China's Pollution Alarm Qualifications Lowered
By Rachel Deason
The Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau this week announced adjustments to the city’s pollution alarm system.
Under the old system, a blue alert (the least severe) was activated if the AQI was predicted to be between 201 and 300 for a 24 hour period. Now, an AQI as low as 151 will trigger the alarm, after which select factories and construction sites will be asked to suspend activity.
The alarm system terminates at a red alert, which indicates an AQI of over 450. If the pollution is predicted to stay above 450 for at least 24 hours, schools and kindergartens will close. Shanghai has not issued a red alert in the past three years. The first blue alert of the winter was announced last Monday when the AQI hit 227.
The bureau has not yet announced when the new system will take effect.
[Image via Shanghai Daily]
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