Yellow sand observed in Nagoya, Kyoto, Osaka

It was really bad yesterday in Aichi, definitely not a good day for contact lens wearers.

I recall seeing a yellow sky back in the 1970s in Korea but that only happened in the middle of Winter. This is a month into Spring; so, what changed? As far as radiation goes, the last Chinese above ground test was in the late 1960s or early 1970s, forty years ago, so there shouldn't be too much radioactivity left to blow anywhere. Compared to US testing, that was chump change.

This report must be false. The air over Beijing or any other city there does not affect the air in the rest of the world, especially east in the east. It must have come from another area.

Dust, not sand. Sound would not make it to Japan, let alone the US.

While the industrialization and desertification are definitely not helping the problem, the Gobi desert has long been the Gobi desert, which is the source of most of the yellow sand. Furthermore, it's been said that PART of the desertification of land around the desert in China and especially Mongolia is the result of goat herds being shepherded toward what little grasses are in the area, and when the grasses are eaten there is little left to anchor the sand in place. Why do they continue to do it? CASHMERE. What is their chief importer? JAPAN.

Half of Mongolia's cashmere goes to China. China supplies 60% of the world's cashmere, mainly to UK, Italy, USA and Japan. Japan is NOT the "chief importer" of Chinese cashmere so please do your Japan bashing elsewhere.

The dust also contains radioactivity from past Chinese atmospheric nuclear testing.

Got a reliable source to prove that?

billy shears: "In the last decade or so, it has become a serious problem due to the increase of industrial pollutants contained in the dust and intensified desertification in China causing longer and more frequent occurrences"

While the industrialization and desertification are definitely not helping the problem, the Gobi desert has long been the Gobi desert, which is the source of most of the yellow sand. Furthermore, it's been said that PART of the desertification of land around the desert in China and especially Mongolia is the result of goat herds being shepherded toward what little grasses are in the area, and when the grasses are eaten there is little left to anchor the sand in place. Why do they continue to do it? CASHMERE. What is their chief importer? JAPAN.

The dust also contains radioactivity from past Chinese atmospheric nuclear testing.

Hmm, interesting attack plan from China... No need to invade, kill everyone by damaging their lungs similar to black lung disease. It's probably most dangerous for old and young people. Similar to what happens with dust from a volcanic explosion. No warning from the government about the heath issues I see.

Who cares where it's from?? I always find it amusing to see people roll their eyes when they say it's from China, as though the nation is to blame for it.

It's just where it's from... no one is to blame. If something that isn't indigenous to a place is found there, the report is going to mention where it's from.

Yellow sand just isn't up there with tidal waves, earthquakes, and tornadoes, is it?

from wikipedia: Sarah O'Hara of the University of Nottingham in England, writing for the Lancet says that this doesn't mean that the effects are worse closer to the source. People further from the source of the dust are more often exposed to nearly invisible, fine dust particles that they can unknowingly inhale deep into their lungs, as coarse dust is too big to be deeply inhaled.[1] After inhalation, it can cause long term scarring of lung tissue as well as induce cancer and lung disease.

It will do a really good job of damaging the paint on your car if you don't rinse it off

I wonder what it does to lungs.

I always find it amusing to see people roll their eyes when they say it's from China, as though the nation is to blame for it.

In the last decade or so, it has become a serious problem due to the increase of industrial pollutants contained in the dust and intensified desertification in China causing longer and more frequent occurrences.

Who cares where it's from?? I always find it amusing to see people roll their eyes when they say it's from China, as though the nation is to blame for it.

Free exports from China? Pity Rare Earth doesn't come over too!

It will do a really good job of damaging the paint on your car if you don't rinse it off before going through an automated car wash. It is much finer than "normal" sand and will do a number on a cars clear coat just like a rubbing compound.

well, the other problem is all the pollutant particles it carries along with it .