China's Air Pollution Has Damaged Their Air Quality To Such An Extent That It Constitutes A Serious Threat To Public Health. Northern China Uses The Most Coal

China’s Air Pollution Has Damaged Their Air Quality To Such An Extent That It Constitutes A Serious Threat To Public Health. Northern China Uses The Most Coal, Has The Heaviest Air Pollution, And Therefore Has The Worst Health Effects, But The Situation Is Dire For Most Of The Country, Especially In Cities.

China's Air Pollution Has Damaged Their Air Quality To Such An Extent That It Constitutes A Serious Threat To Public Health. Northern China Uses The Most Coal

How Is Air Quality Measured?

The Basic Measurement Of Air Quality Is The Amount Of Particulate Matter With A Diameter Of Less Than 2.5 Micrometers. Such Particles Pose A Particular Threat Due To The Fact That They Are So Small That They Can Easily Travel Around The Human Body, Affecting Sensitive Organs Like The Lungs And Even Entering The Bloodstream. The Chinese Government Publishes An Index Of Air Quality That Translates The Amount Of 2.5 Micrometer Particles In The Air Into A Statement About The Health Effects And A Warning.

For Example, An Index Value Of 0 To 50 Indicates Good Air Quality That Does Not Pose A Threat. However, Particulate Readings That Reach The 151-200 “Unhealthy” Range Implies That The General Population Will Begin To Experience Symptoms Of Respiratory Problems, And The Elderly, Children, And Other At-Risk Demographics Need To Avoid Exerting Themselves. Ideally, The Index Should Read Below 20. But When China Began To Collect Data In January Of 2012, The Results Were Grim. The Highest Recorded Level Of The Index In Beijing So Far Has Been 775. This Far Exceeds The Highest Level Of The Index With A Detailed Warning- Readings Over 500 Simply Do Not Have An Interpretation. In The City Of Harbin, The Situation Is Even Worse- The Highest Ever Recorded Index Value Was 1,000, Twice The Highest Level That The Index Can Measure.

Health Risks Associated With Poor Air Quality

Of Course, The Fact That China Began Measuring The Air Using This Index In 2012 Does Not Mean That The Air Quality Was High Prior To Then. During The 2008 Summer Olympics In Beijing, Several Nations And Athletes Voiced Concern About The Quality Of The Air In The City And Its Effect On The Competitors. And In 2007, The World Bank Found That 16 Of The Most Polluted Cities In The World Were Located In China.

Residents Of Chinese Cities Face Greatly Increased Levels Of Lung Cancer And Other Respiratory Problems Due To The Air Quality. In 2010, China Accounted For 40 Percent Of The Worldwide Total Of Premature Deaths Due To Air Pollution- 1.2 Million Deaths In China Alone. There Are Over 560 Million People In China Who Live In Cities- For Comparison, The Population Of The United States In Total Is About 300 Million. Of Those, Only One Percent Experience Air Quality That The European Union Authorities Would Rate “Safe To Breathe.”

The Shocking Truth Of Air Pollution Around The World

The Shocking Toll Of Air Pollution Is Difficult To Overstate- An Estimated 3.6 Million People Worldwide Will Die Because Of Air Pollution Each Year, And Most Of Them Live In India Or China. With Such A Striking Effect On Public Health Around The World, Chinese Authorities Are Increasing Their Focus On Air Pollution. During The 2008 Olympics, The Government Strictly Enforced Air Quality Rules, But Afterward, Enforcement Loosened Again. The Result Is That Air Pollution Is On Track To Become The Leading Environmental Cause Of Premature Death In The World- And China Accounts For A Large Part Of The Problem.

Infographic Provided By Oransi, A Lead Supplier Of Energy Efficient Home And Commercial Air Purifiers. View The Original Infographic Here.