Smothered by smog: Pictures which show how Beijing pollution has soared in just one year as 1,000 babies are hospitalised with breathing problems
- Pollution in the city rises to 30 to 45 times above recommended safety levels
- Experts warn the conditions could last another two days
- Residents warned to stay indoors as pollution is trapped by low pressure
By James Rush and Sara Malm
PUBLISHED: 02:10 GMT, 14 January 2013 | UPDATED: 15:47 GMT, 14 January 2013
The severity of Beijing’s pollutuion
crisis becomes clear in these photographs of the city skyline taken 12
months apart, as officials confirm that hundreds of young children are
hospitalised as a result of the smog.
Air quality in Beijing was the 'worst on record' over the weekend, according to environmentalists, as pollution in the city rose to 30 to 45 times above recommended safety levels.
Nearly 1,000 babies and toddlers have been treated for breathing difficulties as Beijing's pollution crisis entered a fourth day today, Chinese officials have confirmed.
Emergency clinics are filling up with mothers looking for treatment for their young children struggling to breathe.
‘Our children are supposed to wear breathing filters but very young children and babies find them difficult.
‘The particles in the air make it very dangerous for children,‘ said mum Lu Wing, 28.
The Chinese capital, home to
around 20 million people, has been wrapped in thick smog since Friday,
reducing visibility and disrupting traffic.
The city's pollution monitoring centre has warned residents to stay indoors as pollution levels rose to the worst on record, according to Greenpeace.
Data posted on Sunday by the
monitoring centre - bjmemc.com.cn - showed particulate matter measuring
less than 2.5 micrometres in diameter (PM2.5) had reached more than 600
micrograms per square metre at some monitoring stations in Beijing, and
was as high as 900 on Saturday evening.
The recommended daily level for PM2.5 is 20, according to the World Health Organisation. Such pollution has been identified as a major cause of asthma and respiratory diseases.
Zhou Rong, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace, said: 'This is really the worst on record not only from the official data but also from the monitoring data from the U.S. embassy - some areas in (neighbouring) Hebei province are even worse than Beijing.'
The Beijing Municipal
Environmental Monitoring Centre said heavy pollution had been trapped by
an area of low pressure, making it harder to disperse, and the
conditions were likely to last another two days.
People refused to venture outdoors and buildings disappeared into Beijing's murky skyline on Sunday as the air quality in the notoriously polluted capital went off the index.
The Beijing centre recommended that children and the elderly stay indoors, and that others avoid outdoor activities.
The U.S. Embassy also publishes data for PM2.5 on Twitter, and interprets the data according to more stringent standards.
In the 24 hours up to 10 a.m. Sunday, it said 18 of the hourly readings were 'beyond index'.
The highest number was 755, which corresponded to a PM2.5 density of 886 micrograms per cubic meter.
The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency's air quality index goes up to only 500, and the agency advises
that anything greater than 300 would trigger a health warning of
'emergency conditions', with the entire population likely affected.
While some people vowed to stay indoors with air purifiers turned on, Beijing's streets were still fairly busy Sunday, and there was the familiar sight of heavy traffic on main thoroughfares.
A young couple strolled along hand in hand in the central business district, both with matching white masks strung around their faces.
Meanwhile two Taiwanese tourists wore masks they said they had brought with them because they heard Beijing's pollution was so bad.
'I don't know why there is such heavy
haze these past days. It's really quite serious compared with the air
quality three days ago,' said a 33-year-old lawyer, who would give only
his surname, Liu, as he adjusted his own mask.
He said he had ventured out only because he needed to go shopping.
PM2.5 can result from the burning of fuels in vehicles and power plants.
Weather conditions are a factor in the recent poor air quality, as a lack of wind means pollutants can easily accumulate and fail to dissipate, said Pan Xiao Chuan, a professor at Peking University's public health department.
'Recent pollution doesn't mean there is an increase in the discharge of pollutants,' he said.
Experts say they thought the PM2.5 readings were the highest since Beijing started publishing that data early last year.
Public pressure forced the publication of the more detailed air quality data, as a growing Chinese middle class is increasingly vocal about the quality of the environment in which it lives.
Hourly air quality updates are now available online for more than 70 cities.
Air pollution is a major problem in
China due to the country's rapid pace of industrialisation, reliance on
coal power, explosive growth in car ownership and disregard to
environmental laws.
It typically gets worse in the winter because of heating needs.
Several other cities, including Tianjin on the coast east of Beijing and southern China's Wuhan city, also reported severe pollution over the last several days.
It has been identified as one of the biggest challenges facing China's leaders, with outgoing president Hu Jintao saying during his address to the Communist Party Congress last November that the country needed to 'reverse the trend of ecological deterioration and build a beautiful China'.
Beijing has already committed to a timetable to improve air quality in the city, and has relocated most of its heavy industry, but surrounding regions have not made the same commitments, said Zhou.
'For Beijing, cleaning up will take a whole generation but other regions don't even have any targets to cut coal burning. I bet the pollution here is mainly from those surrounding regions.'
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Air quality in Beijing was the 'worst on record' over the weekend, according to environmentalists, as pollution in the city rose to 30 to 45 times above recommended safety levels.
