After years of haze education, although people no longer talk about haze discoloration, air pollution has occurred every autumn and winter in recent years, causing many friends to still be ignorant of haze, to the extent that some rumors have blinded their eyes. As smog strikes again and again, rumors about it often come and go like the tide of the sea.
Firstly, define a concept: fog is liquid water vapor, and haze is solid particles. In fact, the pollutants we are talking about are only haze, not fog. The use of haze in the title is only to accommodate everyone's reading habits, and the rumors about haze are also wrong.

Today, Xiaoju will give everyone a rising posture and prepare some dry food to fight against rumors. Don't be silly and sweet anymore~

Rumor 1: Northerners live 5 and a half years less due to smog

truth:Although the emissions of heavy metals, fine particulate matter, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and other substances from smoke and dust pollution are bound to have an impact on human health, there is currently insufficient evidence to prove the effect on lifespan. There is also a great controversy in the world regarding the algorithm for this value, which requires long-term observation. Life expectancy is influenced by multiple factors, not just one. Air pollution is just one factor that affects life expectancy. Undoubtedly, air pollution has a significant impact on public health. However, how to quantitatively evaluate this impact is a problem that needs to be solved from a scientific perspective. The conclusion of the above study is to exclude all other factors and only consider total suspended particulate matter in the air. In fact, according to "2010 QuanqiuIn China, unreasonable diet, hypertension, smoking, and air pollution are the primary causes of loss of life.

Rumor 2: The Three-North Shelterbelt Program blocks the wind blowing away the smoke

truth:Generally, the height of the protective forest belt will not exceed 20 meters, which does increase the friction coefficient of the surface and have a certain impact on local and microclimate, but the impact range will not exceed 50 kilometers. Moreover, afforestation mainly affects surface wind speed and does not affect atmospheric circulation. The main factors affecting wind speed are the intensity of cold air and atmospheric circulation. Planting trees and afforestation not only does not cause smog, but also has a certain effect on controlling smog. The increase of forest vegetation is beneficial for reducing soil erosion and surface dust emissions, and to some extent, reducing the content of dust particles in the atmosphere, thereby weakening the conditions for smoke formation.

Rumor 3: Coal to gas will further exacerbate haze pollution

truth:If the combustion efficiency of natural gas is higher than that of coal, then the amount of water produced by coal combustion will be greater, especially before the ultra-low emission transformation of coal-fired power plants. After coal to gas conversion, the amount of water and gas discharged did not increase significantly, but decreased to some extent. Due to the high combustion efficiency of natural gas, the ash and sulfur content of the fuel is extremely low. After the implementation of coal to gas, the emissions of pollutants such as particulate matter and sulfur dioxide will be greatly reduced. This plays an important role in reducing the atmospheric pollution emission load during the heating period, reducing heavy pollution weather, and lowering the average concentration of PM2.5.

Rumor 4: 'Nuclear Pollution' Causes Haze

truth:The uranium content of uranium coal in our country is basically below 2%. Natural uranium is ubiquitous and exists in air, soil, water, and building materials. Uranium itself is a heavy element that is not easily oxidized and will not turn into dust; Secondly, the power plant will carry out dust removal, desulfurization, and denitrification on the emissions, which are all real and should remain in the combustion residue, with only a small amount entering the air. In addition, the myth that "impurities in coal carry 10% uranium ore" is a joke because uranium, as an important nuclear material, is much more valuable than coal. If uranium is found in coal, it will definitely be collected, and even if the content is one ten thousandth, it cannot be burned.

Rumor 5: Inner Mongolia's wind power stole Beijing's wind, causing smog

truthThe impact of wind farms in Inner Mongolia on downwind speed can be maintained within 30 km, while the distance from Inner Mongolia to Beijing is 200 km, so it is difficult to change the wind speed in Beijing, and it is possible to restore wind flow around obstacles. Local wind power generation or local protective forests will not affect downstream wind power generation. The fundamental reason for the formation of fog and haze is that ground pollutants meet the static stability conditions of the atmosphere. There is currently no scientific research indicating a causal relationship between wind farms and haze formation.

Rumor 6: Breathing Haze 6 Days Turns Fresh Lungs into Black Lungs

truth:The experiment from "fresh lung" to "black lung" involves dropping PM2.5 particle suspension into the lungs of rats instead of inhaling it through breathing; The concentration of suspended solids is thousands or even tens of thousands of times higher than PM2.5 particles in daily life. PM2.5 needs to be inhaled into the lungs through the respiratory tract, and there is no comparability to directly demonstrate the harm of haze through droplets. If the mice are first placed in a sealed container and then PM2.5 particles are injected into the container from the outside, the conclusion is convincing. In the case of high solubility, the lungs will definitely undergo changes. In addition, Beijing belongs to the plain and does not constitute a closed environment, nor can it be developedThe experiment.

Rumor Seven：Does smog produce bacteria?

truth:Bacteria that produce haze? Haze is a type of solid particulate matter. When can solid particulate matter (inorganic matter) still produce living organisms (pathogenic bacteria)? In other words, has haze become the cradle of life? The Earth was born approximately 4.6 billion years ago, but it was only about 3.5 billion years ago that prokaryotes such as bacteria and cyanobacteria appeared on Earth. It took 1.1 billion years for the Earth to evolve from inorganic substances to the emergence of bacteria. I don't believe that the haze can be resolved in a day. After explaining that haze cannot produce bacteria, let's talk about haze that carries bacteria. There are many bacteria in the air. The wind blows and blows, there is no need to carry gloom. Otherwise, if no one gets infected, why do you have a cold? So far, no statement has been made stating that pathogenic bacteria are mixed in the haze, which poses a significant threat to human health.

truth:Rumor 8:Is ammonium sulfate particularly frightening in the haze?

truth:The composition of haze is relatively complex because pollutants react with each other to form other substances after being discharged into the air. Strictly speaking, the reaction process and final reactants of haze cannot be the same every time, as there are differences in type and quantity. But based on the pollution source, it can generally be judged. Ammonium sulfate has always played a dominant role in the haze in Beijing, as various sulfates are the main pollutants when using non desulfurized coal. But sulfate is not equal to sulfuric acid. Sulfate is a solid particle that can slowly harm the respiratory and nervous systems when inhaled, but it does not immediately lead to death. At that time, the large-scale air pollution deaths in London were caused by sulfuric acid mist in the air, which is a liquid. Without protective measures, such as inhaling sulfuric acid directly, people will die quickly. However, it is right for children not to go out, purifiers not to stop, and drinking plenty of water.

There is a saying that goes: "When the truth is still in its shoes, rumors have already spread half the world." In addition to offline joint efforts to control smog, online joint efforts are also needed to prevent "smog rumors. So it is necessary to report the haze situation in a timely manner, so that real information can run ahead of rumors; Hold accountable those who spread malicious rumors, so that some people no longer dare to speak recklessly.