Apples grow black in China's 'Coal City'

An apple a day will not be keeping the doctor at bay. Such is the case, at least, in the infamously polluted coal town of Huailai county, Zhangjiakou, sometimes known as "Coal City" of northern China's Hebei province.

This is life for the second most polluted city in the country’s most polluted province. The World Bank estimates China is home to 16 of the world’s most polluted metropoles.

According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, seven of the nation's ten most polluted cities are located in Hebei province - a major centre for China's steel and coal industry.

Intensive coal mining coupled with poor regulation and safety standards means Zhangjiakou is perpetually enshrouded in thick black haze. Everything from trees to crops to homes is chronically covered in layers of coal dust.

“It’s still dirty no matter how many times we clean …we don’t even open the window but look at the window sill, its still layered in coal dust,” said one flustered resident as she ran a blackened rag across the window sill for the umpteenth time.

Large uncovered mounds of refined coal in quarries are often left sitting in the open. Industrial excavators can be seen trudging through coal dunes throughout the day sending plumes of black smoke up into the air and into neighbouring residential areas, CCTV reported.