Xingtai Leads List Of China’s Cities With The Worst Air Pollution In 2013 List

China’s media today is reporting a list compiled by Greenpeace of the country’s cities ranked by highest air-pollution levels. Hebei Province, a key center for heavy industry in the country, has the dubious distinction of leading the list with seven of top 10 spots. Xingtai (1), Shijiazhuang (2), Baoding (3), Handan (4), Hengshui (5), Tangshan (6) and Langfang (8) all made the top 10.

An SVG map of China with Hebei province highli...

Hebei Province, adjacent to Beijing, leads a new list of cites with China’s dirtiest air in 2013. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Among China’s international business centers, Beijing was the worst at No. 13, Qingdao ranked No. 47, and Shanghai came in No. 48. Heavy pollution in Beijing contributed to a 10% drop in the city’s inbound tourist arrivals in the first 11 months of 2013 (see related story here).

Greenpeace used data from China’s Environmental Protection Ministry website, as well as from environmental protection bureaus in 74 cities, according to a report in the government-published Shanghai Daily today. The national standard is an average PM2.5 density of 35. PM2.5 refers to particle matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter.

Here’s the full ranking below. (City, province, average annual PM2.5 density, peak PM2.5 reading)

1. Xingtai, Hebei: 155.2, 688

2. Shijiazhuang, Hebei: 148.5, 676

3. Baoding, Hebei: 127.9, 675

4. Handan, Hebei: 127.8, 662

5. Hengshui, Hebei: 120.6, 712

6. Tangshan, Hebei: 114.2, 497

7. Jinan, Shandong: 114.0, 490

8. Langfang, Hebei: 113.8, 772

9. Xian, Shaanxi: 104.2, 598

10. Zhengzhou, Henan: 102.4, 422

11. Tianjin: 95.6, 394