Australia bushfire smoke shoots Sydney into top 10 global pollution index

Source(s): Thomson Reuters

By Sonali Paul and Colin Packham 

The Australian state of New South Wales was gasping under the worst levels of air pollution ever recorded on Friday as smoke from widespread bushfires caused a spike in hospital visits and hazards including poor visibility for drivers.

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Sydney, the country’s most populous city, was blanketed in a thick haze for the fourth consecutive day, pushing it into a rare and repeat appearance in the list of top ten cities with the worst air pollution in the world.

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Health officials said 73 people had sought treatment for respiratory conditions over the past week, twice normal levels.

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At some stages in recent days, the state capital of Sydney reached as high as No. 8 on the Air Visual global rankings of cities with the worst air pollution in the world, ahead of Jakarta and Shenzhen and only just behind Mumbai.

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