Beijing issues highest smog alert of the year as capital chokes on ‘very unhealthy’ air
Beijing issued its highest air pollution alert of the year on Sunday as smog persisted in northern China for a second day.
Local authorities issued the orange alert – the second highest in the four-tier system – meaning industrial plants were required to cut or shut down production, construction sites should stop transporting materials and waste, and heavy-duty trucks were banned from the roads.
The PM2.5 reading hit the “very unhealthy” level of 274 micrograms per cubic metre in most parts of the capital yesterday, the municipal weather centre said. The reading at the US embassy in Beijing reached 250mcg at 10am.
The World Health Organisation recommends exposure to PM2.5 particulates should not exceed 25mcg a day.
The municipal weather centre said humidity and a lack of wind meant the smog would linger for another two days before a cold front arrived on Wednesday.
