China’s air quality improved in 2017, environment ministry says
Average concentration of dangerous PM2.5 particles falls 6.6pc but remains far above safe level recommended by WHO
China’s air quality improved across the country in 2017, the environmental protection ministry said on Thursday, after the problem was so dire in previous years that some periods were dubbed an “airpocalypse”.
The average level of PM2.5 particles – which penetrate deep into the lungs – in 338 cities stood at 43 micrograms per cubic metre last year, falling 6.5 per cent from 2016, the ministry said.
The World Health Organisation recommends a maximum average exposure of 25 micrograms per cubic metre in a 24-hour period.
The average level of slightly larger PM10 particles in the cities fell to 75 micrograms per cubic metre, 5.1 per cent less than in 2016, the ministry said.
Pollution has plagued China for years, with the dramatic fouling of the country’s air, water and soil representing the dark side of breakneck economic growth that has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty.