Smog Smothering Northeastern China Triggers 10 City Red Alerts

Summary: Smog smothering coal-reliant northeastern China prompts 10 city red alerts, China's Ministry of Environmental Protection explains Wednesday, Dec. 23.

Protective masks shield China's population, at home and abroad, from air pollution; Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009, 12:13:21: Nicolò Lazzati (Nicolò Lazzati Photography), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr

Hazardous smog blanketing coal-reliant northeastern China sparks 10 city red alerts, according to a statement released Wednesday evening, Dec. 23, 2015, by China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection.

The 10 city red alerts apply to more than 100 million people and affect three provinces and one direct-controlled municipality. The Ministry identifies the ten cities as Tianjin direct-controlled municipality; Handan, Hengshui, Langfang, and Xinji in Hebei province; Anyang, Puyang, and Xinxiang in Henan province; Dezhou and Xintai in Shandong province.

The Ministry’s announcement also directs six unnamed major cities to evaluate their warning systems.

Red alerts signify that hazardous air pollution, at levels in excess of 300, is expected to last for at least three consecutive days. Red alerts trigger construction halts, factory closings, school shutdowns and drastic traffic reductions. An even-odd license number traffic control system cuts private vehicle use in half during red alerts. Residents are advised to remain indoors as much as possible and to reduce outdoor ventures to essential activities.

The red alert is the highest in China’s four-level emergency pollution warning system. The ten city red alerts follow two red alerts this month. Beijing’s second ever red alert of Saturday, Dec. 19, closely succeeds Beijing’s first ever red alert of Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2015.

The announcement of the ten city red alerts occurs the day after the cancellation of Beijing’s second ever red alert at midnight on Tuesday, Dec. 22. A cold front dissipating Beijing’s hazardous smog does not rescue nearby provinces from air pollution.

Levels of toxic PM2.5 register as high as 727 micrograms per cubic meter in Xinjiang in Henan province on Thursday, Dec. 24. The maximum level of exposure recommended by the World Health Organization is almost 30 times less, at 25 micrograms over a 24-hour period, than Xinjiang’s counts.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection’s air quality status for November 2015 identifies Langfang as one of three cities in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region with a mean monthly PM2.5 reading that is significantly elevated in comparison to November 2014. Also, Luo Yi, director general of the Ministry’s Department of Environmental Monitoring, notes that the region’s mean monthly reading of PM2.5 is much higher for November 2015 than for the previous month, October 2015.

PM2.5 refers to microscopic atmospheric particles that are smaller than 2.5 micrometers. Their microscope size allows the particles to enter the human blood stream and to embed deep in lungs. The particles are responsible for serious illnesses, such as cardiovascular and respiratory ailments.

According to the Ministry of Environmental Protection, seven of the ten worst air quality cities in 2014 are located in Hebei province. Industrial Hebei province surrounds Beijing as well as Tianjin and contributes heavily to the smog blanketing both the capital and Northern China’s largest port. Four of the ten city red alerts announced on Dec. 23 place in 2014’s top ten list. Hebei province’s Handan is ranked as fifth, Hengshui as sixth, and Langfang as eighth most polluted cities. Tianjin is in tenth place.

Children cover their noses Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015, amid heavy smog in Binzhou, near industrial port of Tianjin, Shandong province, eastern China (credit: AFP): BBC News (World) @BBCWorld, via Twitter Dec. 24, 2015

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Protective masks shield China's population, at home and abroad, from air pollution; Thursday, Dec. 3, 2009, 12:13:21: Nicolò Lazzati (Nicolò Lazzati Photography), CC BY 2.0 Generic, via Flickr @ www.flickr.com/photos/the-niki/4331676192

Children cover,their noses Wednesday, Dec. 23, 2015, amid heavy smog in Binzhou, near industrial port of Tianjin, Shandong province, eastern China (credit: AFP): BBC News (World) @BBCWorld, via Twitter Dec. 24, 2015, @ https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/679936116267610112

For further information:

BBC News (World) @BBCWorld. "Chinese authorities advise people in 10 cities to stay indoors after hazardous smog sparks red alerts." Twitter. Dec. 24, 2015.
Available @ https://twitter.com/BBCWorld/status/679936116267610112

"Beijing issues first red alert for smog." Ecns.cn. Dec. 8, 2015.
Available @ http://www.ecns.cn/2015/12-08/191614.shtml

"China names 10 most polluted cities." China Daily > China. Feb. 2, 2015.
Available @ http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-02/02/content_19466412.htm

"China smog sparks red alerts in 10 cities." BBC News > World > Asia-China. Dec. 24, 2015.
Available @ http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-35173709

Marriner, Derdriu. "Chinese Bubble Families Seek Safety Bubbles of Air and Water Purifiers." Earth and Space News. Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/12/chinese-bubble-families-seek-safety.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "First-Ever Beijing Red Alert Slows China's Capital on Tuesday, Dec. 8." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/12/first-ever-beijing-red-alert-slows.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Hazardous Air Pollution Levels Trigger Orange Alert for Beijing." Earth and Space News. Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/12/hazardous-air-pollution-levels-trigger.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Second-Ever Beijing Red Alert Dec. 19 Less Than Two Weeks After First." Earth and Space News. Friday, Dec. 18, 2015.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2015/12/second-ever-beijing-red-alert-on.html

"MEP releases air quality status of key regions and 74 cities in November." Ministry of Environmental Protection of the People’s Republic of China > News and Media Service > News Release. Dec. 13, 2015.
Available @ http://english.mep.gov.cn/News_service/news_release/201512/t20151217_319465.htm