실내공기질 관리제도 발전방안에 관한 연구

Abstract

Indoor air quality is an important determinant of human health and comfort. However, the complexity of pollution sources and the multitude of parties responsible for creating indoor exposures make the improvement of indoor air quality difficult. Korea has amended the law for indoor air management, and prepared the national action plan recently. Implementation of the action plan is most important at present, but, for the future, we need complementary strategy to reduce the risk by indoor air pollution. So this study was carried out to suggest the key issues for making weak points of present management complement from a long-term point of view. For this, the case of other countries and recent new issues were surveyed. The case studies show that there is no unique strategy on indoor air quality. But many countries treated indoor air pollution as risk management strategies, with special emphasis on vulnerable groups. National-level monitoring of indoor environment and health related to the indoor environment is being executed. And there are many countries that set action plans for reducing asthma and allergy patients in their countries. For this reason, biocontaminants such as fungi and pollen are considered as important pollutants. Home as well as public places is considered as important place to be managed, and various environmental labellings are operating in markets for building components and consumer products. Korea's present laws and the action plans include various countermeasures such as assessment of indoor air pollution, extension of indoor facilities managed, and readjusting of pollution standards. But, there are some spaces to be improved for the future. Monitoring and assessment of indoor air pollution including health effects and social cost estimation should be carried out sooner or later. The assessment must include health effects and social cost estimation. The results can be used for setting priority of pollutants, sources, and indoor facilities and making additional measures. Asthma and allergic diseases are strongly recommended as representative disease. It is necessary to build experts networks, because they can make scientific data and give useful informations to related communities. The present strategy focusing on big public places and chemical pollutants need to be reconsidered. Small places, especially home, are more important, because vulnerable groups such as woman, children, and the elderly spend their most of time at home. And reduction measures for biocontaminants like fungi, mould, and pollen should be prepared, because those cause asthma and allergic disease. Labelling for control of the building materials and other products is a useful measure. The present conditions to acquire labelling need to be strengthened to the level which the consumer can trust them. More pollutants and stricter standards are required. Other sources such as office equipment, cosmetics, carpet, and pesticides are important too, which are not controlled at present. Labelling and notice of ingredients can be considered as reduction measures. Lastly, introduction of concept of healthy building might be desirable next step. Healthy building requires integral approach of physical, spatial, social and environmental aspects. Consensus exists that factors affecting indoor air quality are interrelated and difficult to unbundle.