Beijing breathes sigh of relief as smog disperses

Beijing can expect to breathe clean air from Tuesday, as wind and rain is forecast to end the recent bout of smog, the capital’s environmental protection monitoring center said on Monday.

Liu Baoxian, a senior engineer at the center, said the airborne pollutants were mainly generated locally, especially from vehicle exhaust emissions, based on analysis of the levels of PM2.5 — fine particulate matter that can be hazardous to health.

He added that a lack of wind, coupled with pollutants from neighboring areas, had caused the smog to linger.

Air pollution usually worsens in the north during fall and winter, but the Ministry of Environmental Protection said on Sunday that the annual smog season had arrived early this year.

"Tackling the severe air pollution in autumn and winter needs to be the priority," the ministry said in a statement.