Beijing issues first red alert for air pollution

Beijing issues first red alert for air pollution

Beijing issued a red alert for air pollution last night after it was hit by hazardous levels of pollution for the second time within a week.
It is the first time it′s ever issued the alert at this level， the highest in a four－tier system.
Kwon Jang－Ho brings us this report.
″Airpocalypse″ that′s the term that some English speakers in China′s capital use to describe the worst pollution days.
And on official terms， the toxicity has reached that worst level.
Beijing issued a red alert for air pollution on Monday， for the first time since the current warning system was adopted in 2013.
The alert is only issued when there are three or more days of ″serious″ pollution， and the current smog blanketing the city is expected to last till Thursday.
Schools have been shut down， people have been warned to stay indoors and outdoor operations at construction sites have been banned.
In addition， some industrial plants are required to limit or stop production altogether.
Car use has also been limited to alternating days， while 30 percent of government cars will also be banned from driving.
Extra subway trains and buses have been added to handle the additional strain on the public transportation system.

″We， as ordinary people， do not wish for this rollercoaster， for severe smog to appear one day and then blue sky with white clouds appearing the next. We hope to live in a state that has blue skies and white clouds every day.″
The amount of PM two－point－five smog laden with high levels of yellow sand and particles that can be hazardous to human health was climbing toward 300 micrograms per cubic meter on Monday.
PM stands for ″particulate matter.″
The latest climb on Monday is more than ten times what the World Health Organization considers safe.
Last week that level reached almost a thousand，... but no red alert was issued， as the haze wasn′t expected to last for three days.
In Korea， there is concern about the alert because the smo