Shanghai's air quality 'improves' in 2014

Shanghai's overall air quality improved in 2014 from 2013 thanks to the absence of extreme weather and the city's anti-air pollution measures that include promoting the use of cleaner energy sources, the environment authority said on Wednesday.

Despite the improvement, the air quality doesn't meet the World Health Organizations standards.

According to the Shanghai Environmental Protection Bureau, 281 days had either "good" or "excellent" air quality with an average AQI reading below 100, an 11 percent increase from 2013. It said 84 days had various levels of pollution last year compared to 124 in 2013.

There were four days of heavy pollution last year with the AQI between 201 and 300. In 2013, 21 days were heavily polluted and another two were severely polluted with the AQI surpassing 500, the bureau said.

The city's anti-pollution measures included cutting down the use of coal and eliminating older vehicles that emit more pollutants.

The bureau also said less "extreme weather" such as long-lasting heat waves and cold snaps meant pollutants were dispersed easier.

Tiny PM2.5 particles remained the city's major air pollutant. The average PM2.5 density was 52 micrograms per cubic meter last year, a 16 percent decrease compared to 2013. The World Health Organization?s standard for safe air is 25 micrograms per cubic meter within a 24-hour period and 10 micrograms per cubic meter over a one-year period. The nation's daily limit is 75 and the yearly limit 35.

Meanwhile, according to a research report issued by the bureau, 26 percent of the pollutants in Shanghai were from other cities and provinces.

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