Fog Raises Air Pollution Levels in Chinese Cities

December 13, 2006

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December 13, 2006

Thick fog has rolled into the north and northeast of China in the last couple of days, raising air pollution levels to near "hazardous" conditions in Shanghai, Beijing and other population centers.

Unidentified Man: (Through translator) What Chinese identity? We talk about having 5,000 years of Chinese history, but wherever you go, you see demolition. There are construction sites everywhere. There isn't even 50 years of history left.

RENEE MONTAGNE, host:

And there's another price residents of Shanghai are paying for development: air pollution. The last few days, air pollution approached hazardous levels there. The same is true in the capital city of Beijing and across north and east-central China. A thick, heavy fog moved into the region Monday, trapping smog and wreaking havoc on airports and highways, some of which had to be shut down. As visibility dropped, the Shanghai Daily reported, that traffic police were called at one point to rescue 10 people who had mistakenly walked onto a major elevated road and gotten lost.

A Shanghai meteorologist blamed the fog on high humidity, then a dramatic drop in temperature. The fog and smog are expected to stick around for several more days.

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