The United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon walks hand in hand with the United Nations head of the UN Habitat in Nairobi, Anna Tibaijuka, right, during a visit to the Kibera Slums in Nairobi, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2007. Ban will discuss with U.N. and Kenyan officials a possible emergency summit of world leaders aimed at breaking a deadlock over cutting greenhouse gases blamed for global warming, officials said Tuesday. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim)



Busan Exceeds Environmental Standards of Ozone

In the middle of worrying over the atmospheric environment due to yellow sand from China and abnormally high temperatures connected with global warming, research shows cases of atmospheric ozone (O3) and density of minute dust particles (PM-10) in the Busan region have exceeded safe limits.

A person exposed to high levels of ozone is more likely to experience skin damage and ophthalmic and respiratory ailments. Excess PM-10 attacks lung tissue and causes fatal respiratory ailments.

The Busan Metropolitan City Institute of Health and Environment presented "2006 current status report on atmospheric quality" on January 30. According to the report, ‘the excess number of one hour environmental standard for ozone’ was 143 times and ‘eight hours standard’ reached 299 instances last year. This shows an increase compared to 2005 when ‘the first one hour environmental standard’ was 61 times and ‘eight hours standard’ reached 244. That is an increase of 134 percent and 22.5 percent, respectively.

The problems were created by severely abnormal temperatures overlapped with air stagnation last August. These are believed to be the greatest effects on 92 intensive outbreaks exceeding the one hour standard.

There were 114 instances of exceeding the 24 hour environmental standard for minute dust (150㎍/㎥) compared to 29 in 2005. That it is a fourfold increase. The outcome is the effect of strong yellow sand in March and April, weak wind velocity in October and dry weather conditions.

In addition to the current circumstances, Saha District has the maximum discharge of air pollutants out of sixteen districts and counties in the Busan region.
/ 입력시간: 2007. 01.31. 09:41