Military warns Seoul dust at unhealthy levels

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Military warns Seoul dust at unhealthy levels
By Erik Slavin, Stars and Stripes
Pacific edition, Wednesday, January 9, 2008

SEOUL — Dust in the air climbed to levels deemed by military medical officials to be unhealthy for children and senior citizens, according to South Korean and U.S. military meteorological data Monday.

The young, elderly and people with respiratory illness are considered “high risk” and should not exercise outdoors at dust levels above 200 parts per million per cubic meter of air, according to the 18th Medical Command.

Dust levels spiked at 318 parts per million around Camp Humphreys and Osan Air Base on Monday and other areas of South Korea reached above normal levels Monday afternoon.

Less of this winter’s air pollution is due to sulfur dioxide and carbon monoxide because of curbs on heavy industry emissions, said Lt. Col. Eric Lund, preventive medicine consultant for 18th Medical Command, after he spoke with South Korea environment ministry officials.

However, more ozone from vehicles and dust from China and Mongolia have resulted in air pollution levels close to last January’s, Lund said Monday.


Rest of article at: http://www.stripes.com/article.asp?section=104&article=51480