Beijing smog scarier than Sars, says medical expert

The severe atmospheric pollution that has engulfed Beijing for nearly three weeks is "much more frightening than the Sars virus”, a top respiratory health expert said.

“There were many ways to get away from Sars... you could have avoided it by leaving [a room] or taking different methods of prevention, but air pollution, indoor pollution – you can’t run away from it,” said Zhong Nanshan, a Chinese Academy of Engineering professor and head of Guangzhou's Institute of Respiratory Diseases, during a news segment on CCTV on Wednesday.

Zhong played an instrumental research role during the 2003 outbreak and helped set up Guangdong's guidelines for prevention and management.

More flights were cancelled at Beijing Capital International Airport early Thursday morning after the haze and smog showed no signs of dissipating. Visibility levels fell to only 300 metres the evening before.

Low visibility caused the cancellation of at least 20 flights at the Beijing airport, which included international flights to and from Kiev, Paris, Tokyo and Newark.

Bad air and thick smog have infiltrated the city for about 19 days, the most on recent record.