter of TVOC, four to six times the ministry’s permissible level of 500 micrograms.
The offices of high-ranking officials, such as ministers, had much higher levels of the substances, up to 10 times the permissible level. “It is because their offices are small rooms separate from junior officials’ areas, so ventilation is not good,” a researcher at the institute said.
One fortunate thing is that the levels of formaldehyde, a cancer-causing substance, were lower than the nation’s permissible level of 120 micrograms, ranging between 12 and 91 micrograms.
The institute said the officials there got such health problems because the government pushed ahead with the moving plan according to its original schedule even though the construction was not finished and ventilation was insufficient.
“To remove those chemicals rapidly, it is effective to open the windows and flush them out. But as the weather has been unusually cold since December, it was almost impossible for officials there to do so,” the researcher said.
He recommended people there open the windows as often as possible, clean the carpets often, and place air purifiers in enclosed rooms.