PHOTOS: Pollution leads to hazardous air quality in China
February 26, 2014
A picture made available 24 February 2014 shows a little girl flying a kite on the river bank in the smog in southwest Chongqing Municipality, China, 23 February 2014. Due to smog alerts, a city in northern China has banned a fifth of residents' vehicles from roads, reports stated since 23 February. In Beijing, an orange alert had been issued on 21 February due to smog which is the second-highest of four levels of urgency. The Environmental Protection Ministry has sent 12 inspection teams to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and surrounding areas to check on compliance to measures to reduce air pollution. (EPA/RAN WEN) ( CHINA AIR POLLUTION )
Children walk back home after school on a severely polluted day in Shijiazhuang, in northern China's Hebei province, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan) ( APTOPIX China Pollution )
Tourists wear face masks as they climb Jingshan Hill beside the Forbidden City as heavy air pollution continues to shroud Beijing on February 26, 2014. Beijing's official reading for PM 2.5, small airborne particles which easily penetrate the lungs and have been linked to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths, stood at 501 micrograms per cubic metre. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) ( 527501697 )
A man wearing the mask rides a bicycle during severe pollution on February 25, 2014 in Beijing, China. The air pollution has caused an increase in the number of people seeking hospital treatment for respiratory problems and the public are asked to avoid outdoor activities. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) ( 474805385 )
A farmer shovels in a field near electric pylons in heavy haze on a severely polluted day in Shijiazhuang, in northern China's Hebei province, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan) ( China Pollution )
A child wears a protective mask while carried by her father at the Tiananmen Square amidst smog in Beijing, China, 26 February 2014. Chinese authorities ordered new measures to curb choking air pollution this week, amid growing public alarm at the density of harmful micro-particles hovering over about 15 per cent of the country. The PM 2.5 air quality index measuring fine particle air pollution in Beijing has reached over 500, or 'hazardous' levels on 26 February. (EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA) ( CHINA AIR POLLUTION )
Tourists look out over the Forbidden City from Jingshan Hill as heavy air pollution continues to shroud Beijing on February 26, 2014. Beijing's official reading for PM 2.5, small airborne particles which easily penetrate the lungs and have been linked to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths, stood at 501 micrograms per cubic metre. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) ( 527501695 )
Citizens cross a bridge over a lake amidst smog in Beijing, China, 25 February 2014. The particulate matter (PM) 2.5 air quality index measuring fine particle air pollution in Beijing has reached over 400, or 'hazardous' levels on 25 February. Neighboring cities and provinces outside Beijing continue to be affected by air pollution, as government inspection teams have set out to check on compliance to air pollution reduction measures. (EPA/ROLEX DELA PENA) ( CHINA AIR POLLUTION )
In this photo taken Sunday Feb. 23, 2014, residents barbecue along the river bank during a hazy day in southwest China's Chongqing municipality. Xinhua said that almost all provinces in central and east China have had serious air pollution since Friday, and that Beijing and five provinces in northern and eastern China had reported "severe smog." (AP Photo) ( China Pollution )
People chat in a teahouse on the river bank in the haze in southwest China's Chongqing Municipality 23 February 2014. The weather authority said haze covered 1.43 million square meters in China 22 February, more than one seventh of China's territory. (EPA/RAN WEN) ( epaselect CHINA HEAVY FOG AND HAZE )
Construction workers walk into a work site during a hazy day in Beijing, China, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014. Beijing remained cloaked in hazardous white pollution hiding much of its skyline Wednesday, despite the announced closures or production cuts at 147 of the city's industrial plants. Chinese characters at bottom left reads "China dream, my dream" at right reads "China, Go!" (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan) ( China Pollution )
A man and a car traveling on a road are obscured in heavy haze on a severely polluted day in Pingshan county of Shijiazhuang, in northern China's Hebei province, Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2014. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan) ( China Pollution )
Beijing residents wearing the masks rides a bicycle during severe pollution on February 25, 2014 in Beijing, China. The air pollution has caused an increase in the number of people seeking hospital treatment for respiratory problems and the public are asked to avoid outdoor activities. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) ( 474805415 )
Chinese tourists wearing face masks visit Tiananmen Square as heavy air pollution continues to shroud Beijing on February 26, 2014. Beijing's official reading for PM 2.5, small airborne particles which easily penetrate the lungs and have been linked to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths, stood at 501 micrograms per cubic metre. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) ( 527501886 )
A general view of the pollution covered Beijing CBD on February 25, 2014 in Beijing, China. The air pollution has caused an increase in the number of people seeking hospital treatment for respiratory problems and the public are asked to avoid outdoor activities. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) ( 474805361 )
Chinese commuters wear face masks as heavy air pollution continues to shroud Beijing on February 25, 2014. China's cities are often hit by heavy pollution, blamed on coal-burning by power stations and industry, as well as vehicle use, and it has become a major source of discontent with the ruling Communist Party. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) ( 527477875 )
Chinese tourist wearing the masks at the Tiananmen Square during severe pollution on February 25, 2014 in Beijing, China. The air pollution has caused an increase in the number of people seeking hospital treatment for respiratory problems and the public are asked to avoid outdoor activities. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images) ( 474805425 )
Traffic on the second ring road as heavy air pollution continues to shroud Beijing on February 26, 2014. Beijing's official reading for PM 2.5, small airborne particles which easily penetrate the lungs and have been linked to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths, stood at 501 micrograms per cubic metre. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images) ( 527502393 )
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