Breathing in Beijing's air is the equivalent to smoking FORTY cigarettes a day: Smog map of China reveals shocking extent of pollution

Air pollution kills 4,000 people a day in China, representing 17 % of all deaths in the country, according to a damning new report into air pollution.

The figures show that China's smog problem, particularly in the east of the country, is even worse than previous estimates.

Breathing air in the country's capital Beijing for just one day is the equivalent to smoking 40 cigarettes, claims one of the report's authors

 

Experts have known that air pollution in China has been a problem for a number of years, but estimates for how bad the situation actually is have been unreliable, often relying on satellite data.

To get a better picture of the situation, in 2012 the government set up more than 1,500 air monitoring stations across the country that produce hourly reports.

The newly released data from the reports, analysed by scientists at Berkeley Earth, a non-profit based in the US, makes for grim reading.

The air reporting system takes measurements of pollutants including particulates less than 2.5 microns in diameter, known as PM 2.5, which can penetrate deep into the lungs causing heart attacks, strokes, lung cancer and asthma.

The report shows that 38 % of the population is breathing 'unhealthy' air according to United States Environment Protection Agency (EPA) standards.

This number rises to 83% of the population if people with sensitive groups are included, for example those with existing conditions.

Since many of the sources of the most dangerous pollutants in Beijing are not local, making the air safe in time for the 2022 Olympics poses a particular challenge. 

'Beijing is only a moderate source of PM2.5; it receives much of its pollution from distant industrial areas, particularly Shijiazhuang, 200 miles to the southwest,' said Robert Rohde, coauthor of the paper.

The fact that sources of PM2.5 match those of sulfur implies that most of the pollution comes from coal burning power plants, according to the paper's authors.

China has the highest number of dirty power plants, with a total of 610, followed by the US with 371 and India with 187.