From progress to precision: a decadal reassessment of national particulate matter footprint across industries and regions

Fine and coarse particulate matter (PM_2.5 and PM₁₀), classified as group 1 carcinogens by the World Health Organization, pose severe global public health risks. While policies like South Korea’s seasonal fine dust management system have been implemented to improve air quality, a critical research gap remains in the detailed, sector- and region-specific analysis of the particulate matter footprint (PMF) and its health implications. This study aims to quantify the PMF across South Korea from 2012 to 2022, analyzing emissions by industrial sector and region to inform more targeted and effective air quality policies. Utilizing national emissions data for key pollutants (NO_x, SO_x, PM_2.5, PM₁₀, and NH₃) provided by the Ministry of Environment and the National Institute of Environmental Research, we calculated and categorized the PMF across nine major industries and 17 metropolitan regions over an 11-year period. The analysis indicates a substantial 40% overall reduction in the national PMF during the study period. However, significant disparities were identified: the agricultural sector remained the dominant contributor, and pronounced regional variations in emission sources and concentrations were observed. These findings highlight the necessity of moving beyond one-size-fits-all policies and underscore the importance of integrating sector- and region-specific PMF assessments into air quality management strategies to effectively mitigate public health risks.