An Unwanted Import

A persistent health concern in China, as much as 36% of air pollutants in the nation in 2006 were attributable to production processes of goods for export – with as much as 20% of that specifically linked to US-China trade.  An international team of scientists warns that China's air pollution is now making its way across the Pacific Ocean and threatens both the environment and health in the US.  Specifically,  Jintai Lin, from Peking University (China), and colleagues observe that on some days, acid rain-inducing sulphate from burning of fossil fuels in China can account for as much as a quarter of sulphate pollution in the western United States.  The team also found that cties like Los Angeles received at least an extra day of smog a year from nitrogen oxide and carbon monoxide from China's export-dependent factories.   Observing that: “International trade affects global air pollution and transport by redistributing emissions related to production of goods and services and by potentially altering the total amount of global emissions,” the study authors warn that: “The US outsourcing of manufacturing to China might have reduced air quality in the western United States.”