Alalam - China

The worsening conditions caused the Hong Kong government to warn of a “very high” health risk, particularly for the elderly, children and those with existing respiratory conditions.

The level of PM2.5 pollution, the fine particulates that pose the greatest danger to health, exceeded 190 micrograms per cubic meter on Sunday in Hong Kong, and the high levels continued into Monday.

The World Health Organization recommends daily exposure of no more than 25 micrograms of PM2.5 per cubic meter, and levels above 150 are considered “unhealthy.”

Hong Kong’s Environmental Protection Department blamed shifting weather patterns for the pollution, as sunny and dry conditions on Sunday essentially trapped haze over the region.

“Hong Kong is being affected by an airstream with higher background pollutant concentrations,” a department spokesman said. “The light wind hinders effective dispersion of air pollutants.

The sunshine enhances photochemical smog activities and the formation of ozone during the daytime, resulting in high pollution in the region.”

Nearby Chinese provinces including Guangdong and Hainan also had unhealthy levels of pollution.

SA