Low-income group falls vulnerable to air pollution

Many people are complaining about the cost of purchasing the masks and running air cleaners, saying the gap between the rich and poor is also seen in environmental issues. / Yonhap

By Kim Jae-heun

It is almost a must these days for people to wear masks and turn on air purifiers at home to protect themselves from the record-breaking levels of fine dust air pollution.

But many are complaining about the cost of purchasing the masks and running air cleaners, saying the gap between the rich and poor is also seen in environmental issues.

They say the wealth disparity could lead to a health disparity in the future if such air pollution continues in the years to come.

Rich people are apparently coping fine with the serious air pollution by purchasing up-to-date equipment and gadgets; while the middle class may feel the burden but the cost may be still manageable. It is people in the low-income group that are suffering the most from the expense for protection from fine dust.

The price for an anti-fine dust mask varies as well as its number of recommended uses. Cheap ones cost less than 1,000 won when purchased in bundles, but they are for one-time use only. Individually bought masks cost around 2,500 to 3,000 won. “Quality masks” are as much as 30,000 won to 40,000 won and are usable for a month. But be it a fancy mask or a cheap one, people have to spend at least 30,000 won a month.

“I've been purchasing dust masks almost every day this month and I spent nearly 50,000 won just for myself,” said office worker Kim Do-jin, 36. “If I count the total cost of masks purchased for my wife and son, it goes up to nearly 150,000 won. And I am only talking about the masks here.”

The price becomes more absurd with home air purifiers.

An average machine that can cover a big space such as a living room costs a minimum 700,000 won, with “high-quality” ones costing over 1 million won.

Thirty-two-year-old salesman Cho Hyun-soo bought a small air cleaner for his car recently, since he spends most of his time driving to customers. A quality purifier costs as much as 200,000 won but he could not afford it and chose a 50,000-won one.

“This was an expense that was out of my expectations and for sure 200,000 won is quite a high price. I heard a decent home air purifier costs an average 700,000 won to 1 million won these days. We are now living in a world where you can't breathe clean air if you don't have any money,” Cho said.

This has led people to call on the government to lower the prices of masks or even distribute them for free, with about 250 petitions being posted on Cheong Wa Dae's website.

“My family spent more on masks than food,” a petitioner wrote. “Do poor people have to die because of expensive masks? The government should come up with countermeasures for masks, which are now a daily necessity, by setting up state-run mask factories.”

Another wrote, “As the government provides subsidies to those buying electric vehicles, it should provide subsidies for anti-fine dust products. They are directly related to health.”

People also called for stronger countermeasures to fight the environmental issue.

“I don't know why I have to spend this amount of money on breathing clean air. These days, I feel unfortunate to live here in Korea. The government has been putting regulations on people like restricting old diesel cars in Seoul and adopting an alternative day driving ban policy but no significant results have been seen. I heard 80 percent of the fine dust comes from China. The government should solve this environmental problem with China instead of making life harder for its people,” Cho said.

As part of the latest anti-dust measures, Environment Minister Cho Myung-rae promised to cooperate with China to solve the air pollution issue, after holding another emergency meeting with relevant state organization officials Thursday.

According to Cho, Korea and China will issue fine dust reduction measures together when high levels are expected. The two countries will conduct joint experiments on artificial rain in the Yellow Sea, as well as sharing information.

The operation of coal power plants will be restricted when a high concentration of fine dust is expected, while two old coal power plants are under review for closure. Air purification systems will be provided for schools and public facilities.