Beijing pollution levels peak 73 days before Olympics

1 day ago

BEIJING (AFP) — Pollution levels in Beijing hit the top of the scale on Tuesday, just 73 days before the Olympics, prompting a government warning for residents with respiratory problems to stay indoors.

"Sensitive individuals should avoid going out of doors," the Beijing Environmental Protection Bureau said on its website, announcing that air quality was at "hazardous" level five, the worst possible grade.

The main pollutant was suspended particulate matter, which is usually attributed to coal burning and vehicle exhausts.

But the bureau said experts this time blamed poor air quality on annual springtime sandstorms in Mongolia and China's region of Inner Mongolia that had blown thousands of tonnes of dust over the Chinese capital.

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