Heavy yellow dust expected this spring

By Park Si-soo

The worst yellow dust storms in decades are forecast to blanket the country this spring between April and May as northeast China and Inner Mongolia have suffered severe droughts.

Experts are voicing concern that the yellow dust blowing from China could contain radioactive particles, originating from leaks of the quake-crippled nuclear reactors in Japan.

The radioactive materials are believed to be touring the earth. A minimal amount of radioactive materials from Japan, travelling on a seasonal westerly wind, has been detected in air samples in Seoul and other areas.

“We will likely have more extreme yellow dust this spring given the precipitation in northern China last winter and spring was nearly one fifth the average of previous years,” said Kim Seung-bae, a spokesman for the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). “Other epicenters of the storm, including the Gobi Desert, have also recorded severe droughts.”

China’s state-run news media Xinhua reported last month the country’s major agricultural regions were facing their worst drought in 60 years.

Sandy dust from China mixes with particles of disease-causing metals such as aluminum, cadmium, copper and lead.

Nearly 1 million tons of contaminated sand is expected to sprinkle the country in the next two months, posing a health threat to those who are especially vulnerable to the toxic dust.

The hazardous storms cost South Korea an estimated 7 trillion won ($6.2 billion) annually and environmentally detrimental, according to state statistics. Local producers of semi conductors and other precision goods see higher defect rates during this season.

More than 34 percent of the entire population, mostly children and the elderly, receive medical treatment for illnesses caused by exposure to the large amount of yellow dust.

Clouds of yellow dust covered South Korea for nearly 10 days a year on average over the last decade between March and May. In 2010, the sandstorms lasted for a total of 12.3 days.

In response to the situation, Seoul and Beijing have run joint campaigns to contain deforestation in China. With desert making up about 16 percent of China’s territory, the scope continues to increase due to deforestation, urbanization and drought.

The Chinese government invested $779.6 million from 2000 to 2009. The Korean government and environmentalists have planted numerous trees in major epicenters of the sandstorm in a control project.