South Korean housing developers are actively incorporating various high-tech systems to monitor and control health-threatening particulate matter (PM) and other pollutants in their new apartments amid growing concerns about the country’s worsening air pollution.

Halla Corp. set up an air shower system in each apartment building of its new Dangjin Sucheong Halla Vivaldi complex in Dangjin to reduce particle contamination in the residential area. High-pressure jet nozzles of the air shower will help its residents remove particles on their clothes and shoes before entering their houses, and an LCD panel on the apartment displays real-time air quality information offered by Korea Environment Corporation, according to the company. There also are a PM barometer and 500-square meter woodland for the residents.

Hyundai Development Company’s new apartment complex Daegu Yeongyeong IPARK in Daegu is fitted with air quality sensors in each household to monitor the indoor air quality and automatically turn on the air purifier by using the Internet of Things technology.

Dongbu Corporation also installed a filtering and ventilation system that can block the inflow of PM by almost 99.95 percent for its new Gwacheon Centreville complex in Gwacheon.

Such high-tech air quality monitoring and purifying solutions have become the latest trend in new housings in Korea amid growing concerns about worsening air quality in the country.

The air quality in Korea has been rapidly deteriorating with growing PM concentrations and other pollutants. Particulate matter, or fine dust dubbed as PM 2.5, is composed of a mixture of solid and liquid particles of organic and inorganic substances such as sulfate, nitrates, black carbon and mineral dust with aerodynamic diameters of less than 2.5 micrometers, according to World Health Organization (WHO). Exposure to such pollutants, which can penetrate the cardiovascular system, poses great health risks, the organization claimed.

The Korean government has taken various steps to clean the air, but so far has not made much progress.

By Park In-hye and Lee Ha-yeon

[ⓒ Pulse by Maeil Business Newspaper & mk.co.kr, All rights reserved]