Today Bejing issued a second pollution red alert, warning its residents of dangerously high levels of smog in the atmosphere. The red alert is the highest of a four-level alert system and was issued only once before, a little more than week ago. With this alert, residents are encouraged to stay indoors, and the city will restrict its use of vehicles, and cut down on factory and construction work.
The smog that hit Beijing on December 8 was estimated at just shy of 300 micrograms per cubic meter of particulate matter. This is about 12 times above what the World Health Organization considers as maximum safe level. Even scarier, the smog that will hit Beijing in the next few days is expected to exceed 500 micrograms per cubic meter.
Watch the video and learn how pollution affects your your health, and why Beijing residents are staying in this weekend.