Nearly 1,000 babies and toddlers have been treated for breathing difficulties as Beijing's pollution crisis entered a fourth day today, Chinese officials have confirmed.
‘Our children are supposed to wear breathing filters but very young children and babies find them difficult.
‘The particles in the air make it very dangerous for children,‘ said mum Lu Wing, 28.
More...
The city's pollution monitoring centre has warned residents to stay indoors as pollution levels rose to the worst on record, according to Greenpeace.
Smog sufferer: A mother uses a nebuliser to help her child struggling to breath the severely contaminated air in Beijing
No help: The situation has been particularly bad
for young children and babies who struggle to breathe through mouth
protectors and are forced to go without
Dangerous levels: According to the Air Quality
Index scale, anything above 300 is considered hazardous, and Beijing is
hitting 406
The recommended daily level for PM2.5 is 20, according to the World Health Organisation. Such pollution has been identified as a major cause of asthma and respiratory diseases.
Zhou Rong, climate and energy campaigner at Greenpeace, said: 'This is really the worst on record not only from the official data but also from the monitoring data from the U.S. embassy - some areas in (neighbouring) Hebei province are even worse than Beijing.'
Residents in Beijing have been warned to stay
indoors after pollution hit 30 to 45 times above recommended safety
levels over the weekend
The U.S. Embassy has said in the 24 hours before 10am on Sunday, 18 of its hourly readings were 'beyond index'
Residents in the city are increasingly taking to the streets wearing safety masks as the conditions continue
People refused to venture outdoors and buildings disappeared into Beijing's murky skyline on Sunday as the air quality in the notoriously polluted capital went off the index.
The Beijing centre recommended that children and the elderly stay indoors, and that others avoid outdoor activities.
The pollution has affected the day-to-day living
of millions of Chinese people, as traffic is disrupted in the
smog-filled cities (left), while Chinese artist Ai Weiwei (right) posted
pictures of himself on Twitter wearing a gas mask to protest against
the heavily polluted air in Beijing
The city has been engulfed in a thick smog since Friday, and experts have warned the conditions could last for another two days
In the 24 hours up to 10 a.m. Sunday, it said 18 of the hourly readings were 'beyond index'.
The highest number was 755, which corresponded to a PM2.5 density of 886 micrograms per cubic meter.
People walk through a pedestrian bridge in a heavy haze in Beijing on Saturday
The city's pollution monitoring centre has recommended children and the elderly stay indoors as the pollution levels remain high
A visitor stretches her arms as she looks over the Forbidden City through severe haze in Beijing on Sunday
While some people vowed to stay indoors with air purifiers turned on, Beijing's streets were still fairly busy Sunday, and there was the familiar sight of heavy traffic on main thoroughfares.
A young couple strolled along hand in hand in the central business district, both with matching white masks strung around their faces.
Meanwhile two Taiwanese tourists wore masks they said they had brought with them because they heard Beijing's pollution was so bad.
A fisherman continues to work in a small boat along the Yangtze River despite the heavy fog on Sunday
The streets have remained busy in Beijing despite the warnings about the polluted air
He said he had ventured out only because he needed to go shopping.
PM2.5 can result from the burning of fuels in vehicles and power plants.
Weather conditions are a factor in the recent poor air quality, as a lack of wind means pollutants can easily accumulate and fail to dissipate, said Pan Xiao Chuan, a professor at Peking University's public health department.
Traffic was forced to move slowly on a bridge
across the Yangtze River in the heavy fog on Sunday, in Nantong city, as
fog and haze pushes up the air pollution readings in many Chinese
cities
A woman adjusts her face mask before leaving a shop during the polluted weather
Experts say they thought the PM2.5 readings were the highest since Beijing started publishing that data early last year.
Public pressure forced the publication of the more detailed air quality data, as a growing Chinese middle class is increasingly vocal about the quality of the environment in which it lives.
Hourly air quality updates are now available online for more than 70 cities.
While some have refused to venture outdoors,
others have continued taking to the streets over the weekend, although
many were wearing masks
It typically gets worse in the winter because of heating needs.
Several other cities, including Tianjin on the coast east of Beijing and southern China's Wuhan city, also reported severe pollution over the last several days.
Sun light is reflected in a window of a building in Beijing, as the city is shrouded in dense fog on Saturday
It has been identified as one of the biggest challenges facing China's leaders, with outgoing president Hu Jintao saying during his address to the Communist Party Congress last November that the country needed to 'reverse the trend of ecological deterioration and build a beautiful China'.
Beijing has already committed to a timetable to improve air quality in the city, and has relocated most of its heavy industry, but surrounding regions have not made the same commitments, said Zhou.
'For Beijing, cleaning up will take a whole generation but other regions don't even have any targets to cut coal burning. I bet the pollution here is mainly from those surrounding regions.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2261968/Smog-Beijing-Babies-hospitalised-air-quality-hits-worst-record.html#ixzz2Iuf4x0E0
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More:
In Pictures: Pollution in Beijing - In Pictures - Al Jazeera English
Photos: Pollution in China - Plog
really knowledgable blog photographs and pictures of sun
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