Sickening Smog Strangles Major Chinese City

With particulate pollution levels well over 20 times the amount deemed safe, and visibility reduced to less than 30 feet, a choking smog brought the northeast Chinese city of Harbin to a standstill Monday.

1 minute read

October 21, 2013, 2:00 PM PDT

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj

"School was canceled, traffic was nearly paralyzed and the airport was shut down in the northeast Chinese city of Harbin on Monday as off-the-charts pollution dropped visibility to less than 10 meters in parts of the provincial capital," reports Mia Li.

"A dark, gray cloud that the local weather bureau described as 'heavy fog' has shrouded the city of 10 million since Thursday, but the smoke thickened significantly on Sunday, soon after the government turned on the coal-powered municipal heating system for the winter."

“'You can’t see your own fingers in front of you,' the city’s official news site explained helpfully."

BuzzFeed has collected stunning images of the soup.

FULL STORY: ‘Airpocalypse’ Hits Harbin, Closing Schools

Monday, October 21, 2013 in The New York Times

Environment China Harbin Smog

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