The process of industrialisation is a dirty one. Fossil fuels produce energy, vital for manufacturing but there are many environmental costs of using such a concentrated source of carbon-based fuel. The waste products from combustion include gases such as carbon dioxide and sulphur dioxide, as well as particulate matter. Particulate matter comes in all sizes and the size of particles is directly linked to their potential for causing health problems. The smaller the particles, the easier it is for them to be inhaled and to enter the lungs. The WHO is most concerned about particles smaller than 10 micrometers in diameter.
According to the The International Agency for Research on Cancer, there were 223, 000 air pollution-related lung cancer deaths in 2010 worldwide. More than half those deaths occurred in China and East Asia. The map below, shows the
According to the The International Agency for Research on Cancer, there were 223, 000 air pollution-related lung cancer deaths in 2010 worldwide. More than half those deaths occurred in China and East Asia. The map below, shows the
Images of smog blighting Beijing (CNN link here) and Harbin (National Geographic link here) have appeared in the press this week, but these cities are not the worst affected. Ritchie King at Quartz (link to article) has created an infographic of polluted cities, using data from the World Health Organisation, and the top-ten cities with the worst outdoor air pollution are predominantly located in Iran, India and Pakistan. China does not even get a mention!
So why do the cities in China grab the headlines? Are their other factors making the pollution seem worse for the city dwellers in China? Is the media simply not interested or able to report from the streets of Ahwaz, Sanandaj and Kermanshah in Iran?
Apparently, it was the weather. A stagnant high pressure area, characterized by sinking air, allowed the dense 'pea souper' of pollutants to collect and stay put over northern China, with blocking anticyclones on three sides, preventing any wind from transporting pollutants away from the built-up areas. For more information and a weather map read the article written in Capital Weather Gang here.
So why do the cities in China grab the headlines? Are their other factors making the pollution seem worse for the city dwellers in China? Is the media simply not interested or able to report from the streets of Ahwaz, Sanandaj and Kermanshah in Iran?
Apparently, it was the weather. A stagnant high pressure area, characterized by sinking air, allowed the dense 'pea souper' of pollutants to collect and stay put over northern China, with blocking anticyclones on three sides, preventing any wind from transporting pollutants away from the built-up areas. For more information and a weather map read the article written in Capital Weather Gang here.
The concentration of pollution found in Harbin is more than 40 times worse than the safe level set by the World Health Organization.In places visability was reduced to 10 metres. The pollution has caused a 30 percent surge in hospital admissions.
This satellite image is of Beijing back in 2006, it shows the brown smog which can sit over the city when weather conditions are static. Hopefully when a cold front moves in, the wind will pick up and disperse the polluted air.
Source: NASA in the public domain (link here)
Source: NASA in the public domain (link here)