Guangzhou recorded its worst pollution of the year so far on Wednesday. All of the city’s air monitoring stations had different readings, but ten of them passed the serious pollution level, New Express Daily reported on January 22.

“[Wednesday] was the worst polluted day in Guangzhou since the start of the new year,” said Huang Zuzhao, deputy head of the city’s environment monitoring centre.

The Pearl River Delta, in particular, suffered severe smog with several air stations in Foshan recording PM 2.5 levels higher than 200. The World Health Organization recommends daily exposure of not more than 25 micrograms per cubic metre over a 24-hour period, and any reading above 200 is considered “heavily polluted” by China’s national standards.

Guangdong’s current cold weather, static air and pollutants accumulated over several days have all contributed to the city’s worsening air quality, the report said.

Photos: Reinhard Krause/Courtesy Reuters