We've been having very bad pollution here lately. For over two months we've been mostly housebound.
Recently it's got a lot worse. We are now on day six of a stretch of such severe pollution that it is extremely dangerous even to open a window. The sun's struggling to shine through the grey smog.
All of this is coming over from China. Chinese factories spew tiny particles all year round, but it tends to worsen in winter when added to it is the coal smoke of hundreds of millions of Chinese households.
The terms usually used are microdust and fine microdust. These pollution particles are so small that they cannot be filtered by nosehair or ordinary pollution masks, and the body cannot expel them. So once they're in your lungs, they're there to stay.
As I write this, the quantity of microdust in the air around here is 167 particles per cubic metre, with fine microdust at 127. (This is according to an app called 미세미세, which is often generous in its measurements.) Tolerable levels are below 50 and 25, respectively.
I would reckon that around a billion people are affected by this air pollution.
One statistic I have heard is that in China one hundred million people die each year as a result of pollution-related illness.
In South Korea, too, respiratory illness (such as lung cancer) is a leading cause of death. The cause, again, is Chinese pollution.
About a month ago, looking at a map of a wave of pollution, I counted 11 countries affected, some totally blanketed.
You can go outside with a special mask, but those can't provide total protection. It's best to stay at home with air filters running.
It's only been getting worse since I moved to Korea four years ago.
If you travel to East Asia, do be aware of the risk of pollution.
I have attached a screenshot of a map showing pollution as it stands currently. The map is from the app AirVisual.
Recently it's got a lot worse. We are now on day six of a stretch of such severe pollution that it is extremely dangerous even to open a window. The sun's struggling to shine through the grey smog.
All of this is coming over from China. Chinese factories spew tiny particles all year round, but it tends to worsen in winter when added to it is the coal smoke of hundreds of millions of Chinese households.
The terms usually used are microdust and fine microdust. These pollution particles are so small that they cannot be filtered by nosehair or ordinary pollution masks, and the body cannot expel them. So once they're in your lungs, they're there to stay.
As I write this, the quantity of microdust in the air around here is 167 particles per cubic metre, with fine microdust at 127. (This is according to an app called 미세미세, which is often generous in its measurements.) Tolerable levels are below 50 and 25, respectively.
I would reckon that around a billion people are affected by this air pollution.
One statistic I have heard is that in China one hundred million people die each year as a result of pollution-related illness.
In South Korea, too, respiratory illness (such as lung cancer) is a leading cause of death. The cause, again, is Chinese pollution.
About a month ago, looking at a map of a wave of pollution, I counted 11 countries affected, some totally blanketed.
You can go outside with a special mask, but those can't provide total protection. It's best to stay at home with air filters running.
It's only been getting worse since I moved to Korea four years ago.
If you travel to East Asia, do be aware of the risk of pollution.
I have attached a screenshot of a map showing pollution as it stands currently. The map is from the app AirVisual.
