Yellow dust blankets central part of peninsula

Citizens walk in Yeouido Park near the Han River, Seoul, Tuesday, when the city was covered with yellow dust that originated from Inner Mongolia. / Korea Times photo by Ryu Hyo-jin

By Nam Hyun-woo

Yellow dust swept across the central region of the Korean peninsula Tuesday for the first time this spring.

According to the Korea Meteorological Administration, the dusty air, originating from the Gobi desert and Inner Mongolia, has blown over the Korean peninsula, and covered Seoul, North Gyeongsang Province and other central part of South Korea.

As the dusty air arrived, the atmospheric concentration of particulate matter 10 (PM10), rose to 294 micrograms per cubic meter.

The levels of concentration in other regions also hovered over 200 micrograms per cubic meter. PM 10 refers to fine particles with a diameter of 10 micrometers or less.

It is known that the particles in yellow dust are bigger than other air polluting phenomena, such as smog.

Bigger particles can be filtered while passing through the respiratory organs, but they are still harmful because the air contains aluminum, copper, cadmium and lead.

The weather agency forecast that northwesterly winds will carry yellow dust to the southern part of the country until Wednesday morning.

Though it was light yellow dust, extra caution is needed especially for the elderly and children, the agency said. It advised citizens to wear masks when going outside.