Smog Levels in China Prompt Air Pollution Alert

Beijing has issued an "orange" alert for the city's inhabitants and commuters. The presence of smog reached hazardous levels and the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center has asked citizens to take specific precautions.

The concern over smog is significant because it can make it difficult for some people to breathe and it affects how far one can see through the air. Its presence is a result of the reaction of nitrogen oxides with other chemicals in the atmosphere, specifically through some sort of burning process, most notably gasoline from a car. The EPA describes more about smog on their website.

The measure of particulate matter (referred to as PM2.5), which are tiny pieces of solid or liquid matter in the Earth's atmosphere, was recorded at 237 micrograms per cubic meter this afternoon in Beijing. This measure prompted the orange alert because it is more than nine times the recommended levels given by the World Health Organization.

As a result, people driving into the city were asked to take public transportation and the elderly and children were told to stay indoors. City officials believe that the pollution will remain at these levels until Sunday. Concerns have been raised over how the Chinese government has gone about handling air pollution issues and many believe that penalties need to be put in place for air pollution violations in order to reduce these alerts.

Such pollution in Beijing as well as Shanghai has ranked these cities among the least hospitable in the world. The air pollution alerts are ranked through the use of colors. Red is the most serious, followed by orange, yellow, and blue, which is the least serious. Today's orange alert suggests there is a relatively high level of concern for human health.

FOX News reports that back in January, Beijing only issued a blue alert when the PM2.5 readings exceeded 500 micrograms, which is over double the current readings that received an orange alert. The reading back in January was 20 times higher than the World Health Organization's recommended safe level. Such PM readings are an accurate gauge of health concern, and many believe the government needs to step in and take some sort of action.