China targets health-harming ozone

Abstract

China is expanding its air-quality improvement effort to address volatile organic compounds (VOCs). VOCs are responsible for the formation of fine particulate matter and ground-level ozone, each of which causes health problems. China already shuttered thousands of steel, chemical, and power plants in the northern part of the country. According to an annual report on the country’s environmental status issued in May by the Ministry of Ecology and Environment (MEE), average concentrations of airborne particulates dropped around 20% and sulfur dioxide plunged 44% from 2015 to 2018 in 338 Chinese cities. Ground-level ozone, however, remains a significant problem. It increased roughly 13% across the 338 cities from 2015 to 2018. Thus comes the new focus on VOCs, which are released from burning fuel such as gasoline, wood, coal, or natural gas. VOCs also come from many consumer products and industrial production processes, including many that use chemical solvents. The varied