The figures are alarming. Smog is 50 times higher than the levels considered safe by the WHO, while a thick shroud has engulfed the city of Shenyang.
This is the worst case of air pollution China has ever recorded. Particulate levels have reached record values, coinciding with the drop in temperatures and the consequent switching on of heating systems, to the point of blanketing the skies over many cities in the northwest of the country.
In Shenyang, for example, numerous sources report PM2.5 values (the finest particulate matter, capable of penetrating the lungs) of 1,157 micrograms per cubic metre, while in some parts of the city the record stood at 1,400 micrograms. The World Health Organization identifies values above 25 micrograms over 24 consecutive hours as dangerous.
Changchun, the capital of Jilin province, also recorded values of 860 micrograms, while in Beijing, Tianjin and parts of the provinces of Hebei, Henan, Shandong and Heilongjiang, smog is also registering levels that are worrying for the health of residents.
The images show entire areas covered by a thick grey shroud that prevents the sun from being seen. Visibility has dropped to less than 500 metres, in some cases even 100, and airports and motorways have been closed. Millions of people are currently facing one of the worst cases of air pollution ever to have struck China, at least since air quality measurements have been in place. To date, the authorities say they are still in a learning phase to understand the measures needed to combat the pollution.
Some independent studies report that poor air quality kills 1.6 million people a year, comparable to 17 per cent of all deaths in the country, while 99 per cent of Chinese people are exposed to unhealthy air conditions. Meanwhile, people cannot breathe, literally.
