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| Environment and public health advocates call for a full recall and special investigation of Daijin Bed mattresses found to emit unsafe levels of radiation, at the Korea Green Foundation in downtown Seoul last Wednesday. / Yonhap |
By Lee Suh-yoon
As nuclear safety regulators ordered the recall of more than 60,000 mattresses found to emit dangerous levels of radiation, Monday, citizen activists are calling it the "second Oxy scandal." That scandal involved humidifier disinfectant products that killed hundreds in 2011.
According to the Nuclear Safety and Security Commission last Tuesday, mattresses produced by the local company Daijin Bed were found to emit radon – a radioactive gas – at levels nine times the national safety standard.
The recall size could grow to 90,000 mattresses if the safety commission finds similar radon levels in 17 other Daijin Bed mattresses that are still under review.
Radon is emitted by a mineral-based negative ion powder that is applied to the inner sheets and sponges of mattresses for supposed health benefits.
Radon exposure can lead to lung cancer, especially for smokers, according to the Korea Institute of Radiological and Medical Sciences.
The commission said the recall will be carried out within a month.
Around 2,800 people will soon file a joint suit against Daijin Bed through local law firm Taeyul.
The problem, however, could be a lot bigger than just mattresses.
The same radon-emitting powder has been used by 66 different manufacturers in the country. Eleven of them manufacture lifestyle products people interact with closely. The commission said it will soon expand its investigation into these other products.
"Daijin Bed's radon mattress is just one case out of many," civic groups said in a joint statement last Tuesday. "There are currently over 180,000 patented products that use negative ions."
Sisa Journal, a weekly magazine, also reported last week the safety commission had been aware for years of large amounts of radioactive material being channeled into local firms. However, the commission took no regulatory steps until the recently unearthed Daijin Bed scandal.
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