The Japan Meteorological Agency says Yellow Sand was observed in wide areas across Japan. In several places in the Chugoku, Shikoku and Kyushu regions, visibility fell to around five kilometers due to the phenomenon, according to the agency.
It said more yellow sand was on the way for areas from Okinawa Prefecture to Tohoku region, northeastern Japan, and that it may affect traffic.
You may ask “Yellow Sand?”
Ive heard in Canada they have Yellow Snow but it isn’t dangerous at all unless you eat it.
Asian Dust (also yellow dust, yellow sand, yellow wind, or China dust storms) is a seasonal meteorological phenomenon which affects much of East Asia sporadically during the springtime months. The dust originates in the deserts of Mongolia and northern China and Kazakhstan where high-speed surface winds and intense dust storms kick up dense clouds of fine, dry soil particles. These clouds are then carried eastward by prevailing winds and pass over China, North and South Korea, and Japan, as well as parts of the Russian Far East.
According to the encyclopedia, in the last decade or so, it has become a serious problem due to industrial pollutants and intensified desertification in China. The dust storms, with specific reference to China, have been called “yellow dust terrorism” by some Korean groups. I doubt China is doing it on purpose, though, and they’re probably getting the worst of it there.
But the dust is known to cause a variety of health problems, not limited to sore throat and asthma in otherwise healthy people. For those already with asthma or respiratory infections, it can be fatal. The dust has been shown to increase the daily mortality rate in one affected region by 1.7%.
