The smog remains the same: Beijing’s air toxic for days to come

Unhealthy smog hovered over central Beijing as limits on cars, factories and construction sites kept pollution from spiking even higher on Wednesday, on the second of three days of restrictions triggered by the city's first red alert for smog.

While this round of heavy air pollution peaked today, meteorologists have already issued warnings for the next bout of smog expected to cover the city from Saturday.

Beijing’s air quality index recorded 304 on Wednesday morning and would rise further in the afternoon, the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Centre said.

WATCH: Beijing smog lingered over the capital all day as residents and tourists carried on

The high humidity level, weak snow and lack of wind will have little impact on the pollution level, the capital weather forecaster said.

Cars with even-numbered licence plates were kept off roads today, and schools and construction sites remained closed. There were far fewer pedestrians, and most donned white masks to filter the air.

Insurance and water purifier saleswoman Zhang Jingtie said she had no choice to come even though the restrictions lasting until Thursday have prompted some businesses to close and others to allow employees to work from home.

“I stay outdoors most of the time, so I am very worried that I may get cancer if I continue to live in this kind of air for long,” said Zhang, 25. “We really need to do something to protect the environment.”

Pollution levels at midday in central Beijing were between 250 and 300 on the city’s air quality index — suggesting the restrictions were having an effect. The city’s alert was triggered by a forecast on Monday that pollution levels would exceed 300 for three days straight.

The index is strongly linked to levels of the dangerous smallest detectable PM2.5 particles, which at midday ranged from between 200 to 250 micrograms per cubic metre in the city centre – or eight to 10 times the World Health Organisation’s maximum safe level.