The deaths of around 30,900 people in Korea and Japan were linked to fine dust originating from China. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)
SEOUL, March 30 (Korea Bizwire) – A new study suggests fine dust particles from China in 2007 alone were linked to the early deaths of 30,900 people in Korea and Japan.
The global collaborative study by Tsinghua University, Beijing University, the University of California-Irvine, and the University of British Colombia examined the deadly impact of fine dust on human health.
The shocking findings revealed of the 3.45 million people who died of heart and lung diseases around the world in 2007, 12 percent were thought to have died due to fine dust that originated from a foreign country.
The deaths of around 30,900 people in Korea and Japan were linked to fine dust originating from China.
The researchers gathered information on the correlation between the amount of fine dust particles created in the manufacturing industry in 228 countries and the number of people who died due to fine dust-related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, lung cancer and other lung diseases.
Study co-author Steven Davis at the University of California, Irvine, said, “A lot of companies build factories in China for its cheap labor force, which makes China the country that emits the most find dust in the world.
“Neighboring countries South Korea and Japan are taking a bigger hit due to their higher popular density.”
Nearly 47,000 people who died in Eastern European countries were thought to have been impacted by fine dust from Western Europe, while the deaths of 2,300 people living in Western European countries were linked to fine dust from the U.S., according to the study.
Davis said the research proves air pollution is no longer regional but a ‘global issue’.
The report, published in the international academic journal Nature, was the first academic study to shed light on the global impact of so called ‘ultrafine dust particles’ which are smaller than 2.5 micrometers.
Ultrafine dust particles, consisting of toxic substances and carbon emissions, are thought to be small enough to travel through the lungs, blood vessels and the brain, resulting in heart disease, lung diseases and cerebral apoplexy.
Hyunsu Yim (hyunsu@koreabizwire.com)
