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http://dx.doi.org/10.15266/KEREA.2022.31.4.505

Health Effects and Social Benefit of Residential Radon Reduction  

Yongjoo Kim (Department of Business Administration, Seoul Digital University)
Publication Information
Environmental and Resource Economics Review / v.31, no.4, 2022 , pp. 505-529 More about this Journal
Abstract
Radon is a radioactive gas that causes lung cancer deaths. The contingent valuation method (CVM) is used to estimate the value of a statistical life(VSL) of 2.054 billion won for the death due to residential radon in Korea. Residential radon is assumed to have caused 2,330 deaths in 2020, of which the estimated social cost is 4.78 trillion won. When a national compulsory standard of 200Bq/m3 is set for residential radon concentration, the number of lives saved is estimated to be 691, leading to a social benefit of 1.42 billion won. This study reports the origin, characteristics and health risk of residential radon, and emphasizes the importance of a dramatic increase in the budget for residential radon reduction policies.
Keywords
Radon; Lung Cancer; CVM; VSL; Social Benefit;
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