Health Protection Policies Regarding Air Pollution and Persons with Disabilities: Identifying Gaps and Paths forward in South Korea

Persons with disabilities in South Korea face disproportionate health risks from air pollution, yet current health protection policies do not adequately recognize or address their vulnerability.This perspective article documents the vulnerability of persons with disabilities to air pollution, explores gaps in the recognition and protection of this population in current policies, and discusses paths toward disability-responsive protection policies.As a case study, we analyzed mask-wearing behaviors among adults with cerebral palsy using data from the 2025 nationwide Study on the Current Status and Support Measures for Persons with Cerebral Palsy.Among those not wearing masks regularly, 49.2% cited physical difficulty maintaining mask use due to respiratory issues or oral/physiological factors, and 30.7% reported significant psychological resistance.These barriers are fundamentally different from compliance issues among the general population and are not addressed in current mask-related policies.Similar gaps likely exist across other protective measures, including alert systems, clean air shelters, and educational materials.Addressing these gaps requires three essential steps: explicit recognition of persons with disabilities as a vulnerable population in policy frameworks, redesign of interventions to accommodate diverse disability-related needs, and meaningful participation of disability communities in policy development and evaluation.