Don’t get used to fine dust

The emergency that occurs when forests half the size of Korea were burnt sounds loud alarms for all of us.

KIM PIL-GYUThe author is the Washington correspondent of the JoongAng Ilbo. The runners who jog along the Potomac River every evening have disappeared. The Washington Monument I could always see clearly was dimly visible. Despite the early summer weather, outdoor seating in restaurants was empty. It was strange to see a reddish glow over downtown Washington due to fine dust.

On June 8, a Code Purple was issued as smoke and fine dust from Canadian wildfires spread over Washington DC. The code is the second worst level in the air quality index.

It is the first Code Purple issued in the history of Washington’s weather observation. Fine dust was a little severe on the Fourth of July due to firework displays, but it has never been this bad.

The Uber driver, who was wiping the dust from the windshield, was amused and said, “It seems like the whole city is having a barbeque cookout.” Parents received a text message from the Department of Education that all outdoor activities were suspended. A recommendation to wear N95 and KN95 grade masks followed.

The White House canceled scheduled events on the same day. President Joe Biden asked the public to listen to the guidelines from each state and public authorities and check air quality information in real time. Fortunately, the chaos ended soon as the westerly winds pushed the dust out to the Atlantic Ocean over the weekend.

Television news warned that the fine dust put the health of 100 million residents in the Eastern and Southern parts of the United States at risk and that a wildfire could reoccur anytime. That day, the air quality index (AQI) in Washington was between 150 and 230.

In Korea, that number has often been seen when the fine dust level was severe during the winter. CNN reported in the winter of 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic, that each region in Korea recorded AQI between 150 and 225 for 48 hours.

So, the Washington correspondents from Korea joked, “What is the fuss about?” However, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), AQI at 150 or higher is a “very serious health threat.” If you engage in regular daily activities, it is equivalent to smoking six cigarettes, the EPA warned.

Korea’s fine dust, which seemed to be getting better, has returned to the same level. As the ultrafine dust level worsened drastically last year, the alternate driving restriction by odd and even license plate number cars resumed. We should not get used to it. The emergency that occurs when forests half the size of Korea were burnt sounds loud alarms for all of us.