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Government and Local Governments Waste Billions on Ineffective Body Sterilizers for Corona Prevention: Investigation Reveals

On November 18, 2020, buyers and officials from participating companies pass through disinfectants and enter at the 2020 Korea Defense Industry Exhibition held at KINTEX in Goyang-si, Gyeonggi-do. yunhap news

It has been revealed that the government and local governments have wasted about 4 billion won over the past three years to buy body sterilizers that have no effect on corona prevention. Some institutions were still using full-body sterilizers, which could harm health. On the 20th, if you look at the ‘state of possession and operation of body disinfection devices by the government and local governments’ obtained by the Korea Federation for Environmental Movement through a request for disclosure of information, 34 government departments, affiliated organizations, and local governments have been using body disinfection devices from February 2020 to June this year. The units were purchased and installed in 153 institutions including district offices and social welfare facilities. The total cost of purchasing 139 cars that can be confirmed by data is 2.83 billion won, which is an average of 20.36 million won per unit. It is estimated that about 4 billion won was spent to buy 203 units. Looking at the operation method, 141 units use ultrasonic and ultraviolet rays, and 57 units spray disinfectants. Whole body sterilizers are divided into types that pass through tunnels or enter cabinets, and are exposed to ultrasonic waves or ultraviolet (UV) rays or spray disinfectants. However, it is not effective in preventing viral infection. According to the ‘Guide to Disinfection of Group Facility and Multi-Use Facilities for Corona Response’ (3rd-5th Edition) published by the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May 2022, “Disinfection methods such as ultrasonic waves, high-intensity ultraviolet rays, and LED blue light are effective against coronavirus (prevention) The sex has not been proven.” In addition, “spraying disinfectant is not recommended in any case,” and was concerned that “it can irritate the eyes and skin, and symptoms such as respiratory symptoms, nausea, and vomiting may occur.” In this year’s revised guidelines (3rd to 6th editions), it was emphasized that “disinfectant spraying is prohibited under any circumstances.” However, as a result of the Hankyoreh coverage, some institutions were still using disinfectant spraying disinfectants. From December 2020 to January 2021, the city of Seoul purchased two machines that spray disinfectant on people and used them in two welfare facilities for the homeless (Bridge Comprehensive Support Center and Yeongdeungpo Bohyeon Comprehensive Support Center) with many underlying diseases and elderly people. An official from the Seoul Self-Sufficiency Support Division said, “I didn’t know the guidelines of the Agency for Disease Control and Prevention. We will tell the facility not to use it in the future.” According to data from the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements, Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service under the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Gongju National Hospital and Chuncheon National Hospital, National Park Corporation Jirisan National Park and Gyeongnam Office under the Ministry of Environment, the Army Headquarters of the Ministry of National Defense, and a number of army units also use disinfectant spray body disinfectants. have ever Even this year, when corona quarantine measures were greatly eased, Incheon City Hall (1 unit), Daejeon Dong-gu Office (3 units), and the Ministry of Public Administration and Security Government Complex Management Headquarters (1 unit) purchased body disinfectants (using ultraviolet rays). These organizations explained, “I didn’t know there was no quarantine effect” (Incheon City), “a product with a sterilization effect test report” (Daejeon Dong-gu Office), and “used for air purification purposes” (Ministry of Public Administration and Security). Experts recommend not using a body disinfector in any way. Park Eun-jeong, a professor at Kyung Hee University College of Medicine (biochemistry and molecular biology), said, “If you spray disinfectant, the skin and respiratory tract are exposed to the disinfectant at the same time, which can have a particularly adverse effect on the elderly and others with insufficient immune function.” It may lead to skin cancer, etc.,” he said. Kang Hong-gu, an activist at the Korea Federation for Environmental Movement, urged, “It is a problem to still use a body disinfectant that has not been proven to be effective and safe for quarantine.” Reporter Kim Yun-ju [email protected]
2023-08-20 05:49:16
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