SEOUL, March 28 (AFP) - North Koreans have been urged to wear face masks and sun glasses to protect themselves from "yellow dust" storms blowing in from China's Gobi desert, state media said Monday.

The storms carrying sand and industrial pollution driven by winds blowing from the Gobi across northern China hit the Korean peninsula with varying intensity every spring for periods of several weeks.

This time the storms began hitting North Korea on March 17, prompting efforts to minimize damage to crops, livestock and people, the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said.

The fall of dust averaged 1.6 tonnes per square kilometer (4.1 tonnes per square mile) in Pyongyang, it said.

"All the people are urged to wear masks and sun glasses and other things to protect themselves from dust storm," KCNA said.

A "shock brigade" of scientists and technicians has been formed, with health organs at all levels informing the people on the adverse affects of yellow sand on health, it said.