'Cold front to disperse pollution over weekend'

The heavy smog that has shrouded the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei area for several days eased somewhat on Thursday afternoon, but experts said it won't disperse until Saturday.

Eleven of the 39 cities in the region witnessed an hourly PM2.5 intensity above 150 micrograms per cubic meter on Thursday, according to the Ministry of Environmental Protection.

PM2.5 refers to particulate matter with a diameter smaller than 2.5 micrograms, which can harm people's hearts and lungs and may be linked to cancer.