Breathing in fine dust can be more deadly than smoking, drinking, or doing drugs, and South Koreans can live at least 1.4 years longer under better air, a U.S. study showed.

According to a report released by the Energy Policy Institute (EPI) at the University of Chicago on Monday (local time), 75 percent of the global population, or 5.5 billion people, live in areas where fine dust dubbed as PM 2.5, particulate matter (PM) with a diameter of less than 2.5 micrometers, exceeds the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline.

…

The Korean government has introduced a slew of measures to reduce the level of fine dust and other pollutants in the country grappling with worsening air quality every year. Fine dust which used to be an unwelcome visitor from China in the spring has become year-around affliction. The measures include a ban on old diesel truck operation during heavy smog conditions caused by high fine dust level, alternative driving day policy, shutdown of coal-fired power station, increasing use of renewable energy sources, and more. But improvements have been slow due to lack of cooperation from China, blamed much for the blow of dusty wind.

Continue reading at Pulse…