Air pollution deaths
Inquest to probe role of air pollution in death of British girl
The hearing, which is due to last 10 days, could set a new legal precedent if it is found poor air quality contributed to the death of Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah.
PM 2.5 is a mixture of liquid droplets and solid particles that can include dust, soot and smoke, one of the main measures of the Air Quality Index (AQI).
Scientists at Berkeley Earth have taken air pollution levels of major cities and compared them to the effects of smoking.
More than 400 cities across China, though, have banned fireworks since last year to curb air pollution during the 15-day holiday and reducing deadly accidents, which are common.
Key areas facing such restrictions are the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei zone in the country’s north and the Yangtze and Pearl River deltas further south.
The failures highlight the challenge Beijing faces in cleaning the nation’s notoriously toxic air during the winter when smog blankets colder regions as people crank up their heating.
A US embassy measure of tiny particulate matter PM 2.5 showed a reading of 608 at 10 am when the safe limit is 50.
Such unsanitary and polluted environments can lead to fatal cases of diarrhea, malaria and pneumonia, the WHO said in a report.
Research by the US-based Health Effects Institute showed that air pollution caused more than 4.2 million early deaths worldwide in 2015.