Serious air pollution alarm in China

On December 2, smog and mist covered the sky of Shanghai City, China's financial center, when air pollution here was getting worse. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Shanghai in the morning was recorded at 303, surpassing the 300 level - marking the level of serious pollution.

AQI is calculated based on the concentration of 6 air pollutants, including dust particles smaller than 2.5 micrometers (referred to as PM 2.5), within an hour. This is also one of the perpetrators of increasing dust pollution in China in recent years.

Smoke dust covers Shanghai.(Source: technology.org)

According to the World Health Organization (WTO) regulations, the average density of PM 2.5 is not allowed to be greater than 25 micrograms / m ³ per day, while in Shanghai this density is 10 times that of recent day.

On December 1, the AQI index in Shanghai surpassed the 230 mark, while that day's PM 2.5 density was up to 248 micrograms / m ³ . This is also the annual International Marathon in this city and many athletes wear masks when they play.

Serious air pollution caused Shanghai authorities to restrict industrial production as well as activities at construction sites and shipyards. People are also advised to stay indoors if there is no real need.

Outdoor air pollution is one of the leading causes of human cancer. According to the latest WHO report in mid-October last week, not only poses a big risk to human health, dust and smoke pollution is also one of the causes leading to many deadly cancers.

Along with many dangerous substances such as asbestos, cigarettes, ultraviolet radiation, WHO considers air pollution to cause cancer in the most dangerous environment, especially emissions from transportation, factories electricity, industrial production and agriculture.

In 2010, more than 220,000 lung cancer deaths worldwide were associated with air pollution and this is also associated with an increased risk of bladder cancer.