China Naming Network - Weather knowledge - What is the main reason for the formation of smog?

What is the main reason for the formation of smog?

Haze is the collective name for fog and haze. It is a weather phenomenon, also known as haze. They make the air turbid, blur the vision and cause visibility to deteriorate. The editor has sorted out the main causes of haze here. The reasons are for your reference. I hope you will gain something from reading!

The main causes of smog are various sources, such as automobile exhaust, industrial emissions, construction dust, and garbage incineration. Even volcanic eruptions, etc., haze weather is usually caused by a mixture of multiple pollution sources. However, in haze weather in various regions, the role of different pollution sources varies.

Haze weather has existed since ancient times. Human activities or natural phenomena such as slash-and-burn farming and volcanic eruptions may cause haze weather. However, after humans entered the fossil fuel era, haze weather truly threatened the human living environment and health. Rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to rapid energy consumption, high population concentration, and destruction of the ecological environment, all of which have paved the way for the formation of haze weather.

The formation of smog has both "sources" and "accomplices". These are meteorological conditions that are not conducive to the diffusion of pollutants. Once pollutants accumulate under long-term static meteorological conditions, it is easy to form fog. Haze weather.

The first is the physical source of granular dust. my country has the largest Loess Plateau area in the world, and its soil texture is most prone to generating granular dust particles.

The second is the dust caused by poor movement. For example, if the mud in the flowerbeds in the middle of the road or on the street curbs flows onto the road after it rains or is splashed with water, it will dry up for an hour and be turned around by the wheels, causing a large amount of dust. Even if these particulate matter falls back to the ground, it will cause dust. Cars kept passing by and were flung over the city again.

The third is that the dust source and movement difference process are concentrated within a certain spatial range, and the particles eventually condense with water molecules to form haze. At present, there are quite abundant stocks of the three elements of haze structure in more than 350 cities in the Loess Plateau region of my country.

National monitoring of some incidents of haze

The National Health and Family Planning Commission issued the "2013 Air Pollution (Haze) Health Impact Monitoring Work Plan" on the 28th, proposing that it will be adopted in three years Within five years, a nationwide air pollution (haze) health impact monitoring network will be established to understand the characteristics and composition differences of PM2.5 pollution in different regions and understand the health impact of air pollution in different regions.

The relevant person in charge of the National Health and Family Planning Commission said that the impact of air pollution (haze) on people's health includes both acute effects and chronic long-term effects. The health effects of haze involve people of all ages, but for people of all ages, The health effects of susceptible groups such as the elderly, children and pregnant women are more serious. Due to the lack of systematic long-term monitoring in my country, it is impossible to reveal the health hazards of pollutants characteristic of haze. There is an urgent need to carry out monitoring of the health effects of air pollution (haze) to understand the concentration change patterns and characteristics of pollutants characteristic of air pollution (haze) in different regions. Harm to population health and provide data support for health risk assessment.

According to the monitoring work plan, in 2013, some cities in 16 provinces (municipalities) with high incidences of air pollution (haze) will be selected to carry out monitoring of the health effects of air pollution on people. Each city sets up monitoring points in one community each in areas with relatively heavy air pollution and in areas with relatively light pollution. In addition, one township in each of the rural areas of six provinces (municipalities) was selected to set up monitoring points.

Through the setting up of monitoring points, air PM2.5 sampling will be carried out to monitor the PM2.5 mass concentration, focusing on the analysis of components that affect the health of the population. At the same time, through the collection of air pollution monitoring data, meteorological data and resident death case data in the monitoring area, the impact of different levels of air pollution on all causes of death and different causes of death for different diseases is analyzed, thereby estimating the number of excess deaths of residents caused by air pollution. (rate), assess the health risks of air pollution. Through the accumulation of data over a certain period of time, the changing trend of this impact is analyzed.

In addition, the construction of the monitoring network will also help analyze the incidence of air pollution-related diseases and the acute impact on residents, understand the impact of haze on the health of primary school students, and formulate intervention and protective measures. Provide evidence.

The plan requires that a survey on people’s travel patterns will be carried out in the winter of 2013, and through multiple surveys in the next 3 to 5 years, we will understand the air pollution exposure characteristics of people in different regions at different times and seasons, so as to provide Provide data support for health risk assessment.

Visibility in most areas of Beijing is between 1 and 4 kilometers. Beijing is still under a yellow haze warning. For the haze to completely dissipate, we have to wait until the main body of cold air passes through on the 29th. The surface wind speed will increase significantly. The visibility will improve in most areas of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei, and the persistent haze weather will end.

On April 7, 2014, according to CCTV, the relevant person in charge of the National Health and Family Planning Commission stated that my country will continue to monitor the impact of haze on people's health for a long time and evaluate the impact of haze on people's health. risk. According to the latest data released by the World Health Organization, about 7 million people died from air pollution-related diseases around the world in 2012. Among them, the situation in the WHO Western Pacific Region was the most serious, and most of the deaths occurred in low- and middle-income countries.

Zhang Yong, deputy director of the Bureau of Disease Control and Prevention of the National Health and Family Planning Commission, said that the haze-related monitoring work carried out by the National Health and Family Planning Commission mainly includes three aspects: first, organizing and carrying out monitoring of the impact of air pollution on people's health; second, carrying out The third is to strengthen collaboration and cooperation with environmental protection and meteorological departments to promote the sharing of information and early warning linkage. Research data from the World Health Organization also shows that nearly 70% of global air pollution-related deaths are related to ischemic heart disease and stroke, 25% are related to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or acute lower respiratory tract infection, and 6% are related to lung cancer. Zhang Yong said that the National Health and Family Planning Commission’s monitoring of haze will continue for a long time. ?It is hoped that through long-term continuous monitoring, the risk of air pollution to human health can be assessed. It is hoped that enhanced collaboration between departments can address the impact of haze on health. ?Zhang Yong said.

News on combating smog. The purely scientific understanding of smog is still not systematic and complete. There is no authoritative conclusion as to what its cause is, what harm it does to the human body, and how serious it is. If science is not strong, people's understanding and confidence will have fewer points of attachment. In the future, the uncertainty of society's response to haze may be higher than the uncertainty of haze itself. If the severity of smog continues to increase, it is not ruled out that panic about smog will occur among some people at some point.

Some scientists point out that the biggest cause of smog is probably the burning of coal, which has been the main energy source for China's development in recent years. More than 100 million tons of coal are still burned every year. Let alone reduction, even if there is no more coal burning, is it possible in China in a short time? Everyone wants blue skies, but if some people are allowed to use less electricity, less heating and less air conditioning, < /p>

The most effective way to get people to drive less is probably to limit driving. However, some celebrities immediately claimed that the pollution caused by personal driving is equivalent to farting in their own communities. This kind of inconvenience The baseless populist claims received plenty of applause from the internet.

China has obviously underestimated the seriousness of industrial pollution in the past few years. For this underestimate, the government's first responsibility is. Large-scale severe smog has sounded an alarm to the whole society and taught the government a lesson. Complaints are useless. They are just empty demands for "government action". If we all do not take real action, the government's "action" can only be empty promises, because billions of tons of coal are burned by the entire Chinese people, and nearly two tons of coal are burned every year. There are tens of millions of cars, most of which are private cars.

Foreign media attention

The Central Meteorological Observatory issued a haze warning for the sixth consecutive day. It is expected that moderate haze will occur in central Liaoning, the Beijing-Tianjin region, Hebei, and southern Shanxi, and severe haze will occur locally. The Ministry of Environmental Protection recently reported that it has launched an emergency plan and organized 12 inspection teams to go to Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and surrounding areas to conduct special inspections on the response to heavy pollution weather. Media from various countries have expressed concern about how China will control haze.

The Associated Press reported that China regards air pollution as "damaging the country's image" and the government has formulated a number of measures to achieve significant improvements in pollution control.

Bloomberg News reported that China’s environmental monitoring department released real-time monitoring of air pollutants on its website, and regulatory agencies also issued emergency notices requiring local governments to predict and release air quality information in a timely and accurate manner to ensure The public has smooth access to information.

The "Washington Post" commented that generally speaking, it will take several years to control air pollution. The measures taken by the Chinese government show China's determination to accelerate haze control. The new measures can at least represent the beginning of change.

The United States' "Globe and Mail" stated on the 24th that smog has caused people to buy masks and air purifiers one after another. Sales of air purifiers in a Beijing home appliance mall have tripled the usual volume. After the orange alert was issued, Beijing not only adopted measures such as limiting factory production, but also banned roadside barbecues.

Reuters reported on the 23rd that the haze weather has swept across 15% of China’s territory. The Ministry of Environmental Protection’s inspection team will visit construction sites and factories in the steel, cement, and coal industries. If production standards are found to be violated behavior will be made public.

AFP said on the 24th that dangerous smog has covered North China, including Beijing, for several days. China's National Meteorological Administration issued a yellow haze warning for most of North China on Monday. This is the region's first consecutive For five days, heavy air pollution reached dangerous levels that are harmful to health.

The German magazine "Der Spiegel" reported on the 24th that smog has enveloped nearly 15% of China's land. In northern China, people are suffering from smog. Beijing issued an orange alert, the second highest alert level in the four-level warning system, for the first time, and the number of lung disease patients in hospitals increased.

The report on the BBC website also published a big picture of Beijing-based reporter Celia Haydn wearing a mask. According to reports, air pollution has become a frustration for many Chinese urban residents. Opinion polls show that the harmful effects of smog have become one of the biggest concerns for urban residents.

Canadian TV said on the 23rd that China’s air pollution problem has aroused public anger. The Chinese government has issued a number of emergency measures to combat air pollution, such as driving restrictions based on license plate numbers in Shijiazhuang, Hebei, and some demolition, barbecue and Fireworks will be prohibited.

Singapore's "Lianhe Zaobao" reported earlier that if China's air pollution does not arouse high vigilance and make great determination and efforts to control it, it may cause heavy losses. Some media are also worried that air pollution may endanger China's social stability.

The "Times of India" reported on the 23rd that while the country issued timely warnings, China also imposed vehicle restrictions in some cities and suspended production of polluting factories. Official data shows that 36 companies in Beijing have suspended production, 75 companies have reduced output, and several steel producers and related companies in Hebei were shut down that morning.

South Korea's MBC TV station said that eastern China has experienced the most severe haze, affecting 1.43 million square kilometers, which is seven times the size of the Korean Peninsula. Beijing has been shrouded in smog for many days in a row. There are few people on the streets, but there are a lot of people in underground shopping malls and subways.

Korea Herald Economic Website said that smog has begun to change people's living habits. The first thing many people do when they get up in the morning is to check the air pollution index of the day to decide whether to wear a mask and whether to drive. work.