The third major sandstorm in five weeks caused Beijing’s air to spin sepia on Thursday, dropping air quality in the Chinese capital.
The storms, caused by winds that swept through drought-stricken Mongolia and northwestern China, sent levels of 999 micrograms per cubic meter of pollution that could penetrate the lungs. air pollution real-time quality index.
The World Health Organization recommends that levels do not exceed 20 micrograms per cubic meter during the 24 hours, saying: ‘There is a close, quantitative link between exposure to high concentrations of small particles (PM)10 in PM2.5) and increased deaths or illnesses, both daily and over time. ”
The sand particles came from Mongolia and the Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, and the strong wind is expected to transport the pollutants to central and eastern China by Friday, the meteorological government in China said.
The amount of sand in the air last month was less than the two sandstorms in northern China, but the wind speed was higher, according to the meteorological administration, to move the dusty atmosphere faster and further.
“I do not feel well. We have had several dust storms this year, ”said Gary Zi, a 48-year-old Beijing resident who works in the financial sector.
“The (air) quality is much worse than in previous years,” he added. Breathing becomes difficult. Sand gets in your eyes and in your nose. ”
As the storm blew through Beijing, a team of forestry and meteorological government experts arrived in Inner Mongolia to conduct research on the sandstorms, reports the Global Times.
Delegates from China’s arid Gansu region said in a motion to parliament last month that more than half of the dust storms that hit China each year come from abroad, mainly from southern Mongolia.
Beijing has planted millions of trees along its border to block sandstorms, part of a project known as the ‘Great Green Wall’.
“I feel it’s all climate change,” another Beijing resident said as he wiped the dust off his car near the China World Trade Center, giving only his surname, Xie. “(We) can not do much about it.”
Reuters contributed to this report