空气污染防治措施回顾

Municipal authorities here in Beijing are preparing to start a review of the air pollution control rules later this year.

A draft of the new rules, thought to be the strictest ever, is being put out for public consumption until this Friday.

The rules will formalize previous ad-hoc measures, including shutting down factories and taking vehicles off the roads on days when pollution hits unacceptable levels.

The capital only had 5 days free of smog last month.

Zhong Nanshan is with the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

"The number of lung cancer patients in Beijing has increased 60% over the past ten years. It is a very alarming figure. It is fair to say air pollution is the major reason behind all this. In my opinion, the pollution will do more than the sore throats, dry eyes and other symptoms that we can fell. In a long run, it will bring bigger harm."

Medical studies shows fine particles in the air can injure the lungs through inflammation, and is considered a factor in people developing lung diseases, such as emphazima and bronchitis.