China’s government warned people in north and central parts of the country to stay indoors today as heavy smog blanketed the region.
The level of PM2.5, fine air particulates that pose the greatest health risk, was as much as 539 micrograms per cubic meter at 11 a.m. in Shijiazhuang in the northern province of Hebei, neighboring Beijing, according to data from the China National Environmental Monitoring Center. That level of smog, the highest on a government scale from one to six, triggers warnings for people to avoid outdoor activities.
The smog levels today step up pressure on the government to make good on pledges to reduce coal consumption, shut steel plants and control the number of cars on the road to ease pollution. A growing number of Chinese cities have announced emergency measures to fight smog amid rising social unrest over the health effects of a spoiled environment.
Levels of PM2.5 hit 612 in Jinan and 332 in Wuhan today, according to the government. The World Health Organization recommends 24-hour exposure to PM2.5 concentrations no higher than 25 micrograms per cubic meter.
The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou said it will take emergency measures at times of high pollution, including cutting factory emissions and pulling 20 percent of government vehicles off the road, the state-run China Daily reported today, citing unidentified people with the local environmental protection authority.
Photographer: Brent Lewin/Bloomberg
The southern Chinese city of Guangzhou said it will take emergency measures at times of...Read More
The city has suffered from prolonged smog since Jan. 1, the newspaper said. As of 11 a.m. today, the PM2.5 level in Guangzhou was 117 micrograms per cubic meter and the air quality index was 123, signaling light pollution, according to the China National Environmental Monitoring Center.
The concentration of PM2.5 was 117 micrograms per cubic meter at 11 a.m. near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, compared with an average of 169 over the past 24 hours, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center said on its website.
To contact Bloomberg News staff for this story: Feifei Shen in Beijing at fshen11@bloomberg.net
To contact the editor responsible for this story: Nicholas Wadhams atnwadhams@bloomberg.net