The Smog In China Should Terrify You

The soaring pollution levels in China have draped the country in a permanent haze.

1. In the Pudong Lujiazui financial area in Shanghai, the whole city and most of the industrial parts of the country are suffering under a permanent haze.

Image by Aly Song / Reuters

Image by Aly Song / Reuters

3. Wearing a face mask outdoors is a necessity for those living in industrial areas. Sales of face masks in China are eight times higher than they were last year.

Image by Aly Song / Reuters

Image by Aly Song / Reuters

5. Beijing Schools are keeping children indoors and the Beijing Shijitan Hospital is reporting a 20% increase in patients arriving with respiratory health issues.

Image by Jianan Yu / Reuters

Image by Aly Song / Reuters

7. The pollution levels are at record highs. The haze has become so bad that on Monday a factory fire in Eastern China raged for three hours before someone noticed the smoke.

Image by The Associated Press / AP

Image by Feng Li / Getty Images

9. A study released by Greenpeace and Peking University’s School of Public Health found that pollution led to 8,572 early deaths in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Xian in 2012.

Image by Feng Li / Getty Images

(Sources: The Telegraph, Voice Of America, Care2, Businessweek)