By Kim Rahn
More than 15,000 adults aged over 30 died in 2010 in Seoul and Geyonggi Province from complications caused by air pollution, a study showed Monday.
The number accounts for more than 15 percent of the annual death toll for adults in that age group in the region.
These findings were part of a study jointly conducted by Prof. Leem Jong-han at Inha University Hospital’s occupational and environmental medicine department and Prof. Kim Soon-tae at Ajou University’s environmental engineering department.
Their study focused on fine dust, or particulate matter (PM), ranging in size of less than 10 micrometers in diameter, called PM10. One micrometer is equal to one millionth of a meter.
While dust particles 20 micrometers or above are filtered in the bronchial tubes and are not seriously harmful to health, PM2.5, meaning 2.5 micrometers or less, can pass through the pulmonary alveoli, directly causing various respiratory diseases and weakening the immune system.
The study found that the deaths of 15,346 people aged over 30 in Seoul and Gyeonggi were the result of illnesses caused by air pollution in 2010.
A separate report released by the World Health Organization (WHO) in March last year also said that about 7 million, or one in eight of total global deaths, was attributable to indoor or outdoor air pollution.
The WHO report showed air pollution causes ischaemic heart disease, stroke, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute lower respiratory infections in children, and lung cancer.
The Inha-Ajou research team said that the number of these deaths would drop by 57.9 percent to 10,866 in 2024, if the Ministry of Environment’s air quality management policy, which the ministry has been carrying out since 2014, takes effect and the level of PM10 goes below 30 micrograms per cubic meters.
However, it said that if current air pollution levels continue, the number may increase to 25,781 by 2024.
“Controlling particulate matter will be a priority healthcare objective,” Leem said. “If the current policy succeeds by controlling the sources of air pollution such as factories and vehicles, we believe the death toll will be reduced significantly.”
He said the best way of avoiding air pollution-related diseases is avoiding going outdoors, adding that wearing fine-dust masks is strongly recommended.