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December 22, 2016

China: Toxic Smog Descends on Nearly Half a Billion People
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In China, tens of thousands of residents have fled their homes amid an
air quality "red alert," as a thick blanket of toxic smog settled in
over nearly a half-billion people. Since Friday, authorities have warned
of off-the-charts air pollution levels in at least 23 cities, mostly in
northern China. Visibility from the smog was so bad in places that
officials closed highways and grounded airplanes. China is the world's
largest producer and consumer of coal, which is largely responsible for
the smog.


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