Air pollution News

Toronto - Does the quality of the air increase with economic prosperity? That's the opinion of the right-of-center Canadian Fraser Institute. It is not a view shared by the Green Party.

In the first study of its kind, researchers have compared pollution rates from 1850 through 2000, and have discovered that man-made pollutants from Asian countries are impacting weather patterns in the Northern Hemisphere.

Air pollution in China has become so bad that it has fueled a face-mask cottage-industry in the country. While most of the masks are no better than wearing a bandana over one's face, people are spending millions of dollars for this needed protection.

Paris - Air pollution levels in Paris, France has been 80 percent higher than in London or Berlin over the past week, prompting the city to offer free public transportation, as well as require drivers to reduce their speed.

Beijing - In Beijing, the air is so thick with toxic smog that officials are warning citizens to wear masks when outdoors, or stay inside. With air-quality levels rising far above what is considered safe, one scientist compared the foul air to a "nuclear winter."

Beijing - Some 1,300 species of microbes, including some associated with allergies and lung disease, have been detected adrift in Beijing’s thick smog.

Beijing - Imagine the Fourth of July without the fireworks display on Washington's Mall, or New Years on Times Square without the ball dropping. In China, where fireworks were invented, the Lunar New Year on Friday may be celebrated without them.

Beijing - Last week, Beijing's Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau at a press conference, addressed the dirty dish-water pollution covering the city. They blamed the toxic miasma on a number of problems, the biggest being coal-fired industries, among others.

China's air quality problem may have repercussions outside of Asia. A new study suggests that Chinese pollution is affecting America's West Coast.

Shanghai - Shanghai has reached the highest levels of air pollution in the year with PM 2.5 of up to 442, according to official AQI numbers.