天津爆炸：空气质量正常
As of 11 a.m. Thursday, the air quality remained normal in the region near the warehouse, the city's environmental bureau said.
天津环保局宣布，截止周四上午11点，货仓附近的空气质量保持在正常水平。
The city immediately began to monitor the air and water quality hours after the blasts, setting 34 temporary monitoring stations for air and five for water, according to the bureau.
So far, the water discharge port to the sea has been closed, and the water is being tested.
At 4 a.m. Thursday, the epoxyethane, a harmful gas which could lead to cancer, in the most polluted area has remained in a normal range below 2 milligram per cubic meter, compared with a stipulated hazardous level of 5 milligram per cubic meter.
At 5:30 am, the concentration of methylbenzene and volatile organic compounds, both harmful gases, slightly exceeded the standard.
As of 11 a.m., all harmful gas indicators fell back to the normal range.
The death toll climbed to 44 on Thursday afternoon, according to rescue headquarters.
Twelve firefighters were among the dead.