Analysis of the Recent Trend of National Background PM 10 Concentrations over Korea, China, and Japan

Lee

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

Medical costs have recently increased in South Korea due to the rising rate of asthma. Primary clinics serve an important role in asthma management, as they are the first stop for patients presenting with symptoms. The Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) in South Korea has assessed asthma-management quality since 2013, but studies are lacking on whether these assessments have been performed properly and contribute toward reducing asthma exacerbations. Therefore, we investigated whether the HIRA’s quality assessments have decreased asthma exacerbations using national health insurance claims data from 2013 to 2017 of 83,375 primary-clinic and 15,931 tertiary-hospital patients with asthma. These patients were classified into four groups based on disease severity according to the monthly prescribed amount of asthma medication using K-means clustering. The associations between HIRA assessments and asthma exacerbation were analyzed using a generalized estimating equation. Our results showed that exacerbation odds gradually decreased as the HIRA assessments progressed, especially in the mild-severity group, and that exacerbation risk among patients with asthma decreased in the order of assessment grades: “Unsatisfactory,” “Satisfactory,” and “Tertiary.” Therefore, we may conclude that asthma exacerbations may decrease with high quality asthma management; appropriate quality assessment could be helpful in reducing asthma exacerbations.

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The nationwide retrospective cohort study by Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service proves that asthma management decreases the exacerbation risk of asthma

Lee

et al. 2021

Sci Rep

Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology

“…In response to this trend, PM 10 concentrations over South Korea decreased gradually (Sharma et al 2014;Yoo et al 2015). Nevertheless, we have witnessed a reversal of PM 10 trend in the 2010s (Ahmed et al 2015;Yang et al 2016). Kim et al (2017a) found that since 2012, PM 10 concentrations over the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA) of South Korea have been trending upward, the result of reduced wind speed, leading to unfavorable atmospheric conditions for the dispersion of air pollutants.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Impact of Varying Wind Patterns on PM10 Concentrations in the Seoul Metropolitan Area in South Korea from 2012 to 2016

Jeon

Lee

et al. 2019

In this study, we classify wind patterns that impacted PM10 concentrations in the Seoul Metropolitan Area (SMA), South Korea, from 2012 to 2016 and analyze their contributions to annual variability in particulate matter smaller than 10 μm in diameter (PM10). Using a k-means clustering analysis, we identify major wind patterns affecting PM10 concentrations from 2002 to 2016. We confirm that the impact of wind pattern changes on PM10 variability in the SMA from 2012 to 2016 was relatively greater than the impact from 2002 to 2011. We find that PM10 from 2012 to 2016 was mainly affected by wind patterns that were 1) associated with the transport of foreign emissions (our clusters H2, H4, and H5) and 2) favorable for ventilation (our clusters L1 and L2). This finding shows that PM10 variability was determined by overall variations in the respective wind patterns particularly associated with high (over 80 μg m−3) and low (below 30 μg m−3) PM10 concentrations. The results from 2012 to 2016 CMAQ simulations indicate that the effects of meteorological conditions (e.g., wind, temperature, humidity, and so on) on PM10 vary from year to year. The calculated PM10 anomalies from 2012 to 2016 were −4.97, 3.55, 1.73, 0.15, and −0.46 μg m−3, suggesting that the wind patterns in 2012 produced the least PM10 and those in 2013 produced the most.

“…The Asia Pacific Clean Air Partnership (APCAP) hosts a science panel of leading experts on air pollution in Asia that provides advice to countries and convenes a joint forum to act as an umbrella for all of the key air pollution initiatives in the region (including EANET and the ASEAN Haze Agreement) [3]. The long-range transport of air pollutants in Northeast Asia (LTP) is a two-decade old initiative with a scientific emphasis on improving the monitoring and modeling of air pollution in Asia and the Pacific [41]. Last but not least, the Asian Subregional Programme for Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC) is an intergovernmental cooperation framework addressing environmental challenges in Northeast Asia, including air pollution.…”

Section: Regional Agreements and Initiativesmentioning

confidence: 99%

One Atmosphere: Integrating Air Pollution and Climate Policy and Governance

et al. 2021

Few challenges pose a greater threat to a healthy planet and people than air pollution and climate change. Over the past three decades, research has demonstrated that integrated solutions to air pollution and climate change can yield co-benefits that support cost-effective, coherent policies. However, research on co-benefits has yet to generate policy responses consistent with this promise. This paper argues that realizing this potential requires more rigorous research on how governance affects the opportunities and incentives to align the interests of government agencies, scientists, and other stakeholders at multiple levels. The article proposes a “One Atmosphere approach” consisting of three building blocks to strengthen that alignment: (1) continually incorporating and strategically timing the introduction of integrated visions; (2) reforming governance arrangements to encourage interagency collaboration and multi-stakeholder cooperation; and (3) supporting integrated visions and institutional cooperation with standardized metrics and assessment methods. This article is also the introduction to the Special Issue ‘One Atmosphere: Integrating Air Pollution and Climate Policy and Governance’, aimed at fostering the multidisciplinary dialogue needed for more integrated air pollution and climate change policies.