A Chinese artist nicknamed 'Brother Nut' has made a brick out of dust collected from the smog in Beijing.

He spent 100 days wondering around the Chinese capital with an industrial vacuum cleaner, hoovering up the toxic particles from the air - in an act to raise public awareness of environmental protection and the severity of the situation - reports the People's Daily Online.

With pollution levels currently off the scale in some of China's major cities, the reality of health issues is finally hitting home to many residents.

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Brother Nut with a brick made out of dust particles he collected from the severe smog in Beijing over 100 days

He used an industrial vacuum cleaner to hoover up the toxic particles from the air over 100 days in Beijing

Beijing has been blanketed with thick pollution for five days now, with PM2.5 levels soaring to over 600 AQI (air quality index) in some parts of the city. Levels this high are more than 20 times the healthy limits and are hazardous to humans.

PM2.5 is an air pollutant, harmful microscopic particles that penetrate deep into the lungs.

According to a report on CCTV, the amount of dust he absorbed is equal to the amount of air 62 people breathe in each day.

Brother Nut, 34, said he came up with the idea after continuously reading about the shocking reports of the air quality in Beijing.

So angry that nothing is being done, he wanted to prove to people how bad it actually was, and appeal for a fight against pollution. So he decided to start the 100-day 'dust plan.'

Nut finished making the brick in a factory in Tangshan city, in Beijing's neighbouring Hebei province. He plans to put it into a construction site in Beijing.

Residential blocks are seen covered in smog in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu province on November 30

Walking around Beijing with an industrial vacuum, artist Brother Nut also wears a face mask to protect himself

China has allowed children in the capital to skip school and airlines cancelled more than 30 flights from Beijing

By making the Brick, Brother Nut hopes that more people will start reflecting on the way they use natural resources.

When he wrote his 'dust plan' he included this in the introduction: 'Our cities have become congested cities and chemical sieges.

'The more we pursue and dig for resources, the more dust we will produce. When all the world's resources are exhausted one day, we will end up with becoming real dust.'

The Chinese government has issued an orange alert, and are warning people to stay indoors if they can, it's the first orange warning this year, the previous was yellow.

Levels of air pollution warnings are divided into four colours, blue, yellow, orange, and red being the highest.

On a good day – meaning blue sky - AQI levels should be less than 50, today they are reaching 600 plus.

Outside the Forbidden City sucking up the air (left) and making his brick, using dust collected over 100 days

Brother Nut just wants to make a public point that something seriously needs to be done to stop the pollution

Air quality readings in Beijing, where pollution levels are reaching 22 times healthy limits

Drastic measures are being taken in Beijing, some of the factories have been shut down surrounding the city.

While some residents think that the heating system in winter may be to blame for the heavy smog, Zhang Dawei, head of the Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center, told CCTV that coal burning is the major contributor after analysing the composition of the pollutants.

At 6am this morning Beijing was still submerged in smog, with levels so high it will most certainly have an effect on people's health.

The government is advising people to do a number of things to ensure they stay safe. These are reducing outdoor activities and only go outside in full body protection, such as with visual goggles and masks that can block PM2.5.

They are also warning people to pay attention to the air quality inside as well as out. They can improve the indoor quality by using air purifiers and growing green plants to reduce particles. Also most importantly residents should always wash their hands and face.

Nut Brother doesn't think his brick of dust will solve the ongoing problem of China's pollution, he just wants to make a public point that something seriously needs to be done fast.

By throwing his Brick into a construction site he said he would like to 'let the brick disappear into the concrete jungle, just like putting a drop of water in the ocean.'