Beijing’s choking smog is back, and the government is blaming perfume and hair gel
After two months of blue skies, capital is again shrouded in a toxic haze
It was too good to last. After nearly two months of sparkling blue skies in Beijing, face masks are back and thick smog is smothering the city.
On Monday morning, a dismal grey haze blanketed the capital. The Air Quality Index hit 213 – classified as heavily polluted on China’s six-level air quality indicator.
It was an abrupt break from the clear skies seen in August and September, which saw the best air quality since the authorities began releasing data on levels of PM2.5 – the tiny, breathable airborne particles deemed particularly harmful to health.
The capital started to see moderate pollution levels on Sunday because of static air. The smog was expected to peak on Monday before improving in the following days with the arrival of a cold front from the north, according to a statement from Beijing’s Environmental Monitoring Centre.
But rather than the heavy coal-burners of polluting plants nearby that usually take the rap, private consumption is being blamed for the deterioration in air quality.
State media dug up a report released by Beijing’s Bureau of Environmental Protection in May, saying household emissions – everything from cooking and hair sprays to perfume and air fresheners – accounted for 12 per cent of the city’s total. That would put household emissions on a par with industrial emissions.
