I remember the days when the news anchor would simply say, “It will be a cloudy day in Seoul with a chance of rain,” or, “The sun will shine brightly today.” Back then, if it was neither snowing nor raining; the weather would be fine for an outing, and I could just emerge from my house and start walking down the street. Back then, a day without clouds was a potential beach day. But that was before the dust came.

Currently, Korea is in a fine dust crisis. Every morning, I begin my day by checking the fine dust level in my local area to see if I need to bring my mask or not. I used to dismiss the need for a mask, deeming it an unnecessary fuss, but a day spent in the center of Seoul with the fine dust level at “very bad,” was enough to make me know better.

It was as if a great mist had taken over the city—buildings lost their top floors, cars emerged and disappeared like ghosts, and mountains vanished. And while I didn’t feel sick immediately, it was undoubtedly hard to breathe; I had to take several indoor breaks in nearby buildings just to make my way to a nearby subway station. Life in a fine dust crisis is very different, inconvenient, and sometimes, terrifying.

A Polluted Sky

Air pollution is by no means new in Korea. Due to its proximity to China—a country currently experiencing vast economic and industrial growth—Korea has already been under the influence of “Asian dust,” or “Yellow dust.” Yellow dust originally comes from the arid Mongolian and Chinese deserts and has recently been worsened by deforestation, causing irritation and respiratory problems for those affected.

But Yellow dust, at least, is seasonal—it is known to occur mostly in the spring months—unlike fine dust, which has recently troubled Korea, regardless of the season or weather. While Yellow dust can aggravate fine dust when the two occur simultaneously, they are quite different things.

The main sources of fine dust are machines. A combination of Mongolian desert dust, Chinese exhaust gas, and domestic air pollution in Korea, fine dust can thus be composed of a diverse array of elements, from metals to liquid droplets. These potentially harmful chemicals have conquered the whole Korean peninsula, even reaching Jeju Island—one of the most southern regions in the country. Even more shocking, however, is the strength of this invasion: last April, for example, fine dust levels in major cities soared up to approximately 257. Given that 151 and onward is categorized as “very bad,” it is unquestionable that the fine dust situation in Korea has reached a critical condition.

Consequences and Measures

Why do we have to avoid fine dust so much, though? What are some of its consequences? Fine dust refers to pollutant particles PM 2.5 and PM 10. These particles are especially dangerous, mainly because of their size; being much smaller than other pollutants, they can ease their way into the deepest parts of our lungs, causing respiratory disorders and even cancer.

Experts predict that fine dust will become an increasing lethal public health issue, which may cause as many as 1,109 premature deaths per one million people in 2060. Some have compared it to smoking, stating that an outing on a day affected by fine dust is equivalent to staying in a small room infused with cigarette smoke.

Of course, Korea has tried several methods to beat the crisis, but their effectiveness has been widely questioned. The city of Seoul, for example, has attempted to mitigate the problem by making its public transport free to use for a certain period, which can thus reduce air pollution caused by cars. The emergency measure hasn’t been very successful, however: no noticeable change in public transit usage has occurred, and the city instead experienced a staggering financial loss.

For now, the best and most effective way to protect one’s health seems to be wearing a mask and simply avoiding outings when possible. Yet one must also be careful not to buy the wrong masks—regular masks do not offer enough protection against fine dust particles, so one must make sure to get approved preventive masks. Masks marked KF80 or above are recommended, as they will provide the most blockage against fine dust, fending off up to 99% of the pollutants.

What It Means—to Everyone

It is easy to dismiss this crisis, especially if you are living far from Asia in an area rarely affected by air pollution to such an alarming degree. After all, pollution in certain areas—especially urban Asian regions like Seoul—has been taking place for a while.

However, it is the alarming truth that such environmental troubles are likely to influence our world as a whole. Just a brief look at Korea, even over the span of the few years, proves how quickly and intensely air pollution can overwhelm a whole country. About six years ago, when I returned to my home in central South Korea, there had been almost no signs of a fine dust crisis, and most people were unaware of the impending disaster. Now, however, the whole country is badly affected, and the consequences of fine dust—from the losses in public transit fees to voices accusing China as the source—have become a central issue in both Korea’s economy and politics.

With several major cities around the world searching for solutions, it is hard to say yet what the skies of the future will look like. Perhaps a successful method will be quickly found, and the air, even in Korea, will return to its pleasant original freshness. Perhaps the situation will only worsen, and the crisis will indeed lead to critical public health disasters. But no matter which one comes true, both scenarios point to the fact that environmental problems are probably the biggest challenge of our time. The fine dust crisis in Korea is evidence that in the face of a budding environmental disaster, we must act quickly, act cooperatively, and concentrate our efforts on finding a solution—otherwise, before we notice, we may lose our skies, our health, and the sunny, active life as we know it.