People are feeling increasingly uneasy about toxic smog that reaches the Korean Peninsula, brought here by northwesterly winds from China. According to the National Institute of Environmental Research, the number of days in which the concentration of PM2.5, fine particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, exceeds the acceptable level of 100 micrograms per cubic meter for more than 12 hours reached 19 this year, compared with three last year. In late October, this particulate matter concentration was three to four times that of normal levels, eclipsing our efforts to improve air quality so far.
The smog in China is its worst in 52 years, and the pollution problem will get worse when Chinese power plants begin burning coal in earnest for heating during the approaching wintertime. As part of its efforts to ease contamination levels, the world’s second-largest economy is poised to stop operating factories, introduce flexible working hours and suspend some school days.
While it’s generally learned that the smog crosses the West Sea and reaches the peninsula, Beijing denies that Seoul’s increased concentration of fine particles has been caused by the smog from China. But scientists have confirmed that air contaminants from China blanketed the peninsula through satellites, noting that about 30-50 percent of pollution is attributed to the smog from China.
More worrisome is that smog contains toxic heavy metals such as lead and cadmium and ultrafine particles. These most hazardous substances cannot be filtered by the bronchial tubes and directly enter the lungs where they can cause pneumonia.
This perilous process can’t go on any longer, and the government needs to address the problem more aggressively. Still, our anti-pollution responses leave much to be desired. The Korea Meteorological Administration has been issuing alerts on fine particles in the metropolitan area since August, but the nationwide forecast will begin only next year. What’s most disheartening is that the alert system for ultrafine particles will be established as late as early 2015, which means that the public has no alternative but to remain defenseless to the ''air raids’’ arriving from China.
While it’s true there are no easy solutions, the only viable option to the cross-border pollution problem will be strengthening international coordination. Given that Japan is similarly threatened by the smog from China, it’s imperative that Seoul and Tokyo join forces to pressure Beijing to provide accurate information and take measures to curtail air pollutants. China, in particular, should shake off its half-hearted attitude and take a forward-looking stance regarding its responsibilities as a major source of air pollution.
