Air quality in Yeosu

Is Yeosu a very polluted city now?

Yeosu is a city located on the southern coast of the Korean Peninsula in South Jeolla Province, South Korea. The city of Yeosu consists of the Yeosu peninsula as well as 317 islands (49 inhabited, 268 uninhabited). According to a census conducted in 2011, the estimated population was approximately 300,000 people.

At the start of the fourth quarter of 2021, Yeosu was going through a period of “Moderate” air quality with a US AQI number of 99. This reading can be used as a benchmark when comparing air quality in other cities around the world. Data is collected with regards to the six most prolific air pollutants commonly found and this figure is calculated from there. If information is not available for all six, then a figure can be deduced using the information that is available. In this case, there were six recordings made. These were; PM2.5 - 35 µg/m³, PM10 - 46 µg/m³, ozone (O₃) - 74 µg/m³, nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) - 71.4 µg/m³, sulphur dioxide (SO₂) - 13.1 µg/m³ and carbon monoxide (CO) - 572.5 µg/m³. At this level, the PM2.5 figure is three and a half times above the recommended target figure as suggested by the World Health Organisation (WHO) of 10 µg/m³. However, no amount of air pollution is safe but 10 µg/m³ is regarded as being acceptable.

With air pollution at this level, the given advice would be to stay indoors and close all doors and windows to prevent the ingress of more polluted air into the rooms. Those of a sensitive nature should avoid venturing outside until the situation improves. There is an app available from AirVisual which can be found in any app store and is suitable for most mobile devices. This will tell you of the latest levels of pollution which might help decide whether or not it is safe to go outside.

Does the level of air pollution vary throughout the year in Yeosu?

Air quality can be affected by many variables and can therefore change very quickly. Looking back at the figures for 2020, published by IQAir.com, it can be seen that the best air quality was enjoyed in September when it was classified as being “Good” with a figure of 11.9 µg/m³. For the remaining eleven months, the air quality was classed as being “Moderate” with figures between 12.1 and 35.4 µg/m³. The best of these months was July with a 12.5 µg/m³ figure and the worst was February with an 18.5 µg/m³ recording.

Records have been kept since 2017 when a figure of 19.3 µg/m³ was registered followed by 17.4 µg/m³ the following year and 17.9 µg/m³ in 2019. In 2020 the figure was 15.0 µg/m³ but this may not be a true reflection of reality because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many motorists were no longer required to commute to their offices each day in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus. There were also some factories and smaller production units which were told to close on a temporary basis. Many cities throughout the world noted how much cleaner their city air was because of these measures.

Is there a main source of air pollution in Yeosu?

It was found that the amount of waste brought in from abroad every year in Yeosu, which is suffering from various pollution and environmental problems such as air pollutants, odours, and noise, is enormous. According to the status of foreign waste brought to Yeosu during last year, 34,176 tons were incinerated and 55,771 tons were landfilled.

There is concern about significant problems that threaten the health of citizens, such as the generation of dioxins, carcinogens and air pollutants during the incineration process, and soil and groundwater contamination from leachate during the reclamation process.

Some of Korea’s air pollution can be traced back to China. China's coal plants, the sheer scale of its population and abundant vehicle emissions contribute to dirty air across the region. Even the yellow dust which originates in the Northern Deserts of China picks up industrial pollution as it is carried on the prevailing winds before it eventually reaches South Korea.

Can anything be done to improve the air quality in Yeosu?

Large companies in South Korea have reduced their air pollutant emissions by more than 50 per cent over the past five years due to the government's anti-coal policy. Air pollutant emissions by 166 plants of 77 large businesses came to 139,112 tons in 2020, down 56 per cent from 316,013 five years earlier.

The environment ministry classifies seven materials - nitrogen oxide, dust, sulphur oxide, hydrogen fluoride, ammonia, carbon monoxide and hydrogen chloride - as air pollutants and requires firms to measure their emissions by installing telemonitoring systems.

One large chemical company received a 10-day suspension of operation for mixing air with pollutants from the factory's exhaust facilities. An illegal 'branch discharge pipe' was installed to allow unauthorized discharge of so-called air pollutants. It was revealed that this company did not comply with the self-measurement measures to ensure that air pollutants were properly treated at the prevention facilities. In this case, a warning was given and the penalty is imprisonment for not more than 5 years or a fine not exceeding 50 million won.

What are the detrimental effects breathing polluted air has on human health?

Air pollution is a growing global health concern estimated to contribute to as many as 4.2 million premature deaths worldwide per year. As such, it poses the greatest environmental risk to human health. A strong and rapidly expanding body of evidence links ambient air pollution to respiratory and cardiovascular conditions that eventually may also affect cognition in the elderly. Among various ambient air pollutants, particulate matter (PM) has been implicated as a chronic source of neuroinflammation and reactive oxygen species that produce neuropathology resulting in neurodevelopmental disorders and neurodegenerative disease.

Particulate matter usually includes metals, nitrates, sulphates, tyre rubber and soot. It is known that these foreign substances pass through the bronchi and are absorbed by 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.