Calls urge stricter air quality checks

The city's environmental protection authority called for more rigid inspections on the indoor air quality of furnished apartments Sunday, saying that the local regulation was "poorly implemented" four years ago.

The air quality of fully furnished apartments in the city need to be checked by a third party before homebuyers move in, but many real estate companies have skirted responsibility on the policy in recent years - resulting in residents being exposed to radioactive materials, according to the city's association for environmental protection industry.

"The homebuyer should not be the one to be burdened with this kind of responsibility," said Li Wei, the association's vice secretary, told the Global Times Sunday. "We need a mechanism to ensure that homes sold meet the city's air quality standards right from the beginning."

Such a move would further prevent real estate developers, which dominate the home renovations market, from having the trouble of reversing air quality problems found at a later date, he added.

Li said that companies producing home décor materials, such as flooring, carpeting, wallpapering, paneling and adhesives, should also be subject to inspections for the health safety of homebuyers.