Perfume, hair gel to blame for smog

Chinese experts have blamed the volatile organic compounds in hair spray, perfume and air refreshers for the recurring air pollution in the country as the dreaded smog returned to haunt the Beijing city on Monday. The air quality index in Beijing climbed to 213, which is categorised by the World Health Organisation, (WHO) as “very unhealthy”.

Beijing, the city of over 21million people, every year experiences the problem of air pollution, which in recent years has dropped to moderate levels following series of measures initiated by the government since 2015 restricting the use of coal and shifting polluting industries out of the range.

China has been fighting a tough war against smog for years. It has cut life expectancy in some Chinese regions and the government has asked its citizens to buy masks and air purifiers to protect themselves during peak pollution days.

Beijing has a four-tier alert system for pollution, with red the highest, followed by orange, yellow and blue.

The orange alert means the air quality index is forecast to exceed 200 for three consecutive days. During high alerts, heavy polluting vehicles and trucks carrying debris are banned from roads and some manufacturing firms cut production.

The Beijing Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau reported on Thursday that from January to September, the average concentration of PM 2.5 in Beijing dropped by 16.7 per cent compared to last year.