Beijing factories shut amid smog nightmare
Beijing, Dec 1, 2015 , AFP – Beijing ordered hundreds of factories to shut and allowed children to skip school as choking smog reached over 25 times safe levels on Tuesday, casting a cloud over
China's participation in Paris climate talks.
A thick grey haze shrouded the capital with concentrations of PM 2.5, harmful microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the lungs, as high as 634 micrograms per cubic metre.
The reading given by the US embassy dwarfs the maximum recommended by the World Health Organisation, which is just 25 micrograms per cubic metre
Swathes of northern China were hit and levels in Jinan, a provincial capital hundreds of kilometres away, reached over 400.
Authorities in Beijing ordered the closure of 2,100 highly polluting businesses, the state-run China Daily said, and advised citizens to stay indoors.