Pollution threatens health of Chinese people

Authorities in Beijing are finally acknowledging what visitors to China have known for years: The pollution created by the country’s explosive industrial growth is gradually poisoning its population.

The Ministry of Environmental Protection has issued a statement admitting that pollution problems had become “serious” in 2012 with a marked deterioration in air, water and land quality.

The China Daily has reported a surge in the sales of face masks in Beijing itself where smog pushed the pollution index to record levels earlier this year, resulting in an epidemic of what has become known as ‘Beijing Cough’.

The index had measured the level of particles in the air as high as 900 micrograms per cubic metre in some parts of the city – the World Health Organization considers the maximum safe level to be 25 micrograms.

And that is Beijing. While no figures are available, a visitor to Wuhan, in central China, described the atmosphere as “thick enough to cut with a knife” and said she developed a persistent cough and sore eyes within hours of stepping off the plane.

Added to this is the poisoning of China’s river system by the dumping, often illegally, of untreated industrial waste. The Ministry report found that more than 57 per cent of groundwater in 198 cities was “bad” or “extremely bad”; more than 30 per cent of the country’s rivers were “polluted” or “seriously polluted”.

The problem extends into rural areas where industrial development not only causes dislocation when communities are forced to make way for it, but also contributes to the poisoning of surrounding agricultural land.

Power stations, necessary to maintain China’s economic expansion and often fuelled with coal imported from Australia, are a major contributor to air pollution. China is embarking on a nuclear power program, but its 17 reactors contribute just one per cent of the country’s electricity.

Around 17 per cent of power generation comes from renewable energy sources, largely due to an extensive hydroelectric system. Overseas studies have suggested that China could produce far more of its energy needs from renewables, notably wind power.

However, former Premier Wen Jiabao was unenthusiastic, preferring to put his faith in a rapid nuclear expansion. It remains to be seen whether the current regime will follow the same path.