China’s already staggering pollution problems got worse this week as a shroud of smog engulfed northern industrial cities. In Harbin, which has a population of 11 million, the PM2.5 index -- a measure of the concentration of microscopic particulate matter in the air -- broke 1,000. The World Health Organization …
A recent study led by Chinese scientists shows a strong link between smaller air pollution particles and a range of serious health conditions. Scientists said the smaller the airborne particles, the more likely they are to cause illness, suggesting the need for monitoring of particulate matter of 1 micron or …
Beijing advised the young, elderly and ill among its 20 million people to stay indoors as a U.S. Embassy pollution monitor showed air quality at “hazardous” levels in the Chinese capital. Concentrations of PM2.5, fine air particulates that pose the greatest health risk, were 257 micrograms per cubic meter at …
Large parts of China's northern regions will be blanketed by smog over the next three days, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said on Monday. The authority continued to issue a yellow smog alert. Yellow is the second lowest level in China's four-tier color-coded weather alert system. The density of PM …
Climate change and health: Recent advances and challenges - A presentation by Sagnik Dey at the 4th National Research Conference on Climate Change, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, October 26-27, 2013.
Consumers inquire about air purifiers at a Beijing store. With air pollution drawing widespread concern, the Environmental Protection Ministry said on Thursday inspection teams will be sent to some regions to ensure strict compliance with countermeasures. Cao Boyuan / For China Daily The Environmental Protection Ministry announced on Thursday it …
China's residents' health at risk as air pollution levels in the city of Harbin reach off-the-chart levels Cityscapes shrouded in thick smog have become a common scene in China. Last winter, Beijing's 'airpocalypse' garnered headlines worldwide and generated much anger and debate within China. But this week, air pollution levels …
Air quality in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Tianjin and the surrounding province of Hebei failed to meet government standards on 62.5 percent of days in the third quarter, the nation’s environmental ministry said. Seven of 10 Chinese cities with the worst air pollution during the three-month period ended in …
A red alert has been issued for several cities in northern China including Changchun and Harbin. A red alert is the highest level on the four-tiered alert system and is defined as serious air pollution for three consecutive days. According to Xinhuanet News, "the density of PM 2.5 -- airborne …
Thick smog enveloped a major Chinese city for a third day Tuesday, with schools and a regional airport shut and poor visibility forcing ground transport to a halt in places. Images from Harbin, a northeastern city of more than 10 million people and the host of a popular annual ice …
The Beijing municipal government officially adopted an emergency program on Tuesday to respond to the capital city's heavy air pollution. According to the Beijing Municipal Heavy Air Pollution Emergency Response Program, drivers in the city will only be allowed to use their cars every other day when a red alert, …
Beijing will ban half of its private cars and 80 percent of public vehicles from the roads if a red alert is issued on days of persistent pollution, the capital's information office said on Tuesday. Private vehicles will be barred from using the roads, based on odd and even license …
The Tibet Plateau is "the third-cleanest area in the world in terms of its environment," after the South Pole and North Pole, says a white paper issued on Tuesday. "It has a clean and transparent atmospheric environment, and similar contents of pollutants to the North Pole," says the white paper …
Air quality in the Chinese cities of Beijing, Tianjin and the surrounding province of Hebei failed to meet government standards on 62.5 percent of days in the third quarter, the nation’s environmental ministry said. Seven of 10 Chinese cities with the worst air pollution during the three-month period ended in …
Choking smog all but shut down one of northeastern China's largest cities on Monday, forcing schools to suspended classes, snarling traffic and closing the airport, in the country's first major air pollution crisis of the winter. An index measuring PM2.5, or particulate matter with a diameter of 2.5 micrometers (PM2.5), …
The most polluted city among the metros being crowned the country’s lung cancer capital is no coincidence, but Calcutta failed — or rather refused — to see it coming. This “congenitally dust-prone” city has done little over the years to lower air pollution from multiple sources, mainly automobile exhaust. Metro …
More than 90% of Europeans living in cities are exposed to unsafe levels one of the most health damaging air pollutants, with Bulgaria having the dirtiest air among EU countries, says a new study by the European Environment Agency (EEA). Despite falling emission levels and reductions of some air pollutant …
Air pollution is dangerously high across many parts of Europe, resulting in premature deaths, ill health and huge economic losses linked to reduced crop yields, Europe's environmental watchdog said on Tuesday. While emissions of some pollutants have declined sharply in Europe in recent decades, more diesel cars and a rise …
Ambient air pollution has been associated with restricted fetal growth, which is linked with adverse respiratory health in childhood. The researchers assessed the effect of maternal exposure to low concentrations of ambient air pollution on birthweight. The researchers pooled data from 14 population-based mother—child cohort studies in 12 European countries. …
China’s central government has allocated 5 billion yuan ($818 million) to curb air pollution in six regions including Beijing. Tianjin city and the provinces of Hebei, Inner Mongolia, Shanxi and Shandong also will get access to the funds, according to a statement posted on the Ministry of Finance’s website today …
