South Korea chokes on bad air, remains country with worst air quality among developed nations

NewsBharati    07-Jan-2018
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Seoul, January 7: The economically advanced country South Korea is lagging behind in case of air qualities. South Korea has the worst air quality among a group of 35 mostly rich nations. Bad air quality is chocking the country for a long time which makes it one of the worst polluted country in the world. In last year, the country witnessed many days when capital Seoul was covered with thick industrial haze blankets.

In South Korea, PM2.5 levels are 27.9 micrograms per cubic meter, the highest level in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This is much higher than if compared to the average of OCED countries. PM2.5 concentrations are at around 13.9 micrograms per cubic meter on average in OECD countries. It far exceeds the limit set by World Health Organization, which stands at 10 micrograms per cubic meter.

"The percentage of Koreans satisfied with their local water quality has remained broadly stable over the past decade. However, annual exposure to PM2.5 air pollution increased by 4 percent between 2005 and 2013, with this worsening gaining momentum in recent years," according to an OECD report.

This is posing threat posing a health threat to people of the densely populated country. The problem can cause minor eye irritation to upper respiratory symptoms in the short term and chronic respiratory diseases, such as asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and lung cancer, in the long term. In an obvious manner, children and adult are more vulnerable to the threat.

South korea OCED South Korea Pollution Poor Air Quality