Opinion | Worst air pollution results of year in China barely noticed by public
First study on microscopic airborne particles greeted with indifference by public and media, amid heavy focus on party's new leadership
Mainland environmental officials must have breathed an ironic sigh of relief this month when some of the worst air pollution readings of the year in most cities went largely unnoticed, barely prompting any public discussion.
Unlike the nationwide outcry over worsening smog problems a year ago, most mainlanders appear to have had their eyes glued to the palace intrigues and power struggles exposed in the months leading up to the Communist Party's generational leadership transition last month.
Even more worryingly from an environmental perspective, some deeply troubling recent revelations about the risks of breathing the dirty air in mainland cities attracted little attention from the media or the public.
The study by mainland scientists offered some clues about just how dangerous it is to live in areas with too much air pollution.
Nearly 2,600 people were expected to die prematurely in Beijing this year due to pollution from smog-causing fine particles, known as PM2.5, while the death toll in Shanghai was expected to top 3,300.
It was the first time that mainland pollution experts had singled out PM2.5 - microscopic airborne particles less than 2.5 microns in diameter - from among dozens of health-threatening pollutants.