Yellow Dust

The weather is starting to warm up and people are starting to talk about the "yellow dust" which will be arriving soon. Yellow Dust is a springtime weather phenomenon which affects Korea and other Southeast Asian countries. The dust originates in the deserts of Mongolia, northern China, and Kazakhstan when intense dust storms kick up huge clouds of fine, dry soil particles. These clouds of dust are then carried over China, North and South Korea, and Japan, as well as parts of the Russian Far East. You can see the dust in the air and it makes the sky all cloudy. It's known to cause a variety of health problems, such as sore throat and asthma in otherwise healthy people. People are advised to minimize outdoor activities, depending on severity of the storms. For those already with asthma or respiratory infections, it can be fatal.

The yellow dust contains the following: sulfur, soot, ash, carbon monoxide, and other toxic pollutants including heavy metals and other carcinogens. They also carry viruses, bacteria, fungi, pesticides, antibiotics, asbestos, herbicides...lovely, huh? SO what do Koreans do to avoid inhaling this horrible yellow stuff? They wear masks anytime they are outside. From the littlest baby to the oldest senior citizen. And guess who is going to be wearing a mask throughout the spring as well? ME!