Of 367 Chinese Cities Tested, 90%+ Could Not Meet National Air Quality Standards Q1 2015
BEIJING — Air pollution data from the Chinese government shows that more than 90 percent of 360 Chinese cities failed to meet national air quality standards in the first three months of this year, according to a report released on Tuesday by Greenpeace East Asia.
Interior provinces were found to have the most polluted cities during those months. Cities near the eastern and southern coasts also had dire levels of fine pollutants, but the levels were lower than in the same period one year ago, the report said. The drop could be because of central government policies announced in late 2013 aimed at limiting coal use in China’s most densely populated regions.
Researchers at Greenpeace East Asia, which is based in Beijing, ranked 360 cities after looking at levels of fine particulate matter called PM2.5, considered more dangerous than other forms of pollutants because it can penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream.
Air monitors in 367 Chinese cities record the levels of PM2.5 and other kinds of pollutants hourly, and the data was released with the approval of the Ministry of Environmental Protection. Greenpeace said it discarded data from seven cities for the report because it was flawed.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/22/world/asia/hundreds-of-chinese-cities-dont-meet-air-standards-report-finds.html?_r=0