Insiders Call for Action against Indoor Air Pollution

With more and more complaints being raised about indoor air pollution here in China, this country's National Interior Decoration Association is now calling for immediate action on the problem.

These days many Chinese residents are finding that newly decorated houses are no longer attractive to live or work in.

"I once visited the new house of one of my relatives. When I stepped in, I felt strongly unpleasant odors coming from the paint on the walls and the new furniture."

"When I moved into my company's new office building, I found the air was repulsive. I'm worried about my health working in this environment."

Actually, what these residents have encountered is termed "indoor pollution."

Figures from the China National Interior Decoration Association show that an average of 90 million new flats are decorated in the country each year.

But 60 percent of them face the problem of indoor pollution.

Song Guangsheng, Vice Chairman of the association, says the problem is mainly caused by low standards of interior decoration and unhealthy decorating materials.

"We must limit the use of unhealthy decorating materials, like artificial boards, and impose strict environment standards on them. Meanwhile, residents should not over-decorate their houses. In short, interior decoration should follow the principle of 'the plainer the better'."

A study by the Chinese Centre for Disease Control and Prevention reveals that dangerous indoor pollutants are often found in building materials and new furniture.

Pollutants such as formaldehyde can slowly release fumes into indoor environments over the course of several years and cause health problems like respiratory diseases and cancer.

It's hoped that the imposition of stricter interior decoration standards can help to tackle these problems.

For CRI, I'm Wu Jia.