Central Chinese cities blanketed in dangerous levels of pollution, says government report
A government study says cities in central China were blanketed with harmful air pollution levels that were more than than twice the national safety guidelines for much of last year.
A government study says that cities in central China were blanketed with harmful air pollution at more than twice national safety guidelines for much of last year, according to a state-run newspaper report.
The Ministry of Environmental Protection study said levels of PM2.5, the small particles of air pollutants deemed most harmful to health, were at unhealthy levels over about two-thirds of the central plains economic region for much of last year, The Beijing News reported.
The area covers Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Anhui and Shanxi provinces.
PM2.5 levels were at about 70 milligrams per cubic metre on average across much of the central plains region for the year, the report said. The safe limit set by the authorities in China is about 30 milligrams per cubic metre on average annually.
The worst polluted cities surveyed were Zhengzhou and Kaifeng in Henan province, one of the country’s major industrial areas.
