京津冀可能遭受重度臭氧污染
Heavy air pollution, including high ground level ozone (O3) levels, is likely to hit Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei and some of its neighboring areas in the coming days, the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) said Thursday.
中国环境保护部门周四表示，未来几天京津冀及其周边地区可能遭受重度臭氧污染。
Beijing, Tianjin, and parts of Hebei Province will suffer from moderate to heavy levels of air pollution on May 18 and 19, with O3 as the primary pollutant, the MEP said in an online statement.
Days of high temperatures have contributed to the formation of O3, a pollutant that can be harmful when reaching a certain density.
According to the National Meteorological Center, the country's northern region is likely to see temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius on May 19.
China has been imposing controls on air pollution in Beijing and nearby regions this year to combat heavy smog, caused mainly by fine particulate matter PM2.5.
The density of O3 tends to rise as PM2.5 falls, according to the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as less particulate matter creates a favorable environment for the formation of O3.