Citizens in Seoul picked infectious diseases, such as COVID-19, as the most dangerous health hazard, followed by fine dust and climate change, a survey showed Wednesday.

Infectious diseases topped the list of dangerous health and environmental factors with 4.21 points on a 5-point scale in an online survey of 1,000 Seoul citizens and 321 experts on public health and the environment, according to the Seoul Research Institute of Public Health and Environment.

Fine dust came in second at 4.02 points, followed by climate change at 3.98 points and harmful chemical substances at 3.97 points.

Infectious diseases were also cited as the biggest risk affecting the quality of life at 4.51 points.

The survey also showed that 59 percent of Seoul citizens experienced health problems related to fine dust, 45.3 percent in connection to urban life problems, such as noise and light pollution, and 42.5 percent to infectious diseases. (Yonhap)