unhealthy "for sensitive groups"

I have mentioned before that one of the reasons that I picked Shanghai is that it is less polluted than Beijing and most of northern and central China. It sits on the coast and usually the air if churned enough to keep the pollution down.

Well, the last week is not one of those weeks. The pollution has been from yellow to red on the scale, with a few days saying that it is unhealthy "for sensitive groups". It got so bad the last two days that it is now just plain unhealthy. I am hoping that it will clear out soon because it is just plain nasty.

I posted a doctored photo of the Bund, the view of the famous skyline in Shanghai with the Pearl Tower. I wanted to highlight the lights, not the pollution. But here are a few photos of what Shanghai really looks like:

It might not look that bad, but this last one I think really shows. The sky was brownish gray with the reflection of the lights and this is the best one I have before edits (oops), so don't mine me being in it. Pollution levels are very high here and in China, which is well-known around the world. What is not known is that the pollution kills 1 million people a year, which doesn't seem like a lot when there are 1.25 billion people in China; however, be aware that if you have any type of breathing problem, be careful when visiting China. Add the humidity and rain, the acid rain here is so bad it is white. 

Please recycle, save water, turn off your lights. Do something to lessen the pollution where you are. It is sad to see somewhere that can be so cool be shrouded in thick brown haze.