Yeongdeungpo-gu 'Children's Activity Space' Safety Inspection

Environmental Safety Inspections for 100 Children's Activity Spaces by October
Simple Heavy Metal Testing on Paints, Finishes, and Synthetic Rubber Flooring
Joint Inspection with Ministry of Environment... Detailed Tests Requested if Basic Inspection Fails

Measurement of Indoor Air Quality Concentration in Daycare Center Nursery Room

Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Choi Ho-kwon) announced that it will conduct environmental safety management inspections on children's activity spaces until October to create an environment where children can play safely and with peace of mind.

'Children's activity spaces' refer to areas where children under the age of 13 mainly engage or stay, such as children's playgrounds, kids cafes, daycare centers, and kindergartens.

Infants and young children tend to put their fingers, toys, and other objects in their mouths, resulting in higher exposure levels to endocrine-disrupting substances such as heavy metals compared to adults. Consequently, children under 13 account for a high proportion of patients with environmentally related diseases. (Source: Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service)

Accordingly, the district will conduct environmental safety management inspections targeting 100 children's activity spaces within the area that have not undergone confirmation inspections or guidance checks in the past three years to protect children's health.

In particular, the district plans to carry out this inspection more thoroughly by reflecting the strengthened environmental safety management standards for children's activity spaces in accordance with the Enforcement Decree of the Environmental Health Act.

During this inspection, the district will check for corrosion and aging of facilities such as rust and peeling paint, and conduct heavy metal tests on paints, coatings, and synthetic rubber flooring using heavy metal measuring equipment (XRF).

If the heavy metal test results show measurements at 70% or more of the environmental safety management standards, samples will be collected and sent to the Health and Environment Research Institute for detailed analysis, and facilities exceeding the standards will be subject to improvement orders and other measures.

In addition to the district's own inspections, joint inspections will be conducted with inspection agencies designated by the Ministry of Environment to thoroughly check for parasite eggs in soil such as sand, the use of preservatives in wooden facilities, and indoor air quality levels.

Meanwhile, as the revised strengthened environmental safety management standards for children's activity spaces will be uniformly applied to all facilities from 2026, the district is actively providing guidance on changes and compliance measures for 601 children's activity spaces in the area.

Choi Ho-kwon, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, "We will do our best to create safe activity spaces where children can play freely through this inspection," and added, "We will continue to create a living environment where children can grow up healthily through thorough facility management."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.