Beware of the lurking haze!

01

How to distinguish fog from haze?

●Fog is an aerosol system formed by the condensation of a large number of fine water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air near the ground.

●Haze refers to the turbidity caused by a large amount of smoke, dust and other particles suspended in the air. The composition of haze is very complex, and most of the harmful substances are concentrated in fine particles (PM2.5), which is the "culprit" causing haze weather.

● Fog is made up of small water droplets and is milky white or bluish white. Haze is made up of various chemical compounds and is mostly yellow, orange-gray.

● The density of small water droplets in fog is high near the ground, which has a greater impact on light, so visibility is low, generally within 1 km. Haze particles are smaller, with lower density, and are evenly distributed in the air. Although they have a certain impact on light, the impact is not as great as fog, and visibility is low, generally within 10 kilometers.

● As the atmospheric temperature rises, the water droplets of fog will evaporate and last for a short time. Haze is small solid particles that generally do not decompose or settle, and its dissipation speed is slow and lasts for a long time.

02

The impact of smog weather?

The main feature of haze weather is reduced visibility. At the same time, the concentration of fine particles in the haze is too high, and it is also accompanied by a sharp increase in the concentration of gaseous pollutants (SO2, NOx, etc.), which will have a certain impact on people's health.

1. Impact on human health

1. Acute hazards

In haze weather, the concentration of atmospheric pollutants (especially outdoor air) increases sharply in a short period of time (such as severe haze). The large amount of pollutants inhaled by people causes acute harm, mainly manifested in respiratory and eye irritation symptoms, cough, difficulty breathing, sore throat, headache, chest pain, vomiting, and inducing acute attacks of chronic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

2. Chronic harm

Long-term stimulation from air pollution can lead to chronic inflammation of the eyes and respiratory system, decreased immune function, aggravation of chronic cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, aggravation of allergic diseases, and increased risk of lung cancer.

In addition, international studies have also found that long-term air pollution is also associated with adverse birth outcomes such as low birth weight, premature birth, and birth defects.

2. Impact on Mental Health

Due to the weak light and low air pressure on foggy days, people may feel depressed. Continuous haze can make people feel dull, depressed and irritable.

03

How to protect against smog weather?

my country often uses the Air Quality Index (AQI) to describe air quality conditions. The larger the value, the more serious the air pollution.

We can check the weather and understand the air quality before traveling, and take personal protection measures in foggy and smoggy weather!