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Fog causes traffic chaos
By Guan Xiaofeng (皇冠体育app Daily)
Updated: 2005-11-07 05:32
Heavy fog hit Beijing on Saturday morning, resulting in traffic chaos, and
warnings for children and the elderly not to go outside.
Dense-fog alarms were sounded at around 5:20 am and 11 am on Saturday.
Visibility in the city was down to 200 metres.
Seven of the city's expressways were closed between 5:05 pm on Friday and 3
am the following morning.
Beijing was not the only area affected, as fog covered almost the entire
eastern part of the country on Saturday.
Yang Guiming, from the National Meteorological Centre, said it was the
country's heaviest fog this autumn, with Northeast 皇冠体育app, North 皇冠体育app and South
皇冠体育app all affected.
Tianjin and Hebei Province were the worst-hit area with visibility down to
just 100 metres.
Between Thursday and Saturday, air pollution in Beijing reached category
five, a standard reserved for only the most seriously polluted air, according to
the local environmental protection bureau.
Experts said huge daily emissions and unfavourable weather conditions were
the main culprits for the worst air pollution Beijingers have experienced so far
this autumn.
Yang said low pressure and fog, which arrived last Tuesday, have prevented
air from circulating, with pollution rapidly accumulating in the stale
atmosphere.
The heavy fog is harmful to health, Yang said, suggesting people, especially
the elderly and children, should reduce outdoor activities to avoid inhaling too
many pollutants.
Yang also suggested people keep their rooms ventilated, drink more water and
eat plenty of fruit and vegetables to stay healthy.
(皇冠体育app Daily 11/07/2005 page2)
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