Beijing follows Shanghai with anti-smog measures

Just days after Shanghai unveiled new measures to combat air pollution, China's capital Beijing has issued a smog warning advising the public and visitors alike to take precautionary action to reduce exposure.

It comes after a study published in the British Medical Journal showed that air pollution in Beijing has had a significant detrimental effect on the lifespan of the city's residents, with the thick smog reducing life expectancy by an average of 15 years for those regularly exposed.

This week, visibility in the city was reduced to just a few hundred yards, with pollution particle readings - known as PM2.5 - rising to more than 20 times the safe limit recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).

In general, the WHO recommends that readings of PM2.5, should reach no more than 25 micrograms per cubic metre, but monitoring by the US embassy recorded levels at 500 micrograms per cubic metre on Thursday.

As such, Beijing’s authorities have taken swift action to issue guidelines advising children and the elderly to stay indoors, and telling those going to work to wear protective masks.

The new study, carried out by Yuming Guo and a team of researchers, involved cross-referencing pollutant levels for eight urban districts in Beijing between 2004 and 2008 and also recorded deaths over the same period.

They found a direct correlation between the smog and mortality rates, with pollution levels cutting the life expectancy of citizens by between 15.1 and 16.2 years.

The research, which was seen by the Independent, explained a number of different personal factors were taken into account, though a clear average was identified.

"The year of life lost varied depending on age, sex and other factors. Some people had their lives shortened by many, many years, others not at all, and it varied by group. The average years of life lost came out to be (around) 15."

According to the study, women are more susceptible than men to the PM2.5, while older people are also more likely to die from exposure, and those aged under 65 are more likely to suffer illnesses and adverse effects as a result of the smog.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has now revealed that it is working on new regulations for pollution permits, with the State set to offer regional governments up to £1 billion as a reward for cutting the air pollution this year.