Deadly smog prompts Beijing to issue second 'red alert'
Digital Reporter
Saturday, December 19, 2015, 1:37 PM - For the second time in just a few weeks the Chinese government has issued another red alert for hazardous smog in the capital of Beijing.
As a result, multiple measures were put in place by environmental authorities Friday. Factories and schools were forced to close and plans are in place to pull half of the city's vehicles off the road each day.
The U.S. embassy's Air Quality Index for the city showed a PM2.5 level of 306 Sunday. PM 2.5 indicates particles that are 2.5 microns in diameter or less, making them more likely to become lodged in lungs.
This is how Beijing welcomed me on my first working day here. Record high smog. :D pic.twitter.com/1olhASS6t7
— John Zhang (@johnzhang101) December 19, 2015
The World Health Organization recommends a maximum daily level of 20 micrograms. According to the US Environmental Protection Agency, levels higher than 300 micrograms per cubic meter are considered "hazardous."
Prior to December 7 when the first red alert was issued, none had ever been recorded. The city lifted the alert on the 10th after northerly winds helped to disperse the smog, leaving clear and blue skies.
A red alert is the highest tier of a four-colour warning system, according to the Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau's website.
People with respiratory problems are warned not to spend too much time outside, as high levels of pollutants can trigger asthma attacks and could cause heart and lung disease. Between 350,000 and 1 million people die prematurely each year in China due to air pollution, the WHO reports.
The steady increase of cars in and around Beijing, coal-burning power plants and a stationary airmass is helping to trap the pollutants in place. The choking smog is expected to smother the region well into Tuesday, with PM2.5 levels topping 500.
Calm winds are not helping the matter as visibility in parts of the city is expected to fall to less than 500 metres in the coming days. The national environmental bureau has urged regional governments to implement heavy air pollution emergency response measures.
A Red Alert was declared in Nanjing in 2013, but this was the first known instance of an alert that severe in the capital itself.
China has set a 2030 deadline to cut the rising of emissions. The country has pledged to use more clean, renewable energy sources like wind and solar power to help combat the air pollution.
-- With files from Daniel Martins
SOURCES: U.S. Embassy Beijing | BBC
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