What’s new: Beijing’s annual average concentration of PM2.5 — ultrafine particles in the air that are hazardous to health — dropped to 30 micrograms per cubic meter last year, the lowest level since records began in 2013, according to the city’s environmental watchdog.
It was also the only second time that the gauge met the national standard of a maximum of 35 micrograms, the Beijing Municipal Ecology and Environment Bureau said in a statement Wednesday.
However, the reading was still much higher than the 5 micrograms recommended by the World Health Organization. Exposure to PM2.5 particles can cause cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, according to the WHO.
The background: After years of struggling with air pollution, Beijing’s annual average PM2.5 concentration reached the national standard for the first time in 2021.
Last year, the capital, notorious for its heavy smog and airborne sand blown from China’s northwestern regions, had 286 days rated as excellent and good, the two best levels of outdoor air quality by national standards, down slightly from 288 in 2021, according to the Wednesday statement.
Contact reporter Wang Xintong (xintongwang@caixin.com) and editor Jonathan Breen (jonathanbreen@caixin.com)
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