The choking pollution blanketed the city starting from Sunday, the first day that public heating was provided, with the reading of PM2.5, a most hazardous airborne particle, reaching 554 in some areas, according to the Global Times.
The China National Environmental Monitoring Center said the reading even hit 1,000 in some areas of Harbin Monday, 40 times the World Health Organization’s healthy standard, the newspaper said.
The smog exerted great impact on traffic and schooling, reports said. All elementary and high schools were suspended Monday for safety concerns.
The heavy smog also affected nearby Jilin and Liaoning provinces, the reports said.
reporter
Park Sae-jin
swatchsjp@ajunews.com