An analysis on the effects of Asian dust event on human health in large cities of Korea based on the number of patients

The objective of this study was to evaluate the exposure to Asian dust by determining the number of patients of some departments in hospitals including the dermatology, otolaryngology, visceral disease, cardiovascular disease, and ophthalmology. That might be affected by the Asian dust events. There were 8 cities in Korea selected to study as follows: Seoul, Busan, Daegu, Incheon, Kwangju, Deajeon, Ulsan and Jejudo. This investigation was carried out during Asian dust and non-Asian dust periods in 2005 and the first half of 2006. This information was obtained from National Health Insurance Corporation (NHIC). The PM₁₀ concentrations during Asian dust episode in 8 cities were collected from the monthly and annual reports of ambient air quality in Korea which were published by Korean Ministry of Environment (MOE). There were the differences of PM₁₀ concentrations in different cities during Asian dust episode due to the origins or sources of Asian dust, the paths of Asian dust, the local wind characteristics and the difference in geological locations. The differences of PM₁₀ between the cities during non-Asian dust periods depend on the characteristics of each region. The monthly variations of number patients in all cities generally showed a similar trend. The strong correlation between Asian dust events and the number of patients were obtained. In most cities, each kind of disease had its specific trend of variation. These variations might be affected by many factors including PM₁₀ concentration in ambient air; weather conditions such as temperature, humidity; and human activities.