The city of Xian has become notorious for its poor air quality. According to an article from the Canada Free Press by Jack Dini published on February 1, 2012, the World Health Organization (WTO) declared in 2006 that Xian had the second worst air quality in the world. The article also compared the air quality in Xian to that found in the United States by stating that, according to the WTO report, "The air in Xian is, on average, 9-10 times more polluted in terms of PM 2.5 than the median PM 2.5 levels of the two most polluted cities in the 112 city US study (Rubidoux, CA, and Los Angeles, CA)." PM 2.5 refers to a form of fine particulate matter that can be found in the air. I found these statistics to be highly disturbing and incredible to believe. But many pictures of Xian make these facts regarding its poor air quality easier to believe; for example, I have posted a picture below that demonstrates the air conditions that the people of Xian live with.
This is a view of the Xian Drum Tower, largely obscured by the smog:
However, as described by the article, the link between the levels of PM 2.5 and mortality rates remain controversial and deserve greater research; in fact, the article proposes that the health risks of PM 2.5 must have been exaggerated, since as Dini claims, "one would expect to see this phenomenon operating in high gear in the respiratory horror story that Xian should be." Instead, Xian has experienced a relatively low mortality rate increase that can be linked to the levels of PM 2.5. In any case, however, I believe it is common sense that such amazingly high levels of PM 2.5 pose a serious health risk to the population of Xian, and I hope that it can bring this under control in the near future.
(Source:
http://www.canadafreepress.com/index.php/article/44356).
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