Air quality in Changwon

What is the current level of air pollution in Changwon right now?

Changwon is the capital city of Gyeongsangnam-do, on the southeast coast of South Korea. According to a census conducted in 2015 Changwon had an estimated population of approximately 1.07 million inhabitants. This figure placed it as the ninth most populous city in South Korea.

The quality of the air in September 2021 was “Good” with a US AQI reading of 29. This United States Air Quality Index number is calculated using the levels of six of the most commonly occurring air pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide, sulphur dioxide, ozone, carbon monoxide and both sizes of particulate matter, which are PM2.5 and PM10. It can then be used as the metric when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. If data is unavailable for all 6 pollutants, a figure can still be calculated by using what figures there are. For Changwon, all six figures were recorded which were as follows: PM2.5 - 7 µg/m³, PM10 - 11 µg/m³, ozone (O₃) - 64 µg/m³, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - 15 µg/m³, sulphur dioxide (SO₂) - 7.9 µg/m³ and carbon monoxide (CO) - 458 µg/m³. With just 7 µg/m³ of PM2.5 the level is below the recommended target figure of 10 µg/m³ which was suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO). Probably why the air quality is classed as “Good”, although no amount of air pollution is considered to be safe.

With good quality air, the doors and windows can safely be opened to allow a clean flow of fresh air into the rooms and all forms of outdoor activity can be enjoyed without fear. For up-to-date information as to the state of the air, there is a downloadable app from AirVisual which is available for all operating systems.

Does the level of pollution stay the same throughout the year in Changwon?

Having read the information so far, it should come as no surprise that the air quality in Changwon does not vary too much throughout the year.

Looking back at the figures released by IQAir.com, Changwon experienced “Moderate” quality air for the entire year of 2020. This was achieved with readings between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The month with the cleanest air was September with a figure of 12.7 µg/m³. The dirtiest air was found in February when the reading was 22 µg/m³.

Even looking back to when records were first kept in 2017, the air quality was “Moderate” with an average annual reading of 23.8 µg/m³. These figures have improved with each passing year since then. 2018 saw 20.6 µg/m³ and 2019 returned 19.2 µg/m³. 2020 recorded a figure of 17.2 µg/m³ which coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic when many vehicles were no longer in daily use in an attempt to stop the spread of the virus. Many factories and non-essential production units were also required to close which removed their emissions from the atmosphere and therefore, most cities revealed very good figures for air quality.

What is the source of the air pollution in Changwon?

Recently in Korea, as the problem of fine dust and ultra-fine dust has emerged, an effective solution to the air pollution problem has become important. Some fine dust is naturally generated through forest fires and naturally occurring yellow dust. However, most of them are known to be caused by burning fossil fuels such as oil and coal or air pollutants from automobile exhaust gas.

Yellow dust generated in China is considered to be the main cause of fine dust in Korea. As a result of a recent survey, as a major source of fine dust nationwide, workplaces such as factories (38%) were the largest, followed by construction and ships (16%) and power plants (15%). Old diesel vehicles (11%) were also cited as the main cause of fine dust emissions.

The main cause of air pollution is the number of automobiles in use every day. There are several types of fuel for automobiles: diesel, gasoline, and gas, and the gases emitted when these fuels are burned are the main culprits of air pollution. Nitrogen dioxide contained in the exhaled gas is also the cause of acid rain. In any case, the gas emitted by automobiles is the main culprit of air pollution.

What can be done to reduce air pollution in Changwon?

In order to reduce secondary fine dust generated on roads in the long term, it is necessary to reduce the number of vehicles in the city centre.

A certain amount of fine dust particles are thought to originate from Japan. So, very often it is a trilateral study when trying to identify the source of air pollution. South Korea and Japan calculated the impact of Chinese pollutants on the ultrafine dust concentration at 39 per cent, whereas China analysed it at 23 per cent. However, experts explain that the purpose of the joint research is to reduce the margin of error to a convincing degree, not necessarily the same result.

Step by step reinforcement of emission standards and Introduction of the Exemplary System. Currently, Korea's air pollutant emission standards are set for 26 pollutants such as ozone and nitrogen dioxide. In order to prepare the emission standards in advance through technological development, considering the competitiveness of the industry, an example system was introduced that strengthened them annually and also in stages.

Reinforcement of automobile pollution management and implementation of ozone warning system In order to reduce pollution caused by automobiles, the emission standards for newly manufactured and operated vehicles have been strengthened. We are promoting the spread of natural gas vehicles and actively supporting the development of electric vehicles. It will make automobile fuel smokeless and strengthened standards for benzene and sulphur content.

What are the detrimental effects of air pollution in Changwon on our health?

Particulate matter usually includes metals, nitrates, sulphates, tyre rubber, and soot. It is known that these foreign substances pass through the bronchi and are adsorbed to the lungs, causing respiratory diseases.

Typically, ultrafine dust and fine dust inactivate antibodies against bacterial pathogens and cause pneumonia. It can also be absorbed into the bloodstream and cause stroke and heart disease. As such, heart and lung diseases caused by soot are known to some extent.

Recent studies have shown that fine dust can damage the liver, spleen, central nervous system, brain, and even reproductive organs that are not directly related to the respiratory system. Children are most vulnerable to fine dust and air pollution. A major six-year study found that children living in polluted cities have up to 10 per cent less lung capacity than normal people.