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A man walks through heavy pollution on a street in Beijing, China, on November 1. Air pollution in Beijing reached "hazardous" levels, the US embassy said, as thick smog blanketed the city for the fourth day running, forcing the closure of highways and cancellation of flights.

Smog in Beijing: U.S. Embassy air quality data undercut China's own assessments

KTUU-TV reported on Beijing's extreme air pollution problem on October 29:

Perched atop the U.S. Embassy in Beijing is a device about the size of a microwave oven that spits out hourly rebukes to the Chinese government.

It is a machine that monitors fine particulate matter, one of the most dangerous components of air pollution, and instantly posts the results to Twitter and a dedicated iPhone application, where it is frequently picked up by Chinese bloggers.

One day this month, the reading was so high compared with the standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that it was listed as "beyond index." In other words, it had soared right off the chart. Continue reading.

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