Fine Dust of Korea
When I was a child, when I was in high school in the province (around 2012), the word 'fine dust' was not known. There was only a 'yellow dust' that often comes from China in the spring. So at that time, the yellow color of sky was mean that there was the 'yellow dust' was heavy. Of course, there was a little sand in the air. In fact, probably the 'yellow dust' would have been bad for our body. However, it seems that it was not need to say that it should be careful such a big deal like now.
Of course, there would have been 'fine dust' in those days. But it was not long ago that it suddenly became an issue in Korea. It seems to me that in recent 3 years, suddenly 'fine dust' has become a big issue. Especially, it seems that I got worse after I came to Seoul. The region where I lived was located in the southeast, but since Seoul is in the northwest, geographically it is close to China. Actually, the air condition suddenly got worse. Sometimes when I look at the sky, I see things in the dark sky because of 'fine dust' + 'yellow dust'. On the streets, people wearing masks are getting more and more popular. Not because of cold, because of fine dust.
Fine dust is called primary carcinogen. Even worse than yellow dust. More specifically, the sand on the beach is about 70 μm, while the 'fine dust' is less than 10 μm. In other words, fine dust can enter the body deeper than sand, adsorbed to the lungs through the bronchi, causing respiratory diseases. 'Ultra fine dust' having a diameter of 2.5 μm or less can penetrate deeper. It is also known to be adsorbed into blood vessels and causing stroke or heart disease. The smog of London, which caused more than 4,000 deaths in the 1950s, shows how 'fine dust' affects the human body.
As a matter of fact, the government of Korea has referred to 'grilled mackerel' as the cause of fine dust ... Among the reasons mentioned above, it is somewhat acceptable to have a diesel vehicle, but the fact that the grilled mackerel is mentioned as the cause of fine dust is a little funny. However, according to a detailed study of the Korea Environment Institute (KEI) in 2016, at least 50% of the pollutants were found to be responsible but at least 70% of the 'fine dust' in Korea was from China. The top three pollutants in the northeast China, Shandong, Hebei and Jiangsu provinces are having a great impact and are causing problems on the Korean peninsula during the four seasons. In fact, if you look at real-time air pollution satellite maps, you can see at a glance where the air pollution is the most serious in the world ...
So mom often tells me. "When 'fine dust' is bad, do not go out of the house and if you want to go out, please wear a mask," but I say. "I'm fine."
I like playing soccer. So every weekend I go to a nearby football field to play soccer. The fine dust concentration is high or low, but I'm go out. Sometimes I get worried. 'If I play soccer and drink a lot of 'fine dust' and get sick, what should I do?' But in general, when I go to football, the sky is clean! (However, the news today shows that even though the sky is clear, there are many 'fine dust' particles. When the concentration of 'Ultra fine dust' particles is higher than that of fine particle dust, the sun is scattered more and the sky looks cloudy. So, even if the blue sky is visible, the 'fine dust' condition can not be relieved.) Damn ...
