Air pollution has become so severe in Beijing China has issued an orange warning, which is only one level away from being the most serious rating.
According to CNN, students at a school for international families are banned from going outside, which has prompted the school to build a dome for recess. The pollution has become so severe the $5 million dollar dome, which houses soccer fields and basketball courts, became necessary for the safety and health of students.
"There are days here in Beijing, and sometimes a string of days in Beijing where the air outside is at a hazardous level," Gerrick Monroe, the COO/CFO of the International School of Beijing told CNN.
The Los Angeles Times reported about 150 industrial companies have slowed or completely stopped their production to cut down on emissions. Xinhua News, the state-run news agency, has also advised citizens to avoid outdoor activity or wear masks when outside.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has taken notice as well, also advising citizens to stay indoors and avoid the polluted air. Shin Young-Soo, WHO's Western Pacific regional director, said the precautions should be taken seriously to best avoid illness as a result of the pollution.
"We're cautious of whether the illness is related to air pollution," Shin said, according to the Wall Street Journal. "We know it has an impact on health, but we don't know how much."
One Chinese citizen is so far beyond fed up with the air pollution, he has filed a lawsuit against China. Beijing and northern China, Reuters reported, is dealing with the most severe smog.
Li Guixin, of Shijiazhuang, the capital of Hebei, filed a complaint to the city's Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. According to a local news company, Li's complaint asked the city to "perform its duty to control air pollution according to the law."
"The reason that I'm proposing administrative compensation is to let every citizen see that amid this haze, we're the real victims," Li told the newspaper.
It is not clear if the court will accept the lawsuit, but since the problem does seem to be getting any closer to being fixed, China may eventually see more similar complaints.
