Air Pollution In Beijing Spikes Just Days Before National Legislature Meeting

China's pollution problem is no secret, but many may not be aware of just how bad it actually is.

Just days before its national legislature holds its annual meeting, the amount of air pollution in Beijing nearly doubled, climbing to exceptionally hazardous levels.

The concentration of particles known as PM2.5, which pose the most significant overall health risk, rose to 468 micrograms per cubic meter this morning, compared to an average of 275 the previous day. The World Health Organization recommends that 24-hour exposure to PM2.5 be limited to levels of no higher than 25, according to Bloomberg. The last major spike of pollution levels pushed the PM2.5 concentrations to a record 993 in January.

Exposure to these particles has so far contributed to over 8,572 deaths in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Xi'an in 2012 alone, according to Peking University's School of Public Health.

This has stirred a significant call for a cleaner environment from the Chinese population, which will hopefully be reflected as politicians prepare to meet next week. While nothing official has been announced, it is expected that the issue will at least be addressed. Coal burning is currently the primary cause of the pollution, with rising vehicle emissions are also serving as a contributing factor.

Luckily, the government seems willing to take the first step in curbing the rising pollution levels. In January, China began to release real-time measurements of PM2.5 levels in 74 cities, which is a big push forward for transparency. Ma Jun, a Beijing-based environmentalist and founder of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs told Bloomberg that the decision has, "has forced the local governments to recognize the issue and to give the truth, rather than try to always distort the data. Now we need to move that to the polluting source side."