12,000 people die of fine dust-caused diseases a year: lawmaker
Wearing a dust mask has become something of a “must-do ritual” before leaving home in Korea as dense smog has blanketed the country for days. / Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
By Park Si-soo
Nearly 12,000 people die a year of diseases linked to polluted air, a lawmaker said on Tuesday, citing environment ministry data.
Rep. Hong Chul-ho of the main opposition Liberty Party of Korea said cardiovascular diseases and stroke were the biggest causes of the deaths (58 percent combined). Next were respiratory infections and chronic lung diseases (18 percent combined), followed by lung cancer (6 percent).
Hong's claim was based on the ministry's 2017 study exploring deaths in 2015 by diseases caused by the inhalation of polluted air, including ultrafine particles PM2.5 or smaller. PM2.5 refers to atmospheric particulate matter (PM) that has a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, which is about 3 percent the diameter of a human hair.
“Fine dust has become a greater health risk than ever before,” Hong said. “The government should come up with a countermeasure before it's too late.”
A man in a dust mask rides a bicycle in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
A woman wearing a dusk mark strolls along the Han River public park in Seoul, Monday. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul
Seoul's downtown area is shrouded in haze on Monday as the density of airborne dust reached the "bad" level. Korea Times photo by Shim Hyun-chul