Gyeonggi-do Reports 150 Days of 'Good' Fine Dust Last Year, Decreasing by 16 Days Compared to Previous Year

Annual Average Fine Dust Concentration in Gyeonggi-do

The number of days with "Good" (15μg/㎥ or less) fine dust (PM-2.5) in Gyeonggi Province was 150 days, showing a decrease of 16 days compared to 166 days in 2022.

According to the Gyeonggi Provincial Institute of Health and Environment on the 4th, the annual average concentration of fine dust in the province last year was 21μg/㎥, a slight increase compared to 20μg/㎥ in 2022.

The annual average concentration of fine dust in the province peaked at 28μg/㎥ in 2018 and then showed a continuous decline, reaching 21μg/㎥ in 2021 and 20μg/㎥ in 2022. Fine dust was measured at 110 urban air monitoring stations across 31 cities and counties in the province.

The Institute of Health and Environment will finalize the results after review by the National Institute of Environmental Research by the first half of this year.

The number of days with fine dust levels rated "Bad" or higher (36μg/㎥ or more) in Gyeonggi Province last year was 46 days, an increase of 6 days compared to 40 days in 2022.

The Institute cited increased economic activity following the end of COVID-19 and increased pollution inflow from abroad as causes for the rise in fine dust.

Among the cities and counties, Yeoju-si recorded the highest average concentration at 25μg/㎥, while Dongducheon-si had the lowest at 15μg/㎥.

Notably, Dongducheon-si became the first city/county to record an annual average fine dust concentration of 15μg/㎥ for two consecutive years starting from 2022.

Gunpo-si and Guri-si each saw an increase of 3μg/㎥ compared to 2022, marking the largest rise among the 31 cities and counties.

The Institute will publish the "2023 Gyeonggi Province Air Quality Assessment Report" in the second half of this year, containing detailed analysis results of the province's air quality, and will make it available to residents through the Gyeonggi Air Environment Information Service website.

The Institute also urged residents to apply for the free air pollution alert text message service. This service can be applied for on the Gyeonggi Air Environment Information Service website (https://air.gg.go.kr). After applying, users can receive alerts for fine dust and ozone warnings issued thereafter.

A representative from the Institute stated, "Although the fine dust concentration in Gyeonggi Province worsened slightly in 2023 compared to 2022, the annual average concentration has maintained a downward trend since official measurements began in 2015," and added, "Please pay close attention to fine dust warnings as high concentrations that can threaten health may occur at any time."