Smog linked to third of deaths in China, study finds
Research puts air pollution on a par with smoking as threat to human health
Smog is related to nearly one-third of deaths in China, putting it on a par with smoking as a threat to health, according to an academic paper based on the study of air pollution and mortality data in 74 cities and published in an international journal.
The findings by Nanjing University’s School of the Environment, which were published in the November edition of the journal the Science of the Total Environment, provides the latest scientific estimates of the health cost of China’s notorious smog.
Watch: Beijing smog halts children's playground
The latest bout of smog began last Friday, affecting about half a billion people on the mainland, with the severest impact in the last three days.