74 Chinese cities exceed WHO’s air pollution limit by 3 times

Air pollution in China’s 74 major cities in the first half of the year exceeded three times the levels recommended by the World Health Organisation. Beijing, the northern metropolis of Tianjin, and the province of Hebei are hit hardest by the air pollution. The average concentration of PM2.5 particulates in 74 cities surveyed by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection was 76 micrograms per cubic meter in the first six months, the agency said in a statement today. This is three times more than WHO’s recommendation of 25 micrograms per cubic meter for day-long exposure. Seven of the 10 cities with the worst air pollution were in the northern province of Hebei, the ministry said. Hebei is China’s biggest steel producing region. Air quality in the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang failed to meet government standards on 90 per cent of days in the first half, it said. The PM2.5 standard for cities is 35 micrograms, the report said. The head of the Department of Pollution Prevention of the ministry said China plans to allocate 170 million yuan to combat air pollution during the period between 2013 and 2017. The government has also urged all Chinese cities to take strict measures to tackle air pollution.