BEIJING -- Thick smog blanketing Beijing went “beyond” measurable pollution levels on Monday, the U.S. embassy said, as a Chinese official warned people to stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities.
The independent assessment by the embassy said pollution was either hazardous or “beyond index,” meaning that air quality had plunged below the worst level on the scale.
The Beijing Environmental Bureau said air quality in most of the city was at level five — the worst rating.
“Obviously elderly people and children should not go outside,” an official at the bureau who refused to identify herself told AFP.
Particulate pollution, rising temperatures and a lack of wind caused the stifling smog, which reduced visibility in parts of the city to just 200 meters, the Beijing weather bureau said in a report.
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