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Plan calls for improvement of air quality in subway

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr/


The Environment Ministry yesterday laid out a 1.79 trillion won ($1.59 billion) plan to improve air quality in subway stations for the next five years.

With a goal of forming a safe and pleasant environment in subway stations, the ministry will eradicate the practice of using asbestos in the station construction process and introduce a frequent air quality evaluation system, it said.

A greater number of platform screen doors will be installed to block minute dust particles -- which are mostly formed with the passage of subway trains -- from entering the stations.

A total of 19 high pressure water cleaners will be operated nationwide beginning next year and the ventilation system of 41 subway stations will be enhanced by 2012, ministry officials said.

A guideline that includes information on when to change the filters of ventilation systems, the most desirable cleaning cycle of stations and a standard outline on the operation of air cleaning facilities will also be in place.

A joint inquiry on the pollution level of subway stations will be held every year by the ministry and officials from the subway and related regional organizations, it said.

As part of the effort, outcomes of the pollution inquiry and monitoring of the issue will be publicized on the ministry`s website on a regular basis.

This comes after many environmental groups urged the government to conduct a study of the impact of asbestos in metro stations that are mostly located underground.

It is important because an average of 6.5 million people take the subway on a daily basis in 508 different stations across the nation, the ministry said.

Asbestos and radon are known as cancer-causing substances that threaten one`s health.

A ministry research found that 96 stations in subway Line No.1 through No.4 in Seoul and 28 stations of Busan Line No.1 used asbestos when constructing their stations.

According to the Labor Ministry, 30 percent of the 2,900 workers of Seoul Metro had lung disease -- three times that of normal citizens. The main cause of the disease was assumed to be related to asbestos, according to doctors.

By Cho Ji-hyun

([email protected])







2008.09.06

[bassexpander]

So I've been breathing asbestos for six years?

Nice...

[Ilsanman]

Yes. Asbestos is good for night stamina.

[640x480]

It's almost common sense to know how dirty the air is down there.
I mean it's not NYC bad, but every time a train runs by me I know I'm breathing in black crap from the tunnels >_<

[bassexpander